Filenews 15 November 2022 - by Michalis Hatzivasilis
The death toll on the asphalt reached 36 this year, two fewer than at the same time last year. Despite the advent of cameras, however, the corresponding decrease was not observed.
Limassol has the sad first place this year in the dead, since almost the casualties from road traffic collisions multiplied compared to last year, while the opposite happened in Nicosia. The death toll paid by pedestrians and motorcyclists is heavy, since half of the victims belong to these two categories of vulnerable road users.
With the violent death of the Briton the day before yesterday in Paphos, after being knocked down by a car, (the second in a few days), the death toll this year reached 36 after 34 road collisions, compared to 37 road collisions last year in the same period with 38 victims. Most road deaths occurred in the city and district of Limassol. A total of 13 of our fellow human beings lost their lives on the asphalt compared to seven in the same period last year. In contrast, there has been a noticeable decrease in deaths on the roads in Nicosia, as out of 14 last year, eight were recorded this year.
In Larnaca (city and province) six of our fellow human beings were killed, as many as last year, while in Paphos four fatal road collisions were recorded with an equal number of deaths, as many as last year. In Famagusta this year, five lives were lost compared to six last year, while in the province of Morphou we did not have any fatal car accidents, compared to one in 2021.
At the same time, last year most of the victims on the asphalt were drivers or passengers (23 in total) while a large portion of the dead were motorcyclists and mopeds, since out of the total of 45 dead throughout 2021, 13 were cyclists. Also, six people who died last year were on foot. This image remains the same this year, since pedestrians and motorcyclists have a high price to pay for the dead, something that should concern those involved in taking measures on the streets.
The special feature this year is that the photo-labelling system was introduced for the first time in almost 14 years and many hopes were placed on it to reduce road collisions, especially fatal ones. As mentioned in "F" competently, the reduction in accidents will be observed with the full operation of the system, that is, when all 90 fixed cameras and 20 mobile ones are put on "on". However, a better study of the locations of accidents, especially fatalities, is needed in order to adjust the roads that need to be monitored by the cameras.
It is estimated that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, this year there will be a slight decrease in road deaths compared to last year, while a greater effort will be made in 2023 to further reduce deaths in road collisions.
