A shocking event occurred on one of the Catalan roads, which highlighted the vital importance of child restraint systems (CRS) in vehicles. A child, allegedly without proper restraint, fell from the window of a moving car.
This incident, which was recorded by the car that was driving behind the one that took part in the events, has been used by the Mossos d’Esquadra to show the importance of the CRS. “It is as important to wear the child restraint system as it is to use it. Failure to do so can have very serious consequences,” the police force highlighted in said publication made on X, formerly Twitter.
For decades, road safety for the little ones has been a priority in Europe. In 1981, the first European regulation on Child Restraint Systems was established, known as ECE R44. However, technological advances have led to the creation of a new regulation in 2013, the R129 (or I-Size), with more demanding standards adapted to current needs.
This regulatory change, the result of years of development, will reach its culmination in September 2024 with the prohibition of the sale of car seats that do not comply with the new regulation, leaving behind the obsolete R44 regulation.
Road safety experts such as Joan Forrellad, general secretary of AESVi (Spanish Alliance for Children’s Road Safety), do not hide their support for this regulatory evolution. According to Forrellad, 85% of car seats in Spanish stores already comply with the R129 regulation, showing a successful transition towards safer and more updated standards.
Despite the aforementioned regulatory advances, awareness of the importance of child restraint systems remains critical. It is for this reason that the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) has launched a new special surveillance and control campaign that focuses, especially, on ensuring that drivers make appropriate use of seat belts and child restraint systems. . The goal is to reduce the risk of injury in the event of an accident.
Accident data support the implementation of these measures. In 2023, 25%, as detailed by the DGT, of fatalities in traffic accidents on interurban roads were not wearing a seat belt at the time of the accident. Furthermore, it should be noted that the correct use of these devices could have prevented 90% of serious or fatal injuries in children.
