Black February for transport: more than 5,000 trucks and buses sanctioned in a campaign that uncovers the pending subject of road safety

The latest surveillance campaign by the Guardia Civil on the roads has left figures that invite reflection, not to say absolute concern. During February, officers focused on heavy goods vehicles, those giants of the road whose sheer weight already spells tragedy when they are involved in an accident. And what they found is hardly reassuring: thousands of infractions demonstrating that, in terms of road safety, the professional transport sector still has many outstanding issues. Because it’s not just about pursuing a driver who runs a stop sign, but about preventing a multi-ton truck, circulating in poor condition or with an exhausted driver, from becoming a lethal projectile for other road users.

If there is one figure that should make the entire sector reflect, it is that of rest times. Almost 3,000 drivers were sanctioned for not respecting mandatory breaks, an infraction that is not a mere administrative matter, but a tangible risk. A driver who accumulates hours behind the wheel without resting is a public danger: their reflexes diminish, their attention blurs, and the probability of making a fatal error skyrockets. It is particularly striking that, despite awareness campaigns and the seriousness of the consequences, there are still those who prioritize reaching their destination earlier over their own life and the lives of others. And here one must ask whether the pressure from companies to meet impossible deadlines is not behind many of these reckless decisions.

But the risk is not only due to fatigue. Officers also encountered a vehicle fleet in lamentable condition in many cases. More than 700 trucks and around thirty buses had serious technical deficiencies, from faulty brakes to bald tires or steering problems. The image of 46 vehicles immobilized on the spot for not meeting the minimum conditions to circulate should be enough to set off all alarms. Because if it is reckless for a car to circulate with broken brakes, what adjective is deserved by a bus full of passengers or a large-tonnage truck with the same problems? The answer should lead more than one company manager to look in the mirror and, incidentally, to appear before a judge.

Perhaps the most disturbing thing of all is to verify that, in the 21st century, there are still professionals who get behind the wheel of a multi-ton machine after having consumed alcohol or drugs. Sixty drivers tested positive in the checks, a figure that should shame the sector. Because driving a truck or a bus is not the same as driving a car; the responsibility is exponentially greater, especially in the case of those carrying passengers. Alcohol and drugs alter perception, eliminate the sense of risk, and slow down reaction capacity, a lethal combination when behind the wheel of a large vehicle.

Between speeding, with 466 reports, irregularities in loading, which added up to more than 400 sanctions, and the nearly thousand drivers who were circulating with incorrect documentation, the balance of the campaign paints a desolate picture. Not to mention the 257 cases of tampering with the tachograph, that device designed precisely to control compliance with rest times. The data shows that the Guardia Civil was simply doing its job, but it also makes it clear that the path towards superior road safety in professional transport is full of potholes. Occasional campaigns are not enough; more checks, exemplary sanctions, and, above all, real awareness are needed, starting with drivers but also reaching the companies that hire them. Because when a truck and a car meet, statistics have already taught us who always loses out.