n332 – RoadWatch.eu

18/08/2016

Guardia Civil Officers Rescue Baby Left in Car

Officers from the Guardia Civil rescued a nine-month old baby who had been left locked inside a car whilst the child´s father had gone shopping in a supermarket.

San Juan Rescue

The incident occurred on Wednesday in the San Juan area of Alicante, at around 3 in the afternoon, when concerned passers-by alerted a routine Guardia Civil patrol near the N-332 of a child in the back of a car which was locked.

The patrol immediately attended the vehicle and saw the child inside, apparently unconscious, and so they smashed the windows in order to gain access.

The officers then attempted resuscitation and rehydration whilst awaiting the arrival of an ambulance.

When the child´s father returned to the vehicle, accompanied by another child of around 3-years of age, he was said to be “surprised” by the fact the patrol were in attendance and refused to have the victim transferred to hospital for treatment.

The child was therefore treated at the scene by medics whilst the Guardia Civil are now pursuing criminal charges against the father, a 33-year old German national, who is on holiday at a campsite in the area.

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17/08/2016

X Marks the Spot

The roads of Madrid will soon be getting a taste of the classic Japanese styling, with the installation of a diagonal zebra crossing.

X Marks the Spot 2

The city council has budgeted for the installation of the crossing at the junction of Goya and Alcalá, one of the most iconic and widely visited areas in the city.

Although the design is believed to have originated in Japan, Los Angeles and London also have diagonal crossings which are designed to speed up the flow of pedestrians who would otherwise have to cross two individual streets separately.

In addition to pedestrians, the council will also provide similar crossing facilities for bicycles, thus aiming to protect two of the most vulnerable groups of road users.

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17/08/2016

See the sign – Watch your speed!

If you see this sign on a conventional road in Spain it serves as a warning of a number of factors.

SpeedWarning

Firstly, it warns you that you are about to enter one of the 300 most dangerous sections of roads where an increase of speed related incidents have been recorded.

Secondly, as a result of the above reason, these sections are often locations of intensified speed checks, so as to reduce the number of casualties in the sections.

See the sign – Watch your speed!

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16/08/2016

Spanish Pop Group in Serious Crash

Members of the Spanish pop group Supersubmarina were injured on Sunday when the vehicle they were travelling in was involved in a head-on collision on the N-322 road in Ubeda.

The incident occurred at around 8 in the morning when a car and a van collided, resulting in six people being injured.

The lead Singer of the group, José Chino Marín, has been operated on twice for head injuries and remains in a serious condition in intensive care. The band´s drummer, Juan Carlos, also remains in a serious condition in the ICU.

The other three members of the group, who were all travelling in the car, were also injured, although not seriously, as was the van driver.

The group had been returning to their home town of Baeza (Jaén) after participating in the Medusa Sunbeach Festival held in Cullera (Valencia). The group have been touring the country, including performing in Torrevieja in December of last year.

An investigation has been launched to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident.

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05/08/2016

Alert for Fugitive Heading to Spain

Belgian Police have alerted Spanish authorities of a “radicalised and armed” fugitive heading to Spain.

Alert for Fugitive Heading to Spain

An international arrest warrant is in place for Ilias Zohrie for attempted homicide after a failed attack on a nightclub in Antwerp and the attempted murder of the Coroner for Gieselinck, France.

Zohrie, a Belgian national born in 1988, is described as “extremely dangerous” and has absconded from Belgium reported heading to Spain on Wednesday of this week. All inbound ports, airports and transit points have been put on alert, although it I believed that Zohrie will be travelling through France, possibly on Moroccan papers.

The authorities are also on the lookout for three vehicles which they believe might be used to transport the fugitive, an Opel Corsa or an Opel Astra, both of which display the number plate 1JNT244, or a Volkswagen Golf, registration number 1FKC916.

Anybody who sees a person who looks like Zohrie, or any of the vehicles mentioned, should contact the security services immediately on the multi-lingual emergency number, 112, or 062 direct to the Guardia Civil for those who speak Spanish.

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05/08/2016

Fatal Crash on the N-332 near La Marina

One person was killed and another four injured, two of them seriously, following a head-on collision between two cars on the N-332 main road near La Marina.

Fatal Crash on the N332 (1)

The incident occurred at around 07:00 near kilometre 78 of the coastal road, in a section where one lane runs in each direction.

