CRS in cabs and vehicles for hire
We tell you when and where it is advisable to use them
Road Safety
Article 117 of the Spanish General Road Traffic Regulations states that in vehicles with less than nine seats, occupants under 135 cm in height must use child restraint systems (CRS) appropriate to their size and age.
This article applies to private vehicles on any road and to cabs and VFH services outside urban areas, since Article 119 of the same regulations exempts taxis (which is understood to include VFH) from the obligation to use child restraint systems for children under 135 cm in urban areas.
We must remember that in no case is this rule, set out by the General Traffic Regulation, based on scientific safety criteria. Instead, it is established according to criteria of usability and practicality for taxicab and VFH services.
As a recommendation, whenever we have to use a cab or VFH and we are travelling with a child, we should call the cab or VFH service in advance, specifying that we will need a child restraint system. We must let them know the age of the child who will be travelling in the service and ask which route they are going to take.
According to accident data published by the Spanish Directorate-General for Traffic, 65% of road accidents in 2021 occurred on urban roads, and 53% of the people injured and hospitalized were also on this kind of road. The percentage of fatalities on urban roads was 27%.
Given the data, it seems clear that there are more accidents in urban areas, but these are generally less serious. However, we must do everything possible to protect our children, and neither a short trip nor a one-off journey should be used as an excuse for not taking the necessary safety measures.
The risk of having a collision in an urban environment is demonstrated by the data and prevention in road safety must always take precedence over statistics and probability.