INCENTIVE PLAN TO BE LAUNCHED FOR PURCHASE OF PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT FOR MOTORCYCLISTS 2022-2024

 

The Council of Ministers approved the Incentive Plan for the Purchase of Protective Equipment for Motorcyclists for the period 2022-2024 The Incentive Plan for the Purchase of Protective Equipment for Motorcyclists was approved today by the Council of Ministers following a proposal submitted by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works. The Plan concerns the period 2022-2024, with a total cost of € 1,050,000 for 3 years. This Plan is part of the Strategic Plan for Road Safety for the period 2021-2030 and focuses on motorcyclists, as the vulnerable users of the road network. With the use of additional protective equipment, the aim is to improve the passive road safety of motorcyclists and reduce fatal collisions in this group of road network users. According to the data, in the period 2017-2021, 30% of the victims of road collisions were motorcyclists or mopeds. Specifically in 2021, 14 of the 45 deaths recorded in Cyprus from road collisions (31.1% of the total deaths from road collisions) concerned motorcyclists / motorcyclists or motorcycle passengers. In the same year, 98 serious injuries and 22 minor injuries to motorcyclists / mopeds were recorded (47.34% and 29.33%, respectively, of the total injuries from road collisions). It is noted that the percentage of registration for motorcyclists in Cyprus corresponds to only 5% of all types of vehicle registration, so road deaths of motorcyclists / motorcyclists are about 14 times higher compared to those of other motor vehicles, if taken into account. / mopeds compared to other motor vehicles, making this group of road users extremely vulnerable. Evaluating the above data, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works has prepared the Protective Equipment Grant Scheme for Motorcyclists, which provides the subsidy for the purchase of protective equipment, which will take effect from the first half of 2022 until 2024. For the year 2022, the purchase of protective equipment for motorcyclists will be subsidized. The decision is based on the results of research conducted by international organizations and showed that chest injuries accounted for 31% of road collision injuries, spinal injuries 20% and abdominal injuries 15%. According to studies, the body airbag of motorcyclists can prevent fatal injuries to the chest and neck at speeds up to 50km / h, while reducing the chance of death at speeds up to 90km / h. The subsidy amount for the purchase of motorcycle body airbag protection equipment will be € 500 or its actual purchase cost, whichever is lower. The amount of the subsidy will be calculated on the basis of the purchase price including VAT. The beneficiaries of the Plan will be Cypriots, Europeans and third-country nationals, who reside permanently in the areas controlled by the Republic and hold a type A, A1 or A2 driving license, are owners of a motorcycle type vehicle, for which they have an active license and are registered in the Register of the Road Transport Department. The submission of applications will be done electronically through a special platform and the evaluation of data and documents will be done by authorized officials of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works. The applications will be examined on the basis of the criteria of the Plan and in case there is more interest than the predetermined number of applications, an electronic lottery will be conducted, using an application designed to process a fair draw, live. More details on the start date of the Project, the application process and the conditions, will be announced in the near future. Speaking after the meeting of the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Mr. Giannis Karousos noted that the Plan for the subsidy for the purchase of protective equipment for motorcyclists will be implemented from this year, with a budget for 2022 of € 350,000. For this year, the sponsorship will be the purchase of a motorcycle body airbag, which has been proven to save lives and will be quite useful for motorcyclists. As stated by the Minister, this is only one of the actions that fall under the Plan, with a total budget of €1,050 million for the period 2022-2024. With the aim of road safety for motorcyclists, Mr. Karousos continued, the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works undertook a series of initiatives, including the change in the legal framework regarding student driving licenses, for which the amendment of the legislation has already been submitted. in Parliament. Rev.