During the five days of the same, the agents will intensify the inspections, verifying that the authorizations and documents that these vehicles must have are correct for the provision of the service. Likewise, the agents will verify that the technical conditions and safety elements of the vehicle are those required by the regulations, as well as the special requirements that the driver himself must meet, such as the driving license or the driving and rest times.
Safety is the highest priority in this type of transport and the annual accident figures reflect that this is a safe sector, especially if the number of deaths per passenger-kilometer traveled is taken as a comparison criterion.
The safe mobility of minors is one of the priorities of the Agency since every day more than 600,000 students use the school bus to go to school and return home, according to the Observatory of Road Transport of Travelers, of the Ministry of Development. In addition, with these types of campaigns, we want to remind parents of the right to demand from educational centers or parents' associations that buses that are in charge of school transport meet all the regulatory requirements to carry out this type of transportation.
Inadequate speed and distractions are the main causes of the accidents in which these types of vehicles are involved, so it will be especially controlled that it circulates at the permitted speed and that there is no use of the mobile phone or other devices that involve distraction. Alcohol and other drug controls among drivers will also be increased.
Since 2013, all new EU buses must have an emergency braking system that activates automatically when it detects the possibility of a collision.
Likewise, 90% of the 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. In many cases they are abuses caused by a distraction of the child, the driver of the school transport or the parents. To avoid this type of accident, it is recommended that parents respect the stops, go on time and not wait for the children on the other side of the road.
Due to the importance of the seat belt in the event of an accident, special attention will be paid to the use of these in those school buses that have them installed. Currently more than 60% of this type of vehicles already have it incorporated.
According to various studies, the use of a bus safety system would reduce fatal injuries by 90% in the event of frontal collision or overturning, since properly fastened prevents the projection of the passenger (adult or child) and reduces impacts on the chest, abdomen and legs
Since October 2007, registration is denied to any bus that does not have these restraint systems installed.
As usual in these types of campaigns, municipalities have also been invited to join it, so that surveillance of this type of transport is both in urban and interurban areas.
Educating on the school bus
The trips from home to school can be good times for the adult accompanying children to remind them of some messages about road safety, such as:
- Never stand behind the bus.
- Wait for the driver's signal and always cross at least three meters ahead.
- Inside the bus, stay seated and with the belt on, if it is installed.
- Do not run when arriving at the bus, or when leaving.
- Obey the driver and the monitor.
In addition, parents should check the safety of the coaches in which their children travel, request the center to hire coaches with belts and verify that a monitor accompanies the children during the trip.
Other healthier ways to go to school
In addition to the school bus there are other means of transport in which students travel to go to school: private car, public transport, bicycle or just walking.
With the intention of promoting sustainable mobility from an early age, the DGT in collaboration with the Federation of Municipalities and Provinces has been promoting and encouraging incentives for years. safe school roads, which favor and stimulate travel on foot, by bike or by public transport on the way to and from school.
There are currently more than 100 municipalities in 35 provinces and approximately 300 schools that are working or that already have safe school roads.
