Filenews 14 December 2021 - by Vassos Vassiliou
The uncontrolled use of vehicle recovery transport, even without carrying vehicles, combined with the blinding light they emit, especially in the evening hours, led the Ministry of Transport to push regulations in Parliament to put restrictions in place to address the problem and the reactions from citizens. The beacons will only be lit during the loading and unloading of immobilized vehicles.
In the explanatory report accompanying the regulations under the title "The Motor Vehicles and Traffic (Amendment) Regulations of 2021 it is stated that "the Ministry of Transport has been informed by the Department of Traffic Police Headquarters, that drivers of vehicle recovery units use light signals i.e. flashing lamps / beacons, even when they are not carrying vehicles that have been immobilized or have suffered material damage, as a result, particularly during the night, the yellow colour of the lamp becomes dazzling and affects the visibility and/or distraction of road users'.
For reasons of road safety, the Department of Traffic Police Headquarters, suggested that the relevant regulation be amended. To this end, the Department of Road Transport has prepared an amending Draft Regulations, according to which vehicles used for towing/ transporting immobilized or damaged vehicles, keep a bright yellow flashing lamp visible in all directions only during their stay at the road point where the vehicle to be towed is located and only during its loading and unloading on the towed vehicle.
The Draft Regulations were checked by the Legal Service. The Council of Ministers, during its meeting on 15/11/2021, authorized the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works to submit the relevant regulations to the House of Representatives for approval.
