- In the Region of Murcia, 43% of the deaths in 2024 forced to use the belt did not do so at the time of the accident
- According to the analysis of the Institute of Legal Medicine, 80% of the deceased drivers who did not wear the belt had consumed alcohol or drugs
- From today until March 16, the DGT develops a special campaign to monitor the use of this device and child restraint systems
- The Operation deployed by the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard plans to control about 17,000 vehicles
March 10, 2025. Twelve of the twenty-eight people who died in traffic accidents in 2024 in the Region of Murcia forced to wear the safety belt did not use it at the time of the accident, which represents 43% of the total, reported this morning the Government delegate.
Mariola Guevara, accompanied by the Provincial Chief of Traffic, Virginia Jerez, and the commander of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard, Francisco Javier Utrabo, has presented a new special campaign of the DGT with the aim of preventing and raising awareness of the importance of the use of this device and of the child restraint systems that is developed from today and until next March 16 and in which the Civil Guard plans to control 17,000 vehicles.
“This campaign focuses on child safety and restraint equipment systems, as it is one of the most effective measures to protect all occupants of the vehicle, and what we intend is to raise awareness of the importance and effectiveness of using these devices to prevent serious and even fatal injuries in the event of an accident,” explained Mariola Guevara.
The delegate of the Government has indicated that this campaign is part of the Spanish Road Safety Strategy, which marks zero tolerance in risky behaviors such as overspeed, distraction, non-use of safety equipment, belt and child restraint systems, as well as in the consumption of alcohol and drugs at the wheel.
“We are going to have 216 agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard who will control 17,000 vehicles between cars, taxis, buses and vehicles destined for the transport of goods in a week in which we will also have the collaboration of the local police of the municipalities that have joined the campaign,” he added.
On this occasion, 28 municipalities have joined the campaign: Abarán, Alcantarilla, Alguazas, Archena, Beniel, Calasparra, Caravaca de la Cruz, Cehegín, Ceutí, Cieza, Fortuna, Fuente Alamo, Jumilla, Las Torres de Cotillas, Librilla, Lorca, Lorquí, Mazarrón, Molina de Segura, Moratalla, Mula, Murcia, Pliego, San Javier, Santomera, Torre Pacheco, Totana and Yecla.
“A worrying fact is that last year, four of the five deceased drivers who were forced not to use a seatbelt, that is, 80%, had previously used alcohol or other drugs,” added Guevara.
Virginia Jerez has indicated that the use of these passive safety devices does not prevent the sinister, but once they happen, they save lives, and has especially highlighted the importance of child restraint systems. “They must be approved and adapted to the size of the child and it is important to appeal to the responsibility of adults for their correct use,” he said.