The new General Traffic Regulation eliminates the seatbelt exemption for taxi drivers starting from October 1. The measure also affects driving instructors and goods transporters.
Taxi drivers in Madrid will have to fasten their seatbelts from October 1. The new General Traffic Regulation, approved last June, removes the exemption that has allowed this group to drive without the restraint device for decades, as reported by larazon.es.
The reform does not only apply to taxis. Driving instructors and goods transporters are also subject to the general obligation to wear a seatbelt while driving. The rule thus unifies the criteria for all professional drivers.
The measure has generated division within the sector. Some taxi drivers believe that the seatbelt is essential to reduce the consequences of an accident, while others warn that it may hinder reactions in risky situations, especially during night shifts.
The exemption was an anomaly from a regulatory standpoint, although there were reasons to maintain it,” says Antoni Servos, president of the Taxi Union of Catalunya.
Younger drivers are more accustomed to wearing seatbelts, while some veterans have been working without them for decades. Others claim they already used them and recall accidents where the device prevented serious injuries.
Failing to comply with the new regulation carries a €200 fine and the loss of four points from the driving licence, the same penalties as for other drivers. For a profession that spends almost the entire day behind the wheel, the change will require automatic seatbelt use starting from October 1.
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