Filenews 12 December 2025
19 of the 43 fatal road collisions in 2025 in Cyprus are due to a lack of attention from drivers on the roads, which indicates the use of mobile phones, said the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, after today's meeting of the Road Safety Council which was held with the participation of the Minister of Justice and Public Order Constantinos Fytiris., noting that specific measures will be taken to limit the phenomenon of mobile phones while driving.
In statements after the session, Mr. Vafeadis said that the Road Safety Council was given the opportunity to the Police to make an extensive presentation especially regarding fatal accidents on the road network for 2025.
As the Minister said, what is of particular concern to the Government is how it will be able to manage this issue, so that these incidents can be drastically reduced and we can return to the path of implementing the goal of reducing up to 50% or more of fatal road collisions by 2030.
"What I emphasize is that out of the 43 fatal accidents, the Police can confidently indicate that 19 are the result of the lack of attention of drivers on the roads. This, I personally potentially translate to mobile phone use. This is a scourge for our country, you realize that we may have lost 19 of our fellow human beings from mobile phone use, and this cannot be accepted," he said.
Mr. Vafeadis said that they asked the competent committees to come back in January to continue this discussion in the Road Safety Council to submit suggestions and take measures to suppress this phenomenon because it is not acceptable. "It must stop and we must all accept that when we use the mobile phone while driving we endanger ourselves, our family and everyone else who uses the road network," he added.
Asked about the other reasons that lead to fatal accidents, the Minister of Transport said that there are certainly other reasons, noting that there were five incidents in 2025 with drivers driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.
"I don't want to underestimate these conditions as we will focus on them as well. It's just that out of 43, 19 are whilst using mobile phones and it's a huge number and a trend that needs to be contained. At the same time, we will continue to work to detect and prevent driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs," he said.
Asked about the proposal for a law by the MP, Chrysanthos Savvidis, regarding the consumption of alcohol by young drivers, Mr. Vafeadis said that the Government supports it. "We believe that we must protect young people by implementing such legislation. Any other measures will be included in other legislation," he said.
For his part, the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Konstantinos Fytiris, in his statements that this was his first participation in a very constructive meeting of the Road Safety Council, which will continue in January, instead of in two months, because the measures we need to take must be immediate. "The Ministry of Justice, through the Police, in conjunction with the Department of Road Transport and the other services, will take all the necessary measures in terms of the human resources of the Police and the technology, in order to reduce accidents to a minimum. It is one of the main axes of our policy because society should not mourn any more victims on the streets," he said.
Asked to comment on the decision not to pay a fine for drivers who violate the line in camera-controlled traffic lights in the event of an ambulance passing, the Minister of Justice said that this is a measure that the Police will take, taking into account all the suggestions. "What needs to be done will be done, but safely for both the ambulances and the citizens. We should always find the best solution under the circumstances," he noted.
Cna