Fatal Crash on the N332 (2)

The deceased is believed to be a Ukrainian national of 41-years of age, whereas those injured are said to be a woman of 25, who suffered abdominal trauma and was taken to Vinalopó hospital, a 30-year old man who also received abdominal injuries and taken to Elche general hospital, both of whom are in a serious condition. The other two injured parties were aged 24 and 25 and were taken to Torrevieja hospital with less serious injuries.

Fatal Crash on the N332 (3)

The Guardia Civil are investigating the cause on the tragic incident although initial indications suggest that one of the vehicles invaded the opposite lane resulting in the collision.

The road was completely blocked to traffic whilst the emergency services attended the scene and then subsequently cleared the wreckage, opening at 11:00, some 4 hours later.

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11/07/2016

European Police Patrolling in Spain Once Again

Officers from the French National Gendarmerie have joined colleagues from the Guardia Civil in Spain as part of the summer tourism operations aimed at maintaining a safer environment for international and domestic tourists in the country.

This week, French officers have been welcomed to the Alicante town of Altea, amongst some of the most popular tourist destinations for French visitors.

European Police Patrolling in Spain Once Again

The Spanish Government has implemented the 2016 plan, which has proved a huge success in previous years, not only because foreign visitors feel more at ease when they see their own national police, but shared intelligence through the European-wide collaboration has been proven to lead to a reduction in organised crime across the continent.

In addition to the European assistance, Spain also strengthens the presence of its own security services in the tourist rich towns, including relocating officers from the likes of the Guardia Civil and the police, and the opening of specially adapted officers where tourists can be dealt with in their own native language. In addition, the Valencia regional police also increase controls in tourist areas, and so with the collaboration of all forces not only is security increased, the impact and risk of crime decreases.

For its part, the Guardia Civil collaborates with Europe-wide forces throughout the year, including an exchange program run through the European Police College, where information and knowledge on practices and operations are shared through the continent.

08/07/2016

Guardia Officer Invents Life Saving Device

A Guardia Civil traffic officer, Jorge Torre Sarmiento, assisted by a marketing and design expert, Roberto Pérez Marijuán, have invented a device which they think will speed up the time in which other road users are advised of the presence of a disabled or broken down vehicle, thus saving lives as a result.

When a vehicle becomes disabled, perhaps due to an incident or break down, the natural reaction of the driver will often be to put hazard lights on then attempt to restart the vehicle, then call for assistance from their breakdown or insurance service, and then put on a high visibility vest, go to the boot and place warning triangles on the road advising of the presence of the disabled vehicle.

All too often, this process can take between 8 and 10 minutes, during which time the vehicle is left in a vulnerable position and presenting a potential hazard to other road users and the vehicle´s occupants.

In order to try to alleviate this problem of vulnerability, made worse in the event of low light such as night time or when the vehicle has no power for the hazard lights, the officer has invented a device called “Help-Flash” which can be used as a first indicator of a hazard whilst the correct procedure of laying out triangles is being carried out.

Jorge Torre Sarmiento describes himself as a frustrated engineer, and is well known in his local area for inventing a variety of devices and designs. The 47-year old officer, based in Vigo, graduated in criminology and joined the Guardia Civil, despite his desire to be a designer. His role has subsequently meant he could fulfil both functions.

He already has a number of successful patents to his name, such as a “girolina”, a device that allows young children and the elderly sharpen pencils without any effort, a device for Formula 1 engineering teams to change tyres in a matter of minutes by removing all of the bolts at the same time, and a set of tweezers for a specific type of clothing.

However, “Help-Flash” is his first invention that will hit the mass market, and will do so with the help of Pérez Marijuán, co-founder of a marketing company, who has been on tour with the device to secure development funding.

“Help-Flash” is a small emergency light, powered by a conventional battery, which emits a flashing light visible for up to a kilometre away. It is activated by a magnetic support and can also be used as a flashlight.

The project was conceived in collaboration with the Centro Tecnológico de Automoción de Galicia (CTAG), and a group representing the victims of road traffic incidents, the Avata Hispania.

Stored in the glove box, the device can be activated in seconds and placed on the exterior of the vehicle where the magnetic contact will keep it in place, allowing the driver to then place warning triangles and make the vehicle occupants secure.

