Prevalence of and Factors Associated with Driving a Vehicle with Timed-Out Inspection Certificate in Spain

This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of vehicles on the road with a timed-out vehicle inspection certificate (TOVIC) and the associations of driver, vehicle, and environmental factors with this infraction. A quasi-induced exposure approach was used in this cross-sectional study to analyze a case series comprising 51,305 drivers passively involved in clean collisions (only one infractor driver involved) between two or more vehicles registered in the Spanish National Register of Road Crashes with Victims from 2014 to 2017. The prevalence of TOVIC was estimated in the whole sample and in subgroups defined by the variables considered. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to obtain adjusted odds ratios for the association between TOVIC and each category of the variables. The prevalence of TOVIC was low, although significant differences were found for certain subcategories of drivers, vehicles, and environmental factors. Significant positive adjusted associations were found between TOVIC and license-related infractions, vans (compared to cars), vehicle age, and vehicle defects. Several vehicle-related factors potentially associated with a high risk of involvement in a crash were clearly related with TOVIC, which suggests the need for measures to control this non-negligible number of high-risk vehicles on the road.

METHODS FOR ASSESSING THE TECHNICAL CONDITION OF BEARING HUBS IN MEANS OF TRANSPORT

This article presents two methods of testing bearing hubs, which may supplement the existing subjective and unreliable methods of diagnostics of rolling bearings used in wheel bearing hubs of motor vehicles and other means of road transport. One of the most important elements responsible for the safety of a vehicle is the bearing hub. Regular monitoring of the technical condition of bearings should become an obligation at vehicle inspection stations when carrying out a technical inspection of a vehicle, authorising it to travel on public roads. This article presents the results of vehicle tests with signs of damage to rolling bearings, using two test stands: one on which the dynamic balancer acted as a device for accelerating the wheel, and the other, which was designed as a test dedicated to automotive rolling bearings, where a dynamic weighbridge was used as the wheel drive, made it impossible to test the wheel at lower rotational speeds. The newly designed and manufactured bearing testing device eliminates the disadvantages of the previous stand, and additionally, enables the measurement of a fully loaded bearing hub, which enables the simulation of real operating conditions on the bearing hub.

Verifying the Efficiency of a Diesel Particulate Filter Using Particle Counters with Two Different Measurements in Periodic Technical Inspection of Vehicles

The article presents the possibility of verifying the efficiency of a diesel particulate filter (DPF) with the use of particle counters using two different measurement methods. The tests were carried out at a vehicle inspection station using a condensation particle counter (CPC) and a diffusion charger (DC). This article presents the results of measurements of 50 vehicles. Removal of the diesel particulate filter from a vehicle is prohibited but is a known phenomenon throughout the EU. The task of periodic technical inspections is to eliminate vehicles that are inoperative and do not meet the environmental protection requirements. However, to date, European vehicle inspection stations do not have an effective tool to counter tampering with diesel particulate filters. The performed measurements allowed us to prove the hypothesis that both methods of measurement allow the effective confirmation of the presence of DPF in a vehicle during the periodic technical inspection of the vehicle and verification of the quality of its operation. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of both measurement methods were assessed.

ENGLISH MATERIAL NEEDS OF AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY STUDENTS: AN ESP APPROACH

English for automotive technology is a specific discipline in which the students require particular language learning materials to meet their academic and future career needs. Hence, contextual material is a prerequisite to achieving the success of language learning. Drawing on this issue, the present study identified the English material needs of automotive technology students for working in vehicle inspection. The required data were collected using a web-based questionnaire and semi-structured interview from 186 students, 7 English lecturers, and 44 graduates of Poltrada Bali and PKTJ Tegal Indonesia who were purposively selected as the participants. This study classified English materials into content areas of automotive technology, language skills, and linguistic features. The results revealed that content areas needed by the students included vehicle components and their performances, ranging from engine system to support components. This study further suggested that speaking and reading were the most frequently needed skills than the other two skills because of the rapid growth of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) and the needs of international information exchange in the automotive field. It was also depicted that the students preferred applied terminologies and translation to grammar since many automotive technology references and vehicle inspection were normally written in English. The results of this study could serve as an overview for lecturers and institution in automotive technology program to create standard syllabus and contextual material textbooks for the students.

Effect of Periodic Vehicle Inspection on Road Crashes and Injuries: A Systematic Review

This systematic review was conducted to determine the effect of periodic motor vehicle inspections on road crashes and injuries, compared to less exposure to periodic inspections or no inspections. The Medline, Web of Science, and Scopus databases were used to search the literature. Ecological studies were specifically excluded. A reverse search of the results with these databases and of other identified narrative reviews was also performed. Of the 5065 unique references initially extracted, only six of them met the inclusion criteria and were selected for review: one experimental study, two cohort studies with an internal comparison group, two cohort studies without a comparison group, and one case–control study. Two authors independently extracted the information and assessed the quality of each study. Due to the heterogeneity of the designs and the intervention or comparison groups used, quantitative synthesis of the results was not attempted. Except for the case–control study, which showed a significant association between road crashes and the absence of a valid vehicle inspection certificate, the other studies showed either a small reduction in crash rates (around 9%), no association, or a higher crash rate in vehicles with more inspections. In all observational studies, the risk of residual confounding bias was significant and could have explained the results. Therefore, although the research reviewed here suggests that periodic inspection may be associated with a slight reduction in road crashes, the marked heterogeneity along with probable residual confounding in most reports prevented us from establishing causality for this association.

Inspekcja magnetooptyczna jako forma przeciwdziałania i zwalczania przestępczości motoryzacyjnej w kontekście ustawy ‒ Prawo o ruchu drogowym

The article analyzes the legitimacy of the development and implementation of legal regulations in the area of preventing and combating the vehicle crime. It discusses the introduction of a general obligation to perform non-destructive screening of vehicles’ origin, and authenticity of identification data, original serial numbers, and the key components, with the use magnetooptical inspection method in the procedures of obligatory technical inspections performed at vehicle inspection stations.

Evolution of methods of state management of technical condition of vehicles in Russia

As you know, the new Rules for the technical inspection of vehicles have recently been approved. They should enter into force on March 1, 2021, but due to the pandemic, the dates for the start of the reform in the field of vehicle inspection were postponed. In this regard, it will probably be interesting for our readers to get acquainted with the history of state policy in the field of road safety. Keywords road traffic accident, state policy; road safety; vehicle; technical inspection rules; examination committee; State traffic inspectorate; technical diagnostics of the vehicle