Technical Inspections of Agricultural Machinery and Their Influence on Environmental Impact

Abstract

On 20 May 2018, Royal Decree 920/2017, establishing the minimum requirements for the regime of the vehicle technical inspection (ITV in Spanish) to circulate on public roads, entered into force. The new regulations are aimed at ensuring that vehicles in general, and agricultural vehicles in particular, are in proper condition from the point of view of safety and environment. In La Rioja, detailed data are available on the technical inspections performed on agricultural machinery for the last 15 years (2005–2020). The aim of this paper is to analyze the possible effects of technical inspections of agricultural vehicles on their environmental impact. Emissions regulations for this type of vehicle have evolved over the last few years, and as a result, new tractors have better environmental performance. Considering that serious defects detected in vehicle technical inspections can lead the owner to replace the vehicle with a new one, there is a potential reduction in the environmental impact associated with ITVs, as studied in this paper.