In the event of an accident, does the insurance cover a vehicle with an expired ITV?
Some drivers are unaware that circulating with the expired ITV, in addition to constituting a infraction, may be a reason for the insurance company to exempt from indemnifying those injured by the damage suffered.
According to data from AECA-ITV, Spanish Association of Entities Collaborating with the Administration in the Technical Inspection of Vehicles, 2021 closed the year with a 40% of the Spanish car fleet with the expired ITV, a worrying figure given the level of ageing of cars. ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Automobile and Truck Manufacturers, puts the average age of Spanish passenger cars at 13.1 years compared to 10.8 years for European vehicles. It should also be noted that 63.7% of all passenger cars are over 10 years old.
At ITV La Hoya, we believe that ITV contributes to improving the safety of those who circulate, as we prove that the vehicles meet the minimum requirements for driving on the public road. In addition, it is an element of social responsibility in that driving an inspected vehicle contributes to improving the safety of other drivers who travel on the roads and tracks of our country.
On the other hand, an inspected vehicle has a technical inspection report which will be signed by the technical director of the ITV station and which will be considered as a technical inspection certificate before the control bodies of the administration, such as the Directorate-General for Traffic.
Risks of running with expired ITV
Not to carry the ITV in force can mean a risk when circulating without the technical guarantees of safety established by the current legislation, increasing the number of traffic accidents, on the other hand, we could help to pollute the environment. The vehicle technical inspection stations carry out pollutant emission controls, according to some studies avoiding more than 400 deaths each year.
On the other hand, the Traffic, Motor Vehicle Traffic and Road Safety Act states that driving with a vehicle that fails to comply with the legally established technical conditions may constitute a infringement, classified as grave or very serious, being punished with fines of 200€ or 500€ respectively.
Do insurers cover damage caused by an accident?
A common question among drivers is whether compulsory liability insurance covers the costs of a claim involving a vehicle without the ITV in force. In this case the RC insurance will provide coverage to the opposite accident vehicle, even if it does not have ITV in force. This will not prevent a possible litigation with the insurance company if the company claims that if the ITV had been in force the accident could have been avoided.
A different question is whether it also covers the vehicle causing the casualty if the casualty has not passed the ITV. In this case, in the absence of such coverage with the insurer, normally , the infringer will not be compensated.
Road safety is everyone’s responsibility, let us contribute to reduce the accident rate with a gesture as simple as passing the ITV on time.