Filenews 2 January 2024
Five people died in December 2023 in road accidents, while the new year began with the loss of another four civilians, who died in the fatal road collision half an hour after New Year's Day.
Cyprus Police Spokesperson Christos Andreou said the death toll for 2023 had reached 34, saying there was a downward trend compared to previous years.
According to data available to the Police, Mr. Andreou said that in 2020 the number of dead rose to 48, in 2021 to 45, in 2022 to 37 and in 2023 to 34. Andreou added that in the month of December 2023 five people lost their lives due to road accidents, noting that June 2022 was the worst month after ten people lost their lives in fatal collisions.
Mr. Andreou said that there is a downward trend regarding road collisions, indicating that traffic police checks, the photo-labelling system (cameras) and prevention actions also contribute to this.
He pointed out that the main causes of fatal road collisions are breakneck speed, driving without a seat belt, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, driving with free hands and, for motorcyclists, not wearing a safety helmet.
Commenting on the traffic traffic collision that occurred around 00.30 a.m. on New Year's Day, in Kato Polemidia and resulted in the death of four people, aged 74, 72, 27 and 17, Mr. Andreou said that the Police receive the data and causes from road collisions which contribute to additional measures and better policing. He pointed out that drivers should be very careful and apply the traffic code to avoid road collisions.
At 42,000 violations for December, they exceeded half a million for 2023
Speaking about the traffic controls for December, Mr. Andreou said that about 9,600 checks were carried out by the Police and with the addition of the violations recorded by the photo-tagging system, out-of-court complaints reached around 42,000.
Mr. Andreou explained that of the main complaints about 27,000 concern violation of the speed limit, 408 for failure to use seat belts, 505 for driving under the influence of alcohol, about 760 for driving with non-free hands (use of mobile phone), about 6000 for violation of red lights, about 220 for parking in disabled areas and about 90 complaints for parking on a sidewalk or pedestrian street.
The Police Spokesperson noted that according to the latest data for 2023, about 321,000 out-of-court complaints were made and another 189,000 from the photo-tagging system.
Actions for repression and prevention
Mr. Andreou noted that the Police in traffic matters do not focus only on repression, but mainly on prevention, saying that, among other things, lectures are held on road consciousness and road behavior. Specifically, he said that 200 lectures were held in 2023 in schools, camps, organized groups attended by more than 21,000 people.
He also referred to the Traffic Education Park, which is visited by primary school students, where for 2023 150 lectures were given to about 6500 children. Mr. Andreou noted the need to consolidate the feeling of road consciousness already in childhood.
The Police Spokesperson pointed out that the Police are always present daily throughout the road network and carry out traffic checks and patrols to prevent road collisions. Speaking about the current festive season, Mr. Andreou said that "we have increased measures regarding traffic controls that will last until January 7."
He added that from time to time there are also campaigns to inform and protect drivers from road accidents and comply with the traffic code.
He also noted that police post images and videos almost daily on social media with the aim of preventing and reducing fatal collisions.
CNA
