Cyprus is successfully reducing the number of deaths on the road having the 12th best success rate in Europe after reducing the number of traffic fatalities by 28% on an annual basis from 2011-2012.
In an address to mark yesterday’s World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims (WDR), Communications Minister Tasos Mitsopoulos said Cyprus was moving in the right direction to making the island’s highways safer.
Cyprus has gone from having one of the highest road fatality rates per head of population to markedly improving its reputation on road safety. This is underlined by the island shooting up from 22nd place to 12th in Europe after reducing road deaths by nearly a third last year.
“The loss of even one human life on the road is unjust. We shall neither relax nor be complacent. Collectively and coordinated our efforts will continue to further reduce the rate of road deaths and injuries,” said Mitsopoulos.
He said the aim of WDR was to pay respects to the millions killed or injured on the roads.
“And at the same time, to understand that each of us and all of us collectively should make every effort to prevent future deaths and injuries, they can be avoided as the key factor of these collisions is the human one.”
Every year, 1.3 million people lose their life in a traffic accident, around 50 million are injured, and five million suffer a permanent disability.
The global community has sounded the alarm over this rising death toll with the UN declaring 2011-2020 as a decade of action to improve road safety. Cyprus has also signed up to this campaign with a target of reducing deaths from road accidents by 50% by 2020.
“A total commitment from society in these efforts to address the problem is absolutely necessary because of the need to cultivate a culture of good driving behaviour and awareness,” said Mitsopoulos.
“In memory of the people we have lost, especially the young, and the irreparable damage to family life, let’s try to make the streets safer for all users.”