Pafos Live 12 September 2024
Additional measures, including more intensive traffic checks, reduction of speed limits in residential areas, as well as retraining of drivers, were discussed today during the meeting of the Road Safety Council, with the participation of the Ministers of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, and Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis, as well as the Chief of Police Stelios Papatheodorou and officers of all involved services.
As Mr. Vafeadis said in his statements after the meeting, the fact that the data of the first half of 2024 show an increase in road fatalities, compared to the corresponding period of 2023, led to the examination of additional measures. The data, as the Minister of Transport said, showed that the main causes of these accidents are speed, mobile phone use and negligent driving.
He also noted that fatal road collisions occur mainly in residential areas, which the Minister underlined as particularly worrying, while adding that the use of seat belts and protective helmets play a decisive role in whether a road collision will only cause injury or develop into fatality.
"The problem seems to be particularly acute in groups of vulnerable users, especially motorcyclists and pedestrians," Vafeadis said, noting that the Council meeting highlighted the need to take measures targeting these groups.
The immediate measures decided to be implemented, as the Minister mentioned, are the intensification of policing and more systematic information, enlightenment and education through targeted campaigns. In his statements, the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis assured of the contribution of the Police both in strengthening controls and informing the public.
Asked by a journalist if, given the vacancies in the Police, the service will be able to meet the goal of more intensive checks, Mr. Hartsiotis said that there is a process for filling the positions and assured that "the Police is currently in a position to intensify checks to the greatest possible extent, under the circumstances."
"There was a discussion about the whole process of obtaining and maintaining a valid driving license, and in this direction the Department of Road Transport has undertaken to review the whole issue," the Minister said, adding that "the possibility of implementing measures for the continuous training of drivers at crucial stages of their lives will also be considered, so that they are better informed about developments in the road network."
He cited the introduction of electric cars as an example, explaining that these "are in themselves heavier and therefore require additional training of drivers on how to operate them".
He clarified that this approach is also a suggestion coming from the EU to have better drivers on the roads, saying that it has also been discussed in the EU Council of Transport Ministers about when, how and with what tests it will be judged whether drivers can keep their driving license after a certain age.
The Minister of Justice and Public Order, Marios Hartsiotis, also referred to the issue of the Driving School, saying that the bill has progressed and is in the phase of legislative control. "The philosophy of this school is that drivers who have been deprived of their driving license due to penalty points will be able to attend it in order to regain possession of the license, as well as voluntarily anyone who wishes to refresh and strengthen their knowledge in relation to the Highway Code," he explained, noting that from time to time the Highway Code is updated.
Asked if measures are being considered for residential areas, where limited visibility or narrow roads due to parked vehicles may contribute to traffic accidents, he said that the main goal with the measures taken is to give drivers more focus to understand how an incident is unfolding in front of them, so that they can react.
In this context, as Mr. Vafeadis said, today's meeting discussed the reduction of the speed limit in designated areas within residential areas to 30 km / h. "Of course, this requires cooperation with the competent municipalities and this is what we are promoting as a Ministry, so that these areas can function as 30km zones. as soon as possible," he explained.
Among the measures announced by the Minister is the Social Media campaign, which will aim to upgrade the public's perception of the dangers of speeding, non-compliance with the Highway Code, but also on how pedestrians should deal with the dangers of the road network.
He also said that there was a discussion about upgrading the use of the Road Traffic Park to help children get to know better what they may face in the area around their school.
