AF: It was about children´s safety in the first place. Members of the School Transport Union (TEU) asked the FGR for advice regarding seat belts and there were no clear answers or solutions to their questions. Due to the importance of this area for the safety of our children, the FGR decided to include this issue in their Plan EDUCAR. 

FGR: Which challenges did you have to face?

AF: Main challenges came from the political side of the issue, especially when working with TEU´s second Board; the first Board had been really open with us. Another challenge was having to deal with the Transport Unions´ corporatism, and their relationship with national authorities. As a consequence of these obstacles, the TEU obtained tax exemptions and benefits but paid no attention to FGR´s recommendation of including seats complying with technical standards. Also, it was very hard for us getting to understand how little importance is given to human life in our society, especially children´s.

FGR: Who contributed to the process? Who were you counting on, but didn´t react as expected?

AF: We had the help and contribution of the FGR as a whole, is was team work. Support provided by FIA Foundation, the World Bank, and Safeguard was also fundamental. Safeguard developed tailor-made seats free of charge, and they continue doing so. I expected more support from the national and city government, especially when they left safety technical criteria aside.

FGR: How was the technical solution for  School Transport in Montevideo reached?

AF: The only safe solution proposed by the FGR was to include 3-point seat blets in all seating positions. This implied looking for someone that could design and test seats complying with minimum safety measures and 3-point seat belts especially adapted for children. It was a hard and difficult search, but a solution was finally found.

FGR: Were the solutions you expected applied? What is still to be done?

AF: Unfortunately, they were not completely applied. Even when implementing the 3-point-seat-belt solution, if the seat belt or the seat does not comply with technical standards regarding mechanical resistance and appropriate positioning or spacing, you still may find occupants injured in the event of a crash. Current regulations do not take into account suggestions by the FGR regarding spacing between seats, not to mention seat and seat belt mechanical resistance; these are aspects still to be improved regarding child road safety.

Besides, in our country seats by SafeGuard were imitated from the visual standpoint, but the most important aspect was neglected and that was their resistance and spacing.  To show how important the mechanical resistance of seats is (their strength), and how well the seat belts work, the FGR offered the national authorities to test, free of charge, available seats in the market against those complying with technical standards. Authorities were requested to express their opinion in the event of results showing that seats complying with technical standard provided better protection. Unfortunately this never happened.

Although the FGR could have continued with the test, the problem was that these seats were exclusively sold to companies working on the school transport sector. The role of authorities was key to get seats for testing since the FGR is not registered as a School Transport company and not allowed to purchase them.

FGR: Would you recommend Latin NCAP to test School Transport vehicles? How far are we from actually implementing this?

AF: Latin NCAP may get to the point of testing this kind of vehicles, we are open to the possibility of testing any type of vehicle. Still, Latin NCAP recommends that seats are tested. We support this initiative, but understand existing difficulties to get locally manufactured seats anv cover the costs of transport and testing.

FGR: Could you please leave a message for School Transport drivers and adults in charge of transporting children?

AF: I would like to remind parents that their lives can change in a second. That they should focus on their children´s safety. They learn about protection from you, and will protect their own family in the future. From the drivers, I expect them to look after other people´s children as if they were their own.