There's a lot of talk going on about the official airbag jackets for Guardia Civil riders; about how they are potentially dangerous.

The Asociación Española de Guardias Civiles (AEGC) says that there have been cases where the special hi-vis jackets with airbag incorporated, which are operated electronically, go off for no reason, putting the rider’s life in danger.

According to the AEGC, they have knowledge of three cases and it is only been thanks to the high level of riding skills that officers have managed to pull over without coming off. Also in these cases, they had not been going very fast.

The AEGC has contacted the maker directly to find out if this is a design fault or whether it is a handling problem when putting one on.

The DGT (Dirección General de Tráfico) says that these have been “isolated cases” and that they have issued a total of 5,000, airbag-fitted, hi-vis jackets yet there have only been three cases.

However, the Guardia Civil Officers Union (AEGC) says that those in charge should guarantee the correct functioning of all and every jacket by checking all those that have been issued.

The maker is FECSA (Fábrica Española de Confecciones S.A) has provided 4,661 units, having won a contract worth 2,067,125 euros, putting the price per unit at 443 euros. A quick look online shows that prices for similar ones are between 599 and 735 euros per unit.

(News: Spain)

Keywords: Guardia Civil, Traffic Police, Riders, Airbag, Chalecos, Jackets, Problems, DGT, AEGC

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