The Kickstarter project is also looking into developing a mobile application which can alert the emergency services to your precise location at the push of a button.

Jorge is understandably passionate about the project, which is why he has taken a break from active duty to develop it. Primarily, his motivation is clear, when asked why, he simply replied, “I think it can save lives”.

For more information and to support the project, visit http://netunsolutions.com/help-flash/

help-flash english version from NETUN solutions on Vimeo.

07/07/2016

Fined for Falsifying ITV Sticker

The Courts in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria have imposed a fine of 540 euro on a 33-year old woman who changed the ITV sticker on her vehicle so as to pretend that her car had successfully passed the mandatory test.

Mini-Cooper-Segunda-Mano-ITV

The case has taken two years to get to court and was brought about after two local police officers from Las Palmas attended an incident in the El Lasso area. A vehicle check indicated that one of the cars had not undertaken a successful ITV test, and had not been considered roadworthy for some months, despite the vehicle displaying a sticker in the windscreen.

The officers submitted a report for proceedings of a crime of forgery of public documents.

Once the case reached the courts the judge considered the evidence sufficient to prove that a fraudulent act had taken place and therefore condemned the vehicle owner to pay the 540 euro fine over a period of two months.

It is a mandatory requirement for vehicles which have reached the statutory age to display an ITV sticker in the windscreen, which is colour coded in accordance with the year of expiry and contains the expiry date.

Only one ITV sticker should be displayed at any one time and so once the next test has been passed and a new sticker issued, the previous one should be removed. The sticker should also be placed in the top right hand side of the windscreen (as you look out), so that officers looking out for it will be able to see the data quicker and are less likely to have to force you to stop whilst they check the details.

It is also mandatory to carry the ITV card and report with you in the vehicle as one of the documents you must carry in the car, along with the Permiso de Circulacion.

05/07/2016

The Hazards of Heat

High summer temperatures may be a welcome change for those looking to relax on the beach this summer, but higher temperatures pose an often hidden risk, especially to vehicles and road safety.

The most vulnerable parts of the vehicle in extreme temperatures are tyres, brakes and shock absorbers, all of which are crucial to keeping a moving vehicle under control and stopping safely.

Driving with tyres with low pressure increases the probability of a blowout by up to 60%, shortens its life by up to 15% and increases fuel consumption by up to 7%.

tyre-blowout

With the intense external heat, the engine loses up to 15% power and potentially even more as it drives the cooling and air conditioning systems.

The brakes overheat, this in turn can increase consumption of brake fluid and can cause a phenomenon known as “fading”, which reduces the ability to slow the vehicle down.

In order to reduce these factors and keep your vehicle at its optimum, frequent checks of tyres, brakes, shock absorbers, oil, brake and coolant levels, the battery, lights and air conditioning should all be checked regularly, and especially before a long journey.

If this seems like a daunting task then you can always call into your local maintenance garage and ask them to do the checks for you. Many garages already offer a comprehensive summer service, although many drivers don´t realise that this is equally as important as a winter service, and so the heightened risks continue.

Aside from the safety aspects of the vehicle, one common maintenance call during summer is for the failure of air conditioning units. Experts say that these should be checked at least once a year and before the summer, as for most of the cooler months the units lay dormant and can fail over time without being noticed. Sometimes, the presence of an unpleasant odour is an indicator of a failure of the air conditioning.

Air conditioning that is working too hard can not only increase the mechanical strain. An average air conditioning unit will cool the vehicle´s interior to around 22 degrees Celsius, whereas cooling the air to just 20 degrees will increase fuel consumption by up to 20%.

It is also important to ensure that your vehicle is correctly loaded before a summer trip. Remember not to exceed the maximum permitted load, not only for the vehicle, but also for the tyres. Weight should be evenly distributed with heavier items nearest the ground and as near to the centre of the vehicle as possible, without impeding the passenger´s mobility, but maintaining a centre of gravity wherever possible. Once loaded, remember to adjust the tyre pressure as per the manufacturer’s recommendations, and then increase the pressure once the vehicle is unloaded.

Never carry loose items in the interior of the vehicle as these could become projectiles in the event of heavy braking or a collision and can seriously injure, or worse, the occupants of the car. Finally, if carrying a protruding load, remember not to exceed the permitted dimensions, use a V20 warning sign on the rear, and make sure that lights and number plates remain unobstructed at all times.