The Government’s Deputy Delegate presents a special campaign to monitor the use of belt and child restraint systems

• Surveillance will be carried out on all types of conventional roads in the province of Valladolid. • Despite the fact that its effectiveness is scientifically proven, even in 2023, in Valladolid, a person travelling in tourism who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident died on interurban roads. • In the year 2024, until April 30, of the four deceased people traveling in tourism, one did not use a seatbelt

May 6, 2024. The deputy delegate of the Government, Jacinto Canales, accompanied by the provincial head of Traffic, Inmaculada Matías, has presented the special surveillance campaign of the DGT, which starts today in the province of Valladolid, focused on this occasion on the use of the safety belt and child restraint systems, in conventional tracks and which will last until next Sunday, May 12.

With the fundamental objective that all persons occupying the vehicles, adults or minors and travelling in the seat that they travel, make use of the safety belt or the appropriate SRI, the agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard will increase the surveillance of these security devices on all types of roads.

Jacinto Canales recalled that “personal decisions matter and are decisive on the road. Wearing the seat belt properly fastened before starting the ride and checking that minors are protected by child restraint systems prevents deaths. Nothing is more important or more urgent.”

PROVEN EFFECTIVENESS

Safety belts and child restraint systems are among the most effective measures to protect motor vehicle occupants from injury in the event of traffic accidents and, although this fact has been scientifically proven, there are still a significant number of drivers and occupants who do not use a restraint system or do so incorrectly. Especially for child restraint systems, which are more complex to use than the seat belt, there is a high prevalence of improper use or use of systems that are not suitable for the child's size.

In particular, in 2023, a person travelling in tourism who was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the accident, 20% of the total, died in Valladolid on interurban roads. Until April 30, 2024, of the four deceased people traveling in tourism, one did not use a seatbelt, 25%.

The Traffic and Road Safety Law punishes with 4 points not to wear the safety belt, the same ones that are retracted for not using the appropriate child restraint system or not doing it in the correct way.

PROPER CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEMS

In the case of children, the use of child restraint systems is even more important since data show that nine out of ten serious or fatal child injuries would have been avoided if mandatory restraint systems had been used and that, in the event of an accident, injuries are reduced by up to 75% with proper use of them.

In Spain it is mandatory that minors with a height of 135 cm or less correctly use the child restraint system appropriate to their height and weight, being recommended up to 150 cm.

Minors must be compulsorily seated in the rear seats, except when the vehicle does not have them, whether they are occupied by other minors or it is not possible to install all child restraint systems in them, and it is recommended that they travel in the opposite direction, if possible, up to 4 years and, compulsorily, up to 15 months.

It is also important to remember that the safety of the child depends mainly on the driver: respecting the rules, driving in a calm and relaxed way, without aggressiveness or brusqueness, always maintaining the safety distance and adjusting the speed to the circumstances of the traffic is the best way to protect minors in their movements.