Reindeer antlers on the roof and a red ball on the hood as a nose. Christmas arrives and vehicles multiply on the streets that take on the appearance of Rudolph, probably the most famous of those reindeer that drive to Santa Claus on the night of December 24 to reward the children and adults who have behaved best.
But this Christmas trend that, everything indicates, is here to stay can also have its dark side. Yes, we are talking about General Vehicle Regulations and the DGT who, as if they were the Grinch, remind that those who decide to decorate their cars with this type of elements can be harshly punished.
An inflexible regulation
Although we may think that a fine of 500 euros for having these decorative elements in the car is going too far, the truth is that if an agent strictly follows the rules and regulations in hand, he has all the means at his disposal to report the driver. to carry these accessories.
Because, as happens with Article 18.1 of the General Traffic Regulations (which allows a penalty for drinking water while driving or changing the radio), the literal reading of the regulations supports a harsh sanction for those who choose to decorate their car like this.
We have to look for the reason in article 76 of the Law on Traffic, Circulation of Motor Vehicles and Road Safety. In section o) it states the following:
Driving a vehicle that fails to comply with the legally established technical conditions, unless it is classified as very serious, as well as violations related to the rules that regulate the technical inspection of vehicles.
This description would serve for an agent to sanction a driver upon understanding that reindeer antlers are accessories that have not been approved and, therefore, fail to comply with the “technical conditions established by regulation.” If so, the driver would be fined 200 euros and if, in addition, it is understood that it is a “very serious” violationthe penalty would amount to 500 euros.
It must be remembered that no type of element can protrude from both the sides and the upper area of the vehicle. If this happens, the regulations understand that we are facing an “important reform.”
These important reforms, as indicated in The Confidential They must be certified by a workshop, who verifies that these pieces (in this case the reindeer antlers) have the appropriate materials so as not to pose a problem for road safety. Afterwards, you have 15 days to pass the ITV exammaking it clear that the bodywork has been modified and, finally, contact the insurance to confirm the modification.
The latter is especially important because if we do not inform the insurance we would be facing a problem in the event of an accident. Especially if the element in question was the cause of it due to a landslide, for example. In that case, the driver could be outside the insurance coverage and all the expenses and responsibilities of the same would fall on him.
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