The Local Police of Totana will inspect in this municipality from today Monday trucks, buses and vans within the campaign of the General Direction of Traffic (DGT) of special vigilance and control of this type of vehicles that will be developed between the days 18 and 24 of February, according to sources from the Jefatura
Agents of the Local Police return to collaborate with the General Directorate of Traffic in a new road safety campaign to control trucks, buses and vans, which will take place with the aim of reducing traffic accidents
The driving of these vehicles is not the same as that of a tourist;
the dynamic behavior is different, especially if it is loaded.
In particular, the fastening of the load is vital, any displacement of the same affects the stability of the vehicle by displacement of the center of gravity.
Among this type of vehicles, the incidence of road exits and rollovers is higher, which can be explained by the excessive or poor positioning of the load.
Despite the fact that 68% of the vehicle fleet in our country are passenger cars, the transport of goods (trucks and vans) has an important weight in terms of road safety, since it represents the second largest type of vehicle that circulates for our roads (14% of the total of the park) and are involved in 16% of the accidents with victims that occurred in the year 2017.
The bus park represents about 1% of the total car park, being involved in 2% of accidents with victims.
This data, together with a higher case-fatality rate in the case of accidents involving goods vehicles of more than 3,500 kilograms, leads the Traffic Department to start up this surveillance campaign.
It will be monitored, among other elements of the regulations, the rest times of drivers, tachographs, consumption of alcohol or narcotic substances, the use of seat belts, the use of mobile phones, speeding, overloading or misplacement of load.
Also, among others, the specific signage of vehicles dedicated to the transport of goods V-23, the documentation of the driver and the vehicle, including the ITV, and technical defects of the vehicle.
The campaign of the DGT emphasizes the respect of rest times in transport, since the excess in driving time can generate fatigue and distractions, increasing the risk of suffering an accident.
The infraction of this rule can be classified as mild, serious or very serious, depending on the percentage of excess in driving times or in the reduction of breaks.
Regarding the accident rate of vans, the data of the DGT warn that accidents with these vehicles have skyrocketed.
In the last five years, there has been an increase of 41 percent and almost 1,000 deaths in the whole country.
Given this, they recommend that when driving a van, consider their different driving and that before renting one, if possible, a training course is held and the peculiarities of these vehicles are learned, especially with regard to speed, load placement and how to take the curves.
