The Traffic Department of the Police, the Ministry of Education and the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority organised at the Police Road Safety Park on Monday an event on road safety, titled “1000 helmets 1000 children” in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record on the use of cycle helmets helmets, but mainly to raise children’s awareness on road safety issues.

Addressing the event, Minister of Loucas Louca said that defensive and careful driving must become an everyday practice, especially for the young people, who are the majority of the victims of road accidents.

The Minister said that the State, along with the society and the parents, bear the responsibility of teaching the children their obligations related to road safety, as well as that irresponsible behaviour on road could cost their lives or others’.

Communication and Works Minister Efthimios Flourentzou said that Cyprus, a European member state, has proceeded to the scientific planning of its strategy, policies and actions on road safety that will be implemented until 2020. He also noted that Cyprus aims to reduce deaths and injuries as a result of road accidents by half until 2020, compared to the figures recorded in 2010.

Education Minister George Demosthenous said that conscious driving is a lifelong learning process that should start at preschool education and be based on a system of continuously raising awareness of the drivers of all ages on road safety. The Minister noted that in accordance with the new analytic programs implemented at schools road safety education is taught at all levels of education.

The event took place under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

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