Spain Increases Fine For Using Hands-Free Mobile Phone Kits
Spain News
Published: 13 January 2022 18:08 CET
Updated: 08 July 2022 18:08 CET
Spain's General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has announced numerous new driving penalties, many of which will come into force in March 2022. One such penalty will aim to crack down on mobile phone use whilst driving.
Last year the DGT quite clearly stated that simply holding a mobile phone while sitting behind the wheel of a car, would be regarded as a serious offence that will carry a 200 euro fine in addition to having six points deducted from your driving licence.
Officials have however also taken the drastic move to put even tougher measures in place and plan to impose the same penalties for any driver caught touching any device, even when they are secured by a hands-free kit.
This also extends to drivers using their mobile phones in Spain as a GPS. Entering or changing the navigation settings while the car is moving, will also lead to a fine and points deducted from your driver's licence.
Record number of drivers missing their ITV appointments
As well as the new driving sanctions, it has been reported that the number of drivers who did not attend their compulsory ITV appointment has reached a record high compared to the pre-pandemic years.
Last year alone, the level of people who did not take their vehicle for it’s Technical Inspection Test, began to increase and the figures for 2021 show that a record 40% of vehicles are on the roads with an expired ITV sticker.
The 40% is double the 20% figure recorded for 2019.
AECA-ITV has warned that four out of every ten drivers continue to drive their vehicles without having passed the control tests, something they say is a huge risk for road safety.
It has been proven that the checks that take place during the Technical Inspection of Vehicles test "saves lives". Those checks include making sure important parts of the vehicle’s mechanics are in perfect working order including the lights and brakes.
Taking care of your vehicle doesn’t always mean you won’t have an accident or something won’t go wrong with it, but it does mean that taking care of your car and attending an ITV appointment is crucial to ensure your vehicle is in correct working order and continues to be considered legally roadworthy.
A DGT report on ‘Road Accidents in Spain 2020’ specifies that up to 33% of vans and trucks that weigh less than 3,500 kg and had been involved in a road traffic accident with victims, had not passed an ITV test. This same data in trucks of more than 3,500 kg rose to 21% and in passenger cars 17%.
It also stated that the average age and the poor condition of the vehicles are two of the risk factors on the road.
Driving a vehicle with an expired sticker or the suspended ITV may not see the removal of points from your driving licence but it will see you issued with a 200 euro fine.
Source
https://murciatoday.com/dgt-increases-penalty-for-using-hands_free-mobile-phone-kits-in-spain_1716229-a.html
https://www.20minutos.es/motor/actualidad/multa-200-euros-absentismo-itv-4939615/
