In the period 2017-2021, 30% of road crash victims were motorcyclists or moped riders, said the Minister of Transport, who intends to present before the Council of Ministers at its meeting on Friday a proposal for the implementation of grant schemes for protective equipment for motorcyclists, with a budget of €1.050 million. for the period 2022-2024.
As stated in a Ministry statement, the debate on the Driving Licence (Amendment) Law of 2022 continued on Thursday at the Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Communications and Works, in the presence of the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, Yiannis Karousos.
It is noted that at the Committee's meeting, Mr. Karousos presented the changes proposed by the Ministry in relation to the protective equipment to be worn by the driver of a moped/motorcycle who drives professionally. As he explained, in addition to the mandatory use of helmets, moped/motorcycle drivers who drive professionally will have to wear additional protective equipment, such as a jacket or vest with fluorescent stripes, gloves, long trousers and closed shoes or boots, a motorcycle body airbag or protective knee pads and kneepads. Karousos, the additional protective equipment should only be used by motorcyclists/motorcyclists who ride for professional purposes, such as, among others, delivery drivers, courier drivers and motorcycle/motorcycle drivers who transport objects and/or products for a fee. As explained, the proposals do not affect drivers who use mopeds/motorcycles as a means of transport.
The Minister of Transport, Communications and Works informed the members of the Parliamentary Committee of his intention to submit to the Council of Ministers at its meeting tomorrow a proposal for the implementation of grant schemes for protective equipment for motorcyclists, with a budget of €1.050 million.
Indicatively, citing data from road collisions of previous years in Cyprus, Mr Karousos pointed out that in the period 2017-2021, 30% of the victims of road collisions were motorcyclists or moped riders. For 2021 alone, the Minister said, 14 of the 45 deaths recorded in Cyprus from road collisions