The Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works announced that 2022 was the year with the lowest number of road fatalities (37) with a decrease of 17.8%% compared to 2021.

Minister of Transport Yiannis Karousos, in his intervention at the EU Transport Ministers Council referred to the decrease recorded in Cyprus during the period 2021-2022 as well as the actions and policies implemented that contributed to this reduction.

With the number of fatalities reaching 37 in 2022, the Ministry said the decrease in fatalities caused by road collisions in recent years continues a downward trend and since 2019 the of 26.9% decrease to date has been recorded.

As an EU member state, the Republic of Cyprus has adopted the European target of reducing road fatalities by 50% in the period 2021-2030.

During the recent Transport Ministers’ Council Meeting in December 2022, ministers expressed their concern over the increase in road fatalities due to car crashes in the EU. In 2021 at European level there was an increase in fatalities by 6% compared to 2020 while preliminary statistics for the first six to ten months of 2022 showed an increasing trend compared to 2021.

In Cyprus, in 2019, 52 fatalities were recorded, in 2020, 48, in 2021, 45 while in 2022 there was a total of 37 fatalities.

According to statistical data, in 2022 the percentage of reduction of fatalities caused by road collisions stands at 17.8% compared to 2021, to 22.9% compared to 2020 and 28.8% compared to 2019.

The press release said that the collective effort of all those who have contributed to strengthening road safety such as the Ministry of Transport, the Justice Ministry, the Police, the Road Transport department as well as organisations and volunteers who carry out actions, initiatives and amend legislations as well as the policies of the Road Safety Strategic Plan have yielded results.

We do not dwell on the improvement of the indicators to date since behind every statistic, there is a human life that has been unjustly lost, the press release said, adding that hard work and collective effort by all parties involved will continue to achieve the goal of zero road fatalities.