Spanish traffic cops employ new mobile ITV checks

Police checkpoints in Spain can now inspect the condition of vehicles on the spot

Most traffic accidents on Spanish roads are a result of excessive speed or distracted drivers, but the traffic authorities are also coming to realise that poorly maintained vehicles also cause their fair share of mishaps.

All cars of a certain age in Spain need to pass what’s known as an ITV test, which is similar to the MOT in the UK and ensures that a vehicle is roadworthy.

But it seems that an inspection sticker in the windshield is no longer sufficient, and from now on traffic cops will be armed with mobile ITV scanners which will allow them to examine cars more closely at checkpoints.

How do mobile ITV scanners work?

These mobile instruments carried by the Guardia Civil in its vans allow a more exhaustive inspection than officers could carry out with the naked eye. The General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has indicated that the mobile units will be focusing especially on the condition of headlights, steering, suspension, windows and windshield wipers and tyres.

It goes without saying that the mobile devices don’t have the same inspection capacity as physical ITVs, so vehicles will still need to be tested periodically as normal.

Mobile ITV scanners vs mobile ITV tests

There’s room for some confusion here as the traffic authorities also offer a mobile ITV inspection service, which is very different from the scanners police officers are armed with.

Mobile ITV inspections are a service offered by some test centres to drivers living in rural parts of Spain, whereby official inspectors brings vans to residents’ homes and test the vehicles there.

This service is normally only available for vehicles that have limited speed and that do not usually make long distance trips, such as mopeds, tractors and agricultural machinery and special purpose vehicles like excavators.

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Image: Guardia Civil

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