Seat belts and Child seats are still an issue in Spain!

With the kids back to school the DGT is running a campaign to make sure drivers and their occupants are wearing seat belts and that children are properly belted up to their car seats or booster seats. I think this is great as I have lost count of the times I have seen children in cars in Spain with out any saftey protection at all. I don't know what it is with the Spanish, but they still don't seem to take Child safety seriously in cars. Just too many children are not belted up or don't have a child seat and if they do it was fitted years ago and hasn't been touched since, so it's completely loose and a major hazard. I speak from experience as I am a fanatic on seat belts and child seats and I find myself refitting car seats constantly in family members' cars (Spanish family) so the kids aren't flying around on the back seat. The priority seems to be "if there in the seat I won't be fined". Hey what about the kids?!!! and this is the type of fine which should be astonomically high!! If an adult decides not the wear his seatbelt, well more full him when it comes to having an accident. But children don't have a chance. I mean how difficult is it not to start the car until everyone is belted up safely? In 2011 of all the children under 12 years of age that died in a car accident, 36% of them used absolutely no safety measures at all, let alone others who used saftey measures in a negligent manner. This is maddness for a country that is so family orientated and so protective of it's children,how and why does this still happen? 

I haven't got much of an idea of the situation in the UK as I've been away for some time, but is it any better?

This message was last edited by mac75 on 14/09/2012.

I'm totally with you on this!

I am often horrified when I see kids in the backs of cars obviously not belted in.  It's just crazy.  I drove into a pillar (stupidly, I know) at walking speeds and even that hurt.  I think people don't realise that even at slow speeds people can get very badly injured in a minor accident, let alone a major one.

It's crazy that so many still do.  I even see it happening with cars pulling away from the school....when there are police around!

And my other massive irritation is the whole "smoking with kids in the car"....ahhhhhh

re Mac75, your article seems to suggest only the spanish are at fault  and i can tell you 1st hand thats not the case...

I myself will not drive off until the kids have the belts clicked in..

graeme13 I am sure you are right.  I am talking from my personal experience in Spain, where yes, I am making reference in general to the Spanish as all my British friends have the same mentality as myself : belt up then start the car. As I mentioned I am not really aware if the situation in the UK is any better, however I do seem to think that road safety has been an issue in the UK for much longer than here in Spain  

I have been here 6 years now and it seems all foreigners do things here that they wouldnt do back home...not talking just about folk from UK...

seems the guard is let down with the attitude...it cant and wont happen to us..

dont disagree that the locals are not at fault but i see just as many non locals not adhering to rules or systems...

Yes I have noticed that on ocasions, but more with Brits coming over on holiday, they probably think they can get away with not paying the fine and they are pretty much right. But it not just the Brits, I see it with germans, Italians etc 

Hi Mac

When we moved to Spain ten years ago, it was very common to see parents picking up the kids on motos, putting one toddler in front and one behind and then the three of them riding off, with no helmets or safety precautions whatsoever and the local copper who was there outside the school not even commenting on it.  I don't live there anymore so I've no idea if that still goes on.  The threesome I am thinking of were German and I also saw a middle-class English couple doing this; they also would never dream of putting seat belts on. One German actually tried to persuade me one day to take my seatbelt off, as he drove around hairpin bends whilst admiring the scenery and not looking in front of him.  As a half-German myself I tried to make allowances, but there is a limit.  I told him where to get off.  

This was eight-ten years ago (we lived there for two years).  It was so weird, but so many foreigners seemed to share the same attitude and behave as though Spain was somehow blessed or so safe that nothing bad could happen.  The lack of safety there was mostly perpetrated by foreigners as far as I recall.  However, the practices during Los Reyes in January are also very dangerous - the way they have kids chasing after lorries trying to get some really rubbishy sweets donated by the Caja Rural.  A  Spanish friend's daughter was badly injured by a drunk Spaniard reversing into her the one year - everyone pissed as f***ts (excuse the language), so there was no prosecution, as they don't like to involve the police, but she will suffer with this injury for the rest of her life and her mother is anguished about it.  I wonder how much drink is still a big factor in the road accidents; I haven't looked at the statistics, but would guess it is still a major issue.  

Having said that, with the police getting us for turning safely and slowly into our valley, but not literally stopping at a stop sign IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, maybe they will now start to do something about genuinely dangerous driving habits... (only if they can raise money at the same time). 

 Hi Eggcup

Well your story of the mopeds was very true 8 to 10 years ago, well in fact I would even go as far as saying 5 years ago, but you won't see that nowadays. I do agree it was madness, but the police have really cracked down on that now and wearing helmets is respected by everyone, but the funny thing is, once again it is just to avoid the fine, as they often wear helmets that don't even fit them and you would be surprised how many wear them without even doing them up, they even call them "quita multas" as they are just legal enough to avoid a fine. People do use car seats but it's much the same thing, as they are not fitted properly and sometimes the kids aren't belted into them anyway, so whats the point? and I'm referring to the Spanish here. 

As far as your comments on Reyes in January ( Epiphany) that's a major event and is no more dangerous than any street carnaval. If you want to see dangerous come to Valencia in Fallas and see how the kids blow up bangers big enough to blow their hands off all day long!  It is something I will never get used to but the Valencians have grown up with it, my nephews and friends' kids, well in fact every one for an entire month just blow things up. It is very dangerous and a colleagues son pretty much blew his thumb off a couple of years ago, had it sown back together and they were all out throwing bangers again this year. For the number of bangers blown up all around the City it's a wonder so few accidents do occur. I can assure you the younger kids are pretty careful not to blow their fingers off !! Most of the time! They got it down to an art form. When tradition comes to call there is no danger with the Spanish.

I often follow spanish cars with more kids than the car can legally handle with kids looking out the back or through the middle of the front seats. However the local police sit outside school and pull over cars as they leave every now and then. I have been asked to roll my rear windows down just so they can look inside the back. About time too that it was taken seriously. As for the poor kids with parents smoking away in the car, Shame on you!

 CAMPAIGN THIS WEEK - TRAFFIC police have launched a campaign targeting drivers travelling with babies and toddlers to ensure they are correctly strapped in. Between today (Monday) and Sunday, March 17, officers will be on the look-out for infants who have not been put in proper safety seats. They will also be checking for drivers and passengers of all ages not wearing seatbelts.  Let's hope they don't have to fine too many!

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Just a pity if they only take such action over a specific period.    

Should be 24 / 7 / 365