The subdelegate of the Government in A Coruña, María Rivas today stressed the importance of safety in school transport coinciding with the start of a special campaign of control and surveillance of these vehicles that extends from today to next Friday, day 24. During these days, and under the coordination of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT), the agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard and the local police who join this initiative will verify that both buses and driving persons comply with the regulations established in the matter, which includes, among other obligations, the need for minors to be accompanied by a duly qualified person on the trips.
María Rivas stressed the special importance of this campaign “due to the great extension of school transport routes in the province, which employ thousands of boys and girls every day”. In this regard, he recalled that the controls, which will be intensified on conventional roads and on urban roads, aim to raise awareness among families, educational leaders and bus drivers of the need to comply with established standards.
Thus, he explained, administrative controls will be carried out on the authorizations and documents that these vehicles must have for the correct provision of the service. It will also be verified that the technical conditions and safety elements of the vehicle are those required by the regulations, as well as the special requirements that must be met by the driver himself, such as the driving licence and rest times. Among the safety conditions that must be met by all school transports, the maximum age of vehicles intended for this type of passenger is stipulated, the insurance of unlimited civil liability or the obligation to carry the school transport signal.
Security and minors
According to the statistics of the DGT, 90% of accidents that occur during school transport 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 of the child, the driver of the school transport or the companions. The DGT also mentions that a large proportion of serious injury claims are related to the lack of proper use of seat belts.
Previous campaign result
In the equivalent campaign of control of school transport carried out in January last year, agents of the Traffic Sector of the Civil Guard controlled 74 school buses in Galicia, of which 41 (55%) were denounced with 71 complaints made.
The administrative irregularities are the ones that generated the greatest number of complaints, more than 100. Among the causes of these administrative infractions, they include not having special authorization to carry out school transportation or not subscribing to unlimited liability insurance, as required by law.