Spain’s insurance shortfall
Millions of motorists around the country do not have the obligatory cover
NEARLY three million vehicles on Spain’s roads are not covered by an insurance policy, according to government figures.
This represents a staggering 9% of all the vehicles in the country.
The shocking data was provided by the government in reply to a Parliamentary question posed by the Partido Popular (PP) deputies Óscar Gamazo and Jaime Mateo Istúriz.
The figures compiled on January 31 this year reveal that 2,957,530 vehicles have no insurance policy, which is obligatory under national law.
Drivers risk fines ranging between €601 and €3,005, depending on the type of vehicle and other factors.
The worst offenders are motorists in the North African
enclaves of Melilla and Cueta, where 23% and 18% respectively of the vehicles
are not insured. In mainland Spain it is Almería province which tops the list with 13% a figure which is repeated in the Balearics.
They are followed by the provinces of Murcia, Cádiz, Ciudad Real, Huelva, Lleida, Málaga, Las Palmas and Tarragona – all with 11% of vehicles uninsured.
Alicante province weighed in at 10%, with 130,496 vehicles on the road without this legal requirement.
Valencia province recorded the national average – 9%, with 142,308 vehicle owners dodging the payment.
The three provinces with the smallest percentage numbers of illegalities were Madrid, Gipuzkoa, and Navarra with 6%.
First-time offenders could see their vehicle placed in a municipal pound for a month, with the corresponding charges, while they contract an insurance policy.
For second-time offenders this rises to three months.