Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S General Directorate of Traffic(DGT) has recently installed 59 surveillance cameras in Andalucia to monitor the use of seat belts- yielding some dramatic results.
According to a DGT report, seven out of ten motorists fined in Andalucia for road transgressions are penalised for not wearing a seat belt or using one incorrectly.
The DGT studied around 72,600 vehicles, including cars, taxis, goods vehicles and buses, on regional roads during a seat belt campaign between March 11 and 17.
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During that period, 1,343 infractions were detected by drivers or passengers who did not use belts.
71% of law breaking over belts were on non-motorway roads.
The DGT says that ‘conventional’ roads continue to be the most dangerous based on the highest number of deaths and where extra precautions are needed- especially during holiday periods like the May Day bank holiday period.
The March campaign yielded 1,257 adults who were fined for not using seat belts.
That total was broken down into 689 drivers (54.8%), 309 front-seat passengers (24.6%) and 259 in the rear seats (20.6%).
There are 245 specialist seat belt cameras installed across Spain, with the Andalucia cameras in these locations:
- In Almeria, there are two cameras located on the A1000 and on the A391.
- In Cadiz there are seven cameras, on the A382, CA35, N351, A2004, CA35, CA3109 and CA3101 roads.
- In Granada, there are four cameras- on the A7, A92, A395 and the A395.
- In Cordoba, there are two on the A4, while Huelva has seven installed on the A492, H30, A483, A49, A5051 and 5077.
- In Malaga province, there are 17 cameras on the MA20, the A7, the N340, the A355, the A7282, the A368, the A397 and the A356.
- And Sevilla has 20 units on the A8028, AP4, A8059, A4, N630, A66, A460, A92, SE30, N630, A8062, NIV and SE3206 highways.
Seat belts and child restraint systems are among the most effective measures to protect vehicle occupants from injury in the event of an accident.
Even though that has been scientifically proven, the DGT says there’s still a significant number of drivers and passengers who flout the law.
There are also instances for people who don’t use a belt correctly and issues with child belts, which are more complex to use than adult belts- again resulting in incorrect usage or children having a belt that is not suitable for their size.
