DGT issues 4,607 fines in one week for the same two repeat offences

Image of a Guardia Civil traffic officer.

Image of a Guardia Civil traffic officer. Credit: Guardia Civil

Total of 4,607 fines issued by the DGT in one week relating to seat belts or child restraint systems in vehicles

As announced by the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) today, Friday, April 22, a total of  356,510 vehicles were stopped and checked by Guardia Civil traffic officers between April 4 and 10. Out of this number, 4,607 fines were issued to drivers or passengers.

The fines were related to the non-use of seat belts, or child retention systems. These vehicles were controlled on both urban and interurban roads, and each penalty was €200.

“The most worrying thing about the complaints filed has to do with the number of children travelling without any restraint system, something that continues to increase campaign after campaign”, commented a DGT spokesperson.

Guardia Civil traffic officers reportedly detected 280 children, with a height of less than, or equal to, 135 cm (4′ 5″), who were travelling without using this security aid, or did so incorrectly. 213 were in the rear seats, and 67 in the front.

Since the release on March 21 of the new Law on Traffic and Road Safety, drivers can now lose four points from their licence for this offence, and similarly for adults not wearing a seat belt.

“If wearing a seat belt halves the risk of death in an accident, in the case of children, the use of child restraint systems is even more important. Data shows that nine out of ten injuries involving children, in serious or fatal accidents, would have been avoided if mandatory restraint systems had been used. In addition, in the event of an accident, injuries are reduced by up to 75 per cent with proper use of them” states the DGT.

Of the fines relating to seat belts, 77 per cent occurred on conventional roads. The number of passengers who did not wear a seat belt, or did not do it correctly, also rises. Specifically, a total of 2,115 people fined. This consisted of 1,101 in the front seats, and 1,014 in the rear seats.

As pointed out by the DGT, it is essential to wear the seat belts in the rear of a vehicle. “Without a seat belt, at 80 km/h the passengers in the back have no way of holding on, and are projected onto those in the front with a force equivalent to hitting a 1,200 kg ball at 10 km/h, which could kill or seriously injure the occupants of the front seats” they point out, as reported by lasprovincias.es.

___________________________________________________________

Thank you for taking the time to read this article, do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories and remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Written by

Chris King

Originally from Wales, Chris spent years on the Costa del Sol before moving to the Algarve where he is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com

Comments