4 Tips for safe driving

Driving safely does not only refer to maintaining and respecting basic driving rules. It is also important that we comply with driving regulations regarding safety aspects . Do you know what happens if they stop you at a checkpoint and you are not correctly identified or with the ITV in force? A situation without the slightest risk can result in a significant fine or even withdrawal of points.

There are four imprudences that tend to be the most common, sometimes due to ignorance, but which can pose a significant problem for breaking the driving rules. We tell you four rules that you must follow no matter what, to truly drive safely.

Correctly identified circular

Both you and your car must be correctly identified. You with your valid driving license (and in your pocket, not at home) and your car with the papers in order. To be able to drive your vehicle you must have three valid documents:

• The driving license. That is, your license that recognizes that you have the knowledge to be able to drive a vehicle. Since the points permit was established, there are some rules and infractions that affect the balance of your license. The maximum number of points you can have is 15, and the minimum points to be able to drive are 1. Each violation subtracts points, and driving without points on your license is a crime and is punishable by a prison sentence of 3 to 6 months or a fine. from 12 to 24 months or work for the benefit of the community from 31 to 90 days, according to the .
• The circulation permit . This document certifies that your vehicle is registered and can be driven on. It collects the information that identifies it: technical data, chassis number, cylinder capacity… All vehicles must be authorized to be able to circulate and failure to have this authorization can lead to a fine of up to 500 euros.
• The ITV certification. Finally, if your car is more than four years old, it must pass the technical vehicle inspection. It is a check that ensures that it is safe to drive, both for you and for other drivers. Failure to carry it or drive without this authorization may lead to the immobilization of the vehicle or a fine of up to 200 euros.

The lack of any of these documents entails a financial fine in most cases, although driving with a suspended license or being prohibited from using that vehicle entails the subtraction of 4 points.

Driving with valid insurance

This is another key point for safe driving. To be able to drive any vehicle, it must have coverage that guarantees the safety of its crew in any accident and the damage we cause to others. The obligation to drive with car insurance  helps give you peace of mind while driving. Typically, car insurance has two types of coverage:

• Mandatory , which serves to compensate for damages that we may cause to third parties, either because we run over someone or because we collide with another car.
• Voluntary : travel assistance, glass insurance, theft, fire or, if we want maximum coverage, an All Risk

Selecting our car insurance coverage will generally depend on our needs and budget. It is advisable not to stick only to the budget: your safety and that of your family, and the total guarantee when driving is much more important.

Control speed and radars

Driving at the recommended speed is the best advice you can follow as a driver. Although sometimes we do not comply with this, and that is when we have to pay the consequences. It is important to control the speed, but it is also interesting to know at what speed the radars go off . This is not a standard rule, as it depends on the type of road you are driving on, the type of radar…

There is also usually a margin of error known as tolerance standard 7. This means that mobile radars apply a margin of error of 7 kilometers per hour on roads whose maximum speed is less than 100 kilometers per hour, as the Cadena tells us. Ser. In the case of fixed radars, the DGT reduces the margin of error to just five kilometers per hour.

In any case, the best safety is always to drive at the recommended speed.

Pass the ITV periodically

We have already indicated before that one of the documents that we must carry in our vehicle is the up-to-date ITV. In this vehicle inspection, it is analyzed that it meets the minimum requirements for driving, therefore aspects such as:

• On the exterior of the vehicle  the quality of the wheels, well-supported and legible license plates, damage to the bodywork, quality of the bumpers, windshield wipers, proper functioning of the lights, etc.
• Inside the vehicle: brakes, shock absorbers, oil, as well as seat belts, speedometer, gas control, etc.

It is always advisable to check aspects such as lights, windshield wipers, anchors, tires, in short, that it does not have very obvious external operating defects. Although sometimes, when the vehicle is many years old, it is recommended to pass a pre-ITV, which is a review that is carried out in your trusted workshop to guarantee as much as possible whether or not you can pass the ITV.