It’s time to get back to the routine. Parents, to work; the little ones to school. And with the holiday break some essential rules fall a bit into oblivion. It’s time to dust off basics such as tips for taking children to school safely.
Although the new forms of mobility (at this link you have detailed information on the so-called Personal Mobility Vehicles) are gaining popularity, there are still many parents who take their children to school by car.
For all of them, the DGT has published a message on Twitter: the correct way to take children to school.
Back to school is here! 🧒👧👦 How many parents take the kids to school by car? 🚗 Here we remind you how to place the seats so that they always travel safely!#ZeroRisks #SRI pic.twitter.com/PAJ2CEW0hU
— Director General Traffic (@DGTes) September 5, 2022
Three tips to take children to school safely
The tweet is accompanied by an explanatory video that summarizes the keys for children to travel safely.
We review them (and expand):
- Use a Child Restraint System (SRI) appropriate to their age and/or weight. This mechanism is required until the child exceeds 135 cm in height (although experts recommend stretching its use a little and approaching 150 cm)
- The CRS will be installed in the rear seats, with one exception: that all seats are occupied by other minors who also travel in CRS
- It is not enough for the child to sit in a chair according to his size; In addition, you have to make sure that it is correctly installed and fastened. We remind you that the new Traffic and Road Safety Law establishes the same penalty for those who do not use a seatbelt or an SRI as for those who do it incorrectly: 200 euros and four points
To these basic tips from the DGT we add that children should never be allowed to travel in the CRS with their backpack or coat on, as both elements will make the system not protect as it should.
You also have to take care that there are no loose objects in the cabin, even if it is a simple bottle of water or the bags that you will need when you leave work, to avoid the so-called elephant effect.
Once at school, make sure that the children get out of the car on the side of the sidewalk, never on the road. It is also convenient to park correctly, not only because of the fine, but also because it will be safer to lower the vehicle.