Data released by the DGT traffic department states that a total of 18% of vehicles put to the mandatory vehicle inspection test in 2013 failed their first inspection, therefore a total of 3,200,000 vehicles were not considered to meet the minimum safety requirements.
The figure is 2.8% higher than that of 2012, and the data reveals that there has been a general increase in the number of major and minor defects in the vehicles.
In absolute numbers, the number of serious defects was almost six million, 3.3% higher than in 2012. The most serious defects were found in the lighting and signals, with 23.8%, followed by axles, wheels, tires and suspension with 22.2%, and brakes with 16.3% failures.
In terms of minor defects, these were found to be a lot higher than 2012, with a total of 13,455,758 minor faults recorded, an 8.7% increase over the figures from 2012.
The ITV stations around the country inspected nearly 18 million vehicles in the last year, 5.5% more than in 2012, which the DGT has put down to a progressive increase in the age of the private fleet of vehicle. Of course with such high unemployment levels in Spain, as well as increased cost of living, higher taxes and generally crippling austerity measures, renewing the car is not the top priority for many a struggling family.
However, there is a concern over the safety of road users and vehicles, with a spokesperson for the DGT saying that, “There is still a significant number of vehicles on the road, around two million in fact, with an expired ITV”, whilst also pointing out that older vehicles are more prone to major faults and subsequent failure, and so many owners choose to ignore the mandatory inspection or repairs, thus breaking the law. The reality being that there are many who simply could not afford the repairs, but the test is designed in the interest of safety of all road users.
Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/43443/
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