Cameras In Place On Spain's Roads That Can Detect A Valid ITV Or Insurance
Expat Tips
Published: 29 March 2022 17:06 CET
Driving in Spain without an up to date ITV licence is, as we all know, illegal. But according to the Traffic Department, that didn’t stop 40 per cent of vehicle owners, who in 2021 failed to take their vehicle for this obligatory test. That equates to four out of every ten people, an extremely high number.
However the Directorate General for Traffic (DGT) are insistent on putting a stop to this, and new methods have been put in place to do so.
Apart from being caught out by Guardia Civil spot checks, cameras have now been placed on roads that can detect whether or not a vehicle has an up to date ITV licence, as well as Insurance cover.
A total of 225 cameras have been placed on roads across Spain, 60 per cent of these are on secondary roads, and if a vehicle is caught not having either of these documents, the driver will be issued a fine for not complying with the law.
The cameras are designed to read a vehicle's number plate as it passes the radar and then checks are made via the DGT’s data to decipher whether or not the vehicle has passed its ITV test, or has the appropriate insurance. If either are not in order, a fine will be issued to the vehicle owner.
Fines can be issued for cars being driven, as well as those parked if their ITV is out of date and the value of the fine can range between 200 and 500 euros, a price no one would be happy paying.
Due to the low uptake of ITV tests, the Spanish Association of Entities Collaborating with the Administration in the Technical Inspection of Vehicles (AECA-ITV) has launched an awareness campaign, highlighting the importance of the tests that are carried out during a technical vehicle inspection.
The motto of the campaign is “If you don’t pass, pass it on”, and it is hoped that it will relay the importance of the technical inspection, showing that it isn’t just a process but an act of “social responsibility that saves lives.”
The aim of the campaign is to make drivers aware of how important it is to have a valid vehicle inspection. There are three principal benefits that ITV’s bring to the general public and they are, they save lives, avoid social and economic damage and take care of the environment.
During the presentation campaign, Guillermo Magaz, managing director of AECA ITV, assured his audience that "We can pass many things, but ITV is not one of them.
“The ITV saves lives. They prevent 539 fatalities, about 12,100 injuries of various kinds and 17,700 traffic accidents," Magaz said, before adding that "they also allow minimizing the environmental impact of means of transport. By going to an ITV station we protect ourselves and our loved ones.”
The awareness campaign will cover the entire Spanish territory and will be seen and heard on television, radio, social networks, as well as online.
Source
https://revista.dgt.es/es/noticias/nacional/2022/03MARZO/0323-Campana-ITV.shtml
https://www.surinenglish.com/spain/device-detect-vehicles-20220328132949-nt.html
