Vehicle safety risks and speed enforcement regulations

According to the TÜV Report 2026, vehicle safety risks increase significantly with age. While only about 6% of three-year-old vehicles show serious defects, that figure rises to 23% for ten-year-old cars and 28% for those over 12 years old. For vehicles aged 15 years, nearly one in three—approximately 32.9%—fail technical inspections due to serious or dangerous defects, often involving brakes, suspension, lighting, and safety systems like ABS or ESP.

Regarding traffic enforcement, the Ministry of the Interior (MUP) clarified that speed limits must be strictly observed. Although a safety margin is subtracted from measured speeds to account for device inaccuracy—such as subtracting 10 km/h for speeds up to 100 km/h—this is not a legal allowance to exceed the limit. For example, a measured speed of 60 km/h in a 50 km/h zone results in a recorded speed of 50 km/h after the margin is applied. Exceeding the limit by up to 10 km/h carries a fine of 30 euros, while exceeding it by 10 to 20 km/h results in a 60-euro fine. For speeds exceeding 100 km/h, the margin is calculated as 10% of the measured speed.