Filenews 15 March 2022 - by Michalis Hadjivasilis
Cyprus and other EU countries have been recording a vertical reduction in driver controls on the roads since 2010-2019 (pre-pandemic period) with the sole exception of those concerning the speed limit.
This is documented in a report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) published today, as part of the Road Safety PIN (Performance Index) programme, which presents data in the 27 Member States of the European Union (EU) as well as in Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Serbia and the United Kingdom, on the impact of law enforcement (policing) on improving road safety. Our country records a 35% increase in speed limit checks, in contrast to those for alcohol, belts and mobile phones, which records a decrease.
Initially, the report sets out the relevant conclusions and positions of the European Transport Safety Council, as follows:
Exceeding speed limits, driving under the influence of alcohol or distraction and not wearing a seat belt are among the major factors causing deaths and serious injuries on European roads. As recorded in the report, speed has a direct effect on causing road collisions, but also on their severity. The combination of the trafficked road police control with the use of mobile and fixed photo-labelling devices (cameras) but also with the use on motorways of devices for calculating the average speed, have proven to be an effective tool for managing speed limit violation. In most of the PIN programme countries (21 out of 28 that provided data) there is an increase in the number of complaints about speed limit violation in the period 2010-2019. Cyprus recorded a 35% increase in complaints, from 2014 to 2019.
Regarding driving under the influence of alcohol, it is estimated that this violation is related to 1/4 of all road deaths. Policing is necessary to create a perception among drivers that there is a significant risk of being spotted and punished when drinking and driving. Eight of the 14 programme countries that provided data recorded a decrease in alcohol testing at roadside checks in 2010-2019, while only six recorded an increase. In Cyprus, a decrease of 54% was recorded during this period.
Regarding driving under the influence of drugs and other psychotropic substances, both illegal and legal, their use can affect the psychological state of the driver and reduce the ability to drive. The simultaneous use of various psychotropic substances, or the combination with alcohol, further increases the risk of a road collision.
Despite the legal obligation to use a seat belt in all EU Member States, as well as the mandatory operation in vehicles of a reminder system for non-use, the rates of use are not the desired, especially in the rear seats. In 24 of the 29 PIN programme countries that provided data, there was a decrease in complaints about non-use of a zone in the period 2010-2019, while only five recorded an increase. In Cyprus, a decrease of 10% was recorded during this period.
Also, distraction while driving is an evolving road safety problem. The risk of being involved in a road collision is increasing with the increasing use of a mobile phone. This risk is twice as high for those who make a large use of a mobile phone while driving, compared to the risk for those who make minimal use. In 14 of the 25 PIN countries that provided data, there was a decrease in complaints about illegal use of a mobile phone during the period 2010-2019, while only 11 recorded an increase. Cyprus recorded a decrease of 38% during this period.
According to the report, Cyprus recorded in the period 2010-2019 the second largest difference between the average annual decrease in road deaths attributed to driving under the influence of alcohol and the average annual decrease in other road deaths. Specifically, Cyprus recorded a difference of 12.9%, while Bulgaria recorded a difference of 19.7%.
It is noted that the representative of Cyprus in the Road Safety HN program is George Morfakis.
Recommendations to national governments
The Council makes the following recommendations to EU member states:
- Collection, monitoring and publication of policing activities over time (e.g. number of checks) and results (number of infringements detected and punished), by type of infringement.
- Setting policing programmes with annual targets for the number of checks and compliance rates with the relevant legislation, in particular for the priority areas such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, illegal use of a mobile phone, violation of the red light, non-use of a seat belt, child restraint systems or helmets.
- Implementation of annual policing activities, in conjunction with information activities.
- Participation in cross-border policing actions of ROADPOL (Network of Policing of European Roads).
- Creation of a transparent system for the allocation of funds collected from fines and their channelling from policing to road safety projects.
- Establish and implement a penalty points system, including offences directly related to road collisions or the severity of the collision, such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol/drugs, not wearing seat belts and distraction, as recommended by the EU-funded research project BESTPOINT.
