The meeting of the Road Safety Council (ROA) was chaired today by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Mr. Giannis Karousos, with the participation of the Minister of Justice and Public Order Mrs. Stefis Drakos, officials of the Police, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports and other competent Services.
During the Council meeting, among other things, the data for this year in relation to road collisions were presented. Specifically, since January 1, there have been 43 deadly road collisions with 44 dead, of which 14 involve motorcyclists and six pedestrians.
In his statements to the media after the meeting, the Minister of Transport referred to the actions taken by the competent state services, with the aim of cultivating culture and proper road behavior, in order to minimize road collisions and deaths from them. "In this direction, we promote a series of policies, recognizing that the State must offer all available means to the citizens and ensure their protection. We have dynamically and decisively started the implementation of the Strategic Plan for Road Safety for the period 2021-2030 and already in the first year a significant number of actions has been launched or implemented. More specifically, out of the 158 actions included in the Strategic Plan, within 2021, 70 actions have been implemented or promoted for implementation, ie a percentage of 44% ", underlined Mr. Karousos.
As the Minister explained, "the most important tool we have at our disposal and confirms our assessment that it can save human lives lost on the road network, is the Photo-Labeling System, which has been piloted since October 25. 2021. The duration of the pilot phase is three months and it uses eight cameras, four mobile and four at fixed points. The System in full development will include 90 fixed cameras in 30 locations throughout Cyprus, as well as 20 mobile cameras ".
The data from the first weeks of pilot operation of the cameras are encouraging and show that the citizens have gradually become accustomed, since the violations have been significantly reduced. Typically, the Minister stated that, from the fixed cameras, at the beginning of the implementation of the measure, an average of 804 complaints were recorded per day, with the number later decreasing to 703, while later they decreased further and reached 423 on average . In other words, there was a reduction that reaches 47%. It is worth mentioning that violations at fixed camera points, such as speed combination and red light violation, have been reduced from an average of 4,2 per day to 0,9.
In relation to the road collisions involving motorcyclists, the Minister of Transport referred to a number of actions that are being launched to reduce them, taking into account that, according to the Road Safety PIN Report, for the period 2018-2020, Cyprus recorded the highest percentage of dead young motorcyclists who did not wear a helmet, which amounted to 50%, while the statistics for the three years 2017-2019 are also a cause for concern, which show that out of the total number of deaths in road accidents, 59% were motorcyclists and passengers . "This is why we took the initiative, in which I personally met with almost all organized motorcycle ensembles, and listened carefully to their suggestions, a significant number of which we promoted, acknowledging that motorcyclists know better than anyone what measures should be taken. to take for the improvement of their road safety and I would like to thank them for that ", said Mr. Karousos.
In this context, specific actions and amendments to legislation have been prepared and promoted, which include:
1. Amendments to the Driving License Law 2021 concerning:
▪ the expiration of the student driving license after two years from its issuance, in order to reduce the phenomenon of riding a large motorcycle without a regular license.
▪ The student motorcycle license holder will be able to use the road network only with an instructor.
Ί Motorcycle riders for business purposes must use specific protective equipment.
▪ the criminalization of driving during work if the driver does not have a driving license of the category of the vehicle with which he works / drives.
2. New legislation for Instructors and Driving Schools: The new legislation includes modernization regulations and innovative changes, such as:
▪ Post-secondary education in recognized schools for driving instructors.
Θμιση upgrading the tools that the Driving Schools must have with the introduction of modern learning systems.
▪ lifelong training of driving instructors and continuous evaluation.
In addition, a subsidy plan for protective equipment for motorcyclists for the period 2022-2024 is being implemented, with a budget of 1 million and 50 thousand euros (350,000 euros per year). The aim is to subsidize all types of protective equipment, with priority given to the subsidy for protective equipment such as vest-airbag. The plan will enter into force in the first half of 1
At the same time, the Minister of Transport underlined that within 2022, the actions that concern other vulnerable groups of the road network such as cyclists and pedestrians will be intensified. The data collected are already being evaluated and significant changes are being made in consultation with other services. At the same time, the Minister stated that he would take the initiative for meetings with the Minister of Education and the Minister of Defense, in the presence of other co-competent services to strengthen the educational tools on road safety issues.
In view of the Christmas holidays, Mr. Karousos sent his own message to all users of the road network, conveying the wish "these holidays to be days of joy in every home in Cyprus. We can not afford to lose our fellow human beings on the road. This year, let us all reach our destination and our loved ones safely ".
For her part, the Minister of Justice and Public Order, referring to today's meeting of the SOA, stressed that the goal of all is to cultivate road awareness and culture needed in order to be effective in dealing with accidents. "We saw issues such as photo-labeling, which will officially start operating from the 1st of the new year, the successful institution of Ambassadors, which will continue, actions that should be targeted at the causes of accidents, but also the necessary amendments that need to be made to the legislation in order to address gaps that have been identified ".
Continuing, Ms. Drakou stated that it was a very productive meeting, during which the report for 2021 was made and the actions that will be promoted for 2022 were determined.
During the session, the participants also had the opportunity to review the actions for 2021, in the framework of the Strategic Road Safety Plan 2021-2030. Emphasis was placed on the actions of the Road Safety Ambassadors, aimed at informing and raising public awareness on the major issue of road safety. The Ministers of Transport and Justice conveyed their warm thanks to Messrs. Rafaela Miltiadou and Marina Kyriakou who served the institution of Road Safety Ambassadors and contributed positively to the enlightenment of the citizens.
Finally, Mr. Karousos and Ms. Drakou announced that for 2022, Road Safety Ambassadors have been appointed Messrs. Alexis Dimitriou and Michalis Sophocleous.