Compliance, practices, and attitudes towards VTIs (Vehicle Technical Inspections) in Spain: What prevents Spanish drivers from checking up their cars?

• Published in: PloS one 2021-07, Vol.16 (7), p.e0254823-e0254823
• Main Authors: Alonso, Francisco, Useche, Sergio A, Gene-Morales, Javier, Esteban, Cristina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age groups; Alcohol use; Automobile drivers; Automobile safety; Automobiles; Behavior; Biology and Life Sciences; Censuses; COVID-19; Driver behavior; Driving ability; Engineering and Technology; Evaluation; Fines & penalties; Health risks; Mechanical properties; Medicine and Health Sciences; Physical Sciences; Prevention; Questionnaires; Research and Analysis Methods; Roads & highways; Sanctions; Social Sciences; Traffic; Traffic accidents & safety; Traffic regulations; Traffic safety; Variance analysis; Vehicle safety; Vehicles
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0254823

Objective Mechanical conditions of vehicles may play a determinant role in driving safety, the reason why vehicle periodical technical inspections (VTIs) are mandatory in many countries. However, the high number of drivers sanctioned for not complying with this regulation is surprisingly high, and there is not much evidence on what kind(s) of motives may explain this concerning panorama. This study aimed to identify the aspects that modulate the relationship between complying (or not) with VTI's standards in a nationwide sample of Spanish drivers. The study design also addressed the drivers' awareness regarding different risky behaviors while driving, depending on their sex and their crash record. Methods 1,100 Spanish drivers completed a survey on the aforementioned issues. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Bonferroni post-hoc adjustment was conducted to assess significant differences (p