Spain’s DGT traffic cops equipped with mobile ITV devices to inspect vehicles

MOTORISTS in Spain who might attempt to drive their vehicle without a valid ITV certificate now face a new measure implemented by the DGT.

In its continual efforts to ensure safety on the Spanish road system, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has now provided the Guardia Civil’s Traffic Department with mobile ITV devices that can carry out vehicle checks at the roadside.

How do these DGT mobile ITV devices work?

Specifically, traffic cops have been armed already for several months with an instrument that can make a better inspection of a vehicle than they could do with the naked eye.

Obviously, this device will not have the same comprehensive inspection capabilities that the machines used in physical ITV stations possess.

The mobile ITV will focus mainly on a vehicle’s headlights, steering, suspension, windows and windscreen wipers, plus its tyres, according to autopista.es.

These devices should also not be confused with those used by some ITV stations in rural areas of Spain. In those cases, the ITV machines are taken in a van to conduct a full inspection on vehicles that cannot travel long distances from home.

They include mopeds, tractors and agricultural machinery, and special vehicles intended for heavy industrial works and services, such as excavators.

Drivers contemplating using their vehicles even with an expired ITV should be aware that the DGT is very clear in this regard. Even if an appointment is made after the expiration date, it is still a traffic offence to drive the vehicle to the testing station.