New campaign to monitor the safety conditions of vehicles

SPAIN’S General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) announced that it launched a new campaign to monitor the conditions of vehicles.

Controls were carried out from Monday, June 5, until Sunday June 11, but they were not focused on speeding. The campaign was being conducted with the aim of reducing the accident rate on the road network under the premise: ‘Investing in maintenance is investing in safety’.

The entity referred to the Spanish Road Safety Strategy 2030, which read: “The age of the vehicle is related to its level of safety, and the risk of dying or being injured in hospital increases with its maturity.”

So much so, that the risk of dying or being seriously injured is multiplied by two when comparing the accidents that occurred with vehicles from 10 to 15 years old, in relation to vehicles less than five years old.

One of the aspects that influenced the most is the validity of the ITV. That was the second factor for which the people of Malaga Province received the most fines (23,152) after speed (250,178 fines).

The DGT recalled that, currently, the av­ erage age of the fleet of cars in Spain under 25 years old ranges between nine years for industrial tractors and 14.2 years for lorries weighing more than 3,500 kilograms. which makes things a tad busy where a more relaxed gearing pattern would help. The need to work the engine also doesn’t help the economy, my mainly local driving week saw a 7.2 l/100km (39mpg) average.

In recent years, data show that the average age of cars in Spain has aged alarmingly, increasing to more than 13 years. This is one of the highest figures within the European Union, which is why the authorities pay a lot of attention to the older cars.

Vehicle safety is proportionately linked to its age. Another aspect linked to vehicle safety and its contribution to road safety is the need for its maintenance, which is proportional to its age.

“A vehicle with deficiencies in the braking, suspension, steering or tyre systems is a vehicle that is more likely to suffer an accident,” the entity insisted.

Officers from the Guardia Civil’s Traffic Group collaborated with the Local Police of the Malaga municipalities in this latest initiative to monitor the proper maintenance of vehicles in the province.

Although the DGT also recommended controlling the state of the injection, lights, battery, levels and filters, air conditioning and windows and wipers.

On cross country roads the MG comes alive with decent steering and a slightly firm suspension set ­ up that keeps the car sitting quite flat through energetic cornering. The power is at the higher end of the engine’s rev range and with a nice gear change makes it a fun drive.

As an example the admittedly more adept and capable Vauxhall Corsa will still set you back €22,296/£19,085, that’s a substantial difference. Of course, the Corsa will depreciate less, most likely prove as, if not more, durable on the quality front and overall feel more polished. Keep the MG for a longer time though and allied to that cheaper price tag it makes for an appealing proposition. Despite some misgivings the MG is an endearing car, it handles well, is good fun and very well priced. It’s comfortable with a good driving position and for those on a budget the cheapest way to get a new car that is a bit different to the normal mass of budget cars, and actually doesn’t look like a budget model.