If there is something we fear related to the DGT, it is that a letter will arrive home and confirm that yes, we have been penalized. A headache that, at least, can be a little milder if we take advantage of prompt payment. That is, if we pay in the first 20 days, the penalty will be reduced by half.
This procedure, which can be carried out from the mobile phone, is included in article 93.1 of the Law on Traffic, Circulation of Motor Vehicles and Road Safety. This is what is known as the “abbreviated disciplinary procedure”, for which 20 calendar days are available.
However, some of the fines that the DGT can apply to us do not have the possibility of using this “abbreviated sanctioning procedure”. All of them are very serious infractions and, in addition, present some of the economic amounts higher for drivers.
In the second point of article 93 of the Traffic Law, the following is specified:
2. The abbreviated disciplinary procedure shall not apply to the offenses provided for in article 77.h), j), n), ñ), o), p), q), r), s) and t).
Traffic violations that have no reduction
When reference is made to article 77 in the Traffic Law, it is because we are talking about “very serious offences”. All of them represent some of the harshest penalties a driver can face, but not all of them are applicable to an individual driver.
Violations of sections n), ñ), o), p), q), s) and t) directly appeal to the behavior of companies, from carrying out actions on the road without the pertinent permits or with inadequate measures to breaking the rules in the points recovery courses, among others.
Knowing this, we have three sections left in which the driver can be penalized and will not be able to take advantage of prompt payment. That is, the economic amount of the punishments for the following infractions may not be reduced by 50%:
- h): Driving vehicles that have radar inhibitors or cinemometers installed or any other mechanisms aimed at interfering with the proper functioning of traffic surveillance systems.
- j): Failure of the owner or lessee of the vehicle with which the offense was committed to truthfully identify the driver responsible for said offense, when they are duly required to do so within the established period.
- r): Causing damage to the infrastructure of the road, or alterations to the circulation due to the mass or dimensions of the vehicle, when the corresponding administrative authorization is lacking or the conditions of the same have been breached, regardless of the obligation to repair the damage caused.
What are the fines that do not have prompt payment?
Being aware that we will not be able to benefit from a reduction in the fines that we would have to pay in the event of incurring in some of the above infractions, what expense would we be facing?
In this case, it is necessary to go to Chapter II of the Traffic Law, whose title is the specific sanctions. Here, in article 80, it is specified that very serious offenses (article 77) will be punished with a fine of 500 euros, with some exceptions.
Among these exceptions we find the one referring to the following letters:
- c): The offense included in article 77. h) (which refers to radar jammers) will be sanctioned with a fine of 6,000 euros.
- d): Violations listed in article 77.n), ñ), o), p), q), r), s) and t) will be penalized with a fine of between 3,000 and 20,000 euros.
In other words, having a radar jammer installed entails a fine of 6,000 euro and causing damage to the road infrastructure or traffic disturbances due to the mass or dimensions of our vehicle entail a fine of between 3,000 and 20,000 euros.
In neither of the two cases can the offender take advantage of the prompt payment of the infraction, nor if he does not comply with the obligation to truthfully verify who was driving the vehicle when a sanctioned infraction was incurred.
In Xataka | There is a way to claim an already paid DGT fine. These are the assumptions and the steps to follow
Photo | Kecko
