Young boy dies in Malaga car accident

A YOUNG boy was killed in a car accident on the MA-20 highway near Malaga.

The four-year-old died at the scene after his parents’ car spun off the road and collided with the median.

Both parents were hospitalised. The father suffered severe trauma but both are conscious and in a stable condition.

The boy had a twin brother who was fortunately not in the car at the time.  

A preliminary Guardia Civil investigation has found that the boy was not properly secured to his legally mandated booster seat.

It is unknown whether that was his parents’ fault or a problem with the seat itself. 

The accident has provoked further soul searching on how to improve safety at the Carlos Haya tunnel.

Dozens of crashes have occurred at the same spot over the years, with many cars driving at 120kph despite the 80kph speed limit. With almost 30,000 fines issued since speed cameras were installed in 2015 this has provided little deterrent. 

More than 80,000 vehicles pass through the tunnel each day. The vast majority now know precisely where the speed camera is and immediately accelerate above 100kph the second they pass it. 

The tragic death comes amid a terrible start to the year on roads across the Costa del Sol. The first victim of 2017 was a New Year’s Eve partygoer in Malaga. In the past few weeks one crash claimed two lives in Estepona, while a Finnish motorcyclist was killed near El Chorro.