The Directorate-General for Traffic (DGT) has launched a new special campaign which will run until Sunday 15 March, to monitor and control the use of seat belts and child restraint systems (SRI), included in its annual calendar of actions and coordinated with the European Traffic Police Network RoadPol.
Traffic has explained that officers from the Guardia Civil Traffic Group, together with regional and municipal police forces participating in this campaign, will intensify controls on interurban and urban roads, paying special attention to all vehicle occupants, regardless of the seat in which they are travelling. In addition, surveillance from the air and through automated camera surveillance systems installed on all types of roads will be intensified.
Traffic has indicated that the use of seat belts halves the risk of death, achieving maximum effectiveness in rollovers and reducing mortality by 77%. ‘On urban roads, the chance of being seriously injured or killed is five times lower when wearing a seat belt,’ it stressed. It added that, in 2025, according to provisional data from 24 hours on interurban roads, 157 people who died in cars and vans were not wearing a seat belt or child restraint system at the time of the accident.
At European level, it is estimated that between 25% and 50% of car occupants with fatal injuries were not wearing a seat belt, and that only a third (between 20% and 50%) of children are correctly restrained. The DGT added that it is estimated that 900 deaths per year could be avoided on the European continent if 99% of drivers and occupants used restraint systems properly, according to the European Road Safety Observatory (ERSO).
With regard to Child Restraint Systems (CRS), it stated that they can reduce the risk of death or serious injury by between 55% and 60% and prevent nine out of ten serious or fatal injuries. ‘Incorrect use of these devices can minimise or nullify their effectiveness,’ it warned. In a similar campaign in March 2025, the Guardia Civil Traffic Group checked 448,494 vehicles and detected 6,409 people travelling without safety devices. In urban areas, 467 local councils in 43 provinces took part, with local police checking 198,696 vehicles and issuing 3,712 fines.
The Law on Traffic, Motor Vehicle Circulation and Road Safety establishes the mandatory use of seat belts and child restraint systems. Failure to use them, or using them improperly, constitutes a serious offence punishable by a fine of €200 and the deduction of four points from the driver’s licence.