Move Your Car Around When The Quarantine Ends

Although most fines occur while driving, having the car stopped does not mean that you are safe from being penalized. Despite the fact that with all this confinement for coronavirus the authorities are not sanctioning anyone, be vigilant because they can fine you with more than 6,000 euros if you have the car parked on the street once the quarantine ends.

TOO LONG STANDING IN THE SAME PLACE

Having the car parked in the same place for a long time can be a reason for sanction by the authorities. Both the established days and the amount of the penalty are the responsibility of each city council, so there is no period or a common fine at the national level. But if we take the capital as an example, the Madrid City Council establishes that a car cannot be stopped in the same place on the street for more than five consecutive days. If this time is exceeded, the Municipal Police and the Mobility agents can fine the vehicle and also order its withdrawal to the corresponding deposit, also having to face the transfer fee with a crane.

The fine for manipulating the vehicle’s license plate to make it difficult to read can amount to no less than 6,000 euros

The safest thing is that the local authorities will not fine these days due to the confinement at home by COVID-19, but we will have to be vigilant once the alarm state is lifted to move our cars to other locations.

In addition, having the car stopped for too long can be harmful, so we recommend that you follow the instructions in this report to avoid a possible breakdown.

WASH THE CAR ON THE STREET

With all this confinement due to coronavirus, you may see from the window how your car accumulates dust and dirt when you do not move it, but do not even think about going down to wash it on the street since it can be very expensive. Article 4.2 of the General Traffic Regulations expressly prohibits cleaning or repairing cars on the street due to the deterioration that this may cause on public roads. The penalty depends on each municipality, but the fines range from 30 to 3,000 euros.

It is forbidden to wash the car on the street

ILLEGIBLE LICENSE PLATE

Maybe one day you go down to the street and see on the windshield of your car a fine of 200 euros for the bad state of the license plate. Keep in mind that the license plate is the “DNI” of the car, it is its identification number, and therefore it must be easily readable by the authorities. If the numbers have been erased by the blows, they are covered by stickers, they are illegible because the plate is broken or bent, among many other reasons, the agents will punish you immediately. Therefore it is better to prevent and buy a license plate if it is worn, since for about 20 euros you can order a completely new one.

If the authorities see that the license plate is illegible and consider that it has been expressly manipulated so as not to be able to identify the vehicle, the fine will amount to no less than 6,000 euros since it would be incurring a felony.

PENALTY FOR NOT HAVING THE INSURANCE IN ORDER

Although it may be thought that the insurance only works for active cars since you cannot have an accident when stopped, the truth is that if the car is registered with the DGT, it is required to have a valid insurance. That is why, now that the authorities can consult electronically whether or not a car has current insurance, they can find a vehicle that is parked on the street if it does not comply with this legal requirement.

If your insurance has expired during this time of confinement, hurry to renew it even if you are not going to take the car since even stopped in the street you can be fined up to 3,000 euros, as established in article 3 of Royal Legislative Decree 8/2004.

ITV EXPIRED

Practically the same as with insurance, it happens with the Technical Inspection of Vehicles (ITV). Now the authorities can see electronically if it has expired and can sanction the owner of the vehicle even if the car is stopped on the street. The fines for not having the ITV in order can range from 200 to 500 euros: the penalty will be 200 euros if the Technical Inspection of Vehicles has not been passed within the period stipulated by law; also 200 euros if the ITV is unfavorable; and 500 euros if you have the car in ‘circulation’ without having passed the ITV (negative inspection). If your car has expired the ITV during the alarm state, they will not be able to fine you but if it has been prior to confinement, they could penalize you. If you are considering to buy a used car in the UK you should comply with these technical inspections before buying a car in the UK.