The Dirección General de Tráfico (DGT) has today begun a campaign to ensure the safety and security of children travelling on school buses.

From today until 28th October, Guardia Civil officers will be carrying out spot checks to make sure that all school buses and their drivers meet safety requirements and are in operating line with all current legislation.

Firstly, all the vehicle and driver documentation will be checked to make sure it is in order and then a technical inspection of the vehicle will be carried out.
 
According to legislation introduced in 2006, all children travelling on school buses have to be accompanied by a qualified person.

The legislation also stipulates the maximum age for vehicles, the number and length of the rest periods a diver has to take, maximum alcohol limits for drivers and the necessity for adequate civil liability insurance.
 
According to the DGT, special attention will be paid during the campaign to the use of seatbelts and child seats in those vehicles that already have them installed.  According to EU legislation, no school buses have registered since 2007 without having seatbelts fitted.

Last year, 110 people were injured in the 58 traffic accidents involving school buses, and two people travelling in private cars involved in the accidents were killed. 12 of the injured were drivers and the remaining 98 passengers, most of them children.

During the first eight months of this year there have been three accidents involving school transport, which have resulted in four people being killed, all of them in the other vehicles involved in the accidents.  Inappropriate speed for the road conditions and distractions are the main causes of this type of accidents.