The DGT has launched a control and surveillance campaign on school transport that will be in force from today until Friday, January 26, on the roads of the region. During the campaign, the inspection of this type of vehicle will be intensified, checking the documentation related to the necessary authorizations for the provision of the service, as well as the vehicle itself in relation to its technical conditions and safety elements. Special attention will also be paid to the professional driver, his/her qualification and driving licence, as well as his/her driving and rest times.
In the previous campaign, carried out in May 2023 in Extremadura, a total of 97 vehicles were controlled, of which 55 were reported. Of the total number of checks carried out, 66 were carried out in Badajoz, with 43 vehicles reported and 31 in Cáceres, with 12 reports.
National data
90% of traffic accidents with children that occur in connection with school transportation to school take place at the time of getting in or out of the vehicle, or just in the immediate moments and, in many cases, these are atrocities caused by a distraction. A large part of accidents with serious injuries are related to the absence or improper use of safety belts, so the use of this device in school transport is vital both on short and long trips, and both on urban and interurban routes. However, children under 15 years of age who travel in private cars instead of school transport, multiply by 11 the risk of suffering an accident.
It should be recalled that no vehicle intended for the transport or transfer of school passengers under the age of sixteen may be older than sixteen years at the beginning of the school year, counted from the first registration or entry into service.
Safe school roads
With the aim of promoting sustainable mobility at school, for years “safe school roads” have been developed to facilitate travel to school on foot, by bicycle or by public transport as a contribution to road safety. An example of this is the STARS Project (Accreditation and Recognition of Sustainable Travel for Schools), a European initiative that aims to encourage and reward schools that promote sustainable and safe travel to and from school.