We have had a bit of rain recently, but we are also now seeing temperatures start to warm up, and with that comes a wave of typical behaviours we see on the roads, many of which can cause us problems, and can lead to a fine, or worse, so it´s time to look at some of the dos and don´ts of summer driving.
Firstly, and this is for passengers (hopefully), please do not put your feet up on the dashboard! We have already seen this happening this year. It is dangerous, and it is utterly stupid, which you will understand when you see the results of an impact injury caused by the inflation of an airbag, which can happen at a relatively slow speed. It is illegal, because it is so dangerous.
In the event of a crash, if a passenger is travelling with their feet up on the dashboard, the injuries that may occur will be very serious, partly as the deployment of the airbag can cause more serious injuries than it prevents in this situation, and, irrespective of an airbag being present, the glass from the windscreen can cause serious injury, not to mention the effects of a passenger being crushed by the impact between the dashboard and the seat.
The image accompanying this article is an actual x-ray of such an injury caused by an airbag deploying in a crash whilst the passenger had their feet on the dashboard. Police in Wales released the image of the X-ray to show what they called the woman’s “life changing” injuries.
In addition to the increase in occurrences of this sort of behaviour, there is also an increase in the number of fines issues as the traffic police. Incidentally, in the event of a passenger putting their feet on the dashboard, it is the driver who is ultimately responsible for the safety of the vehicle and, as such, it is the driver who will be fined.
Article 18, Section 1 of Royal Decree 1428/2003 of 21 November, approving the Rules of the road, states that “The driver of a vehicle must maintain their own freedom of movement, the required field of vision and permanent attention to driving, to ensure their own safety, that of other vehicle occupants and other road users. To achieve this, you must take special care to maintain the proper position and that of the passengers, and the proper placement of objects or animals transported so that there can be no interference between the driver and any of them“.
Maintaining a proper position in the vehicle is not only important for our comfort, but also crucial for our safety.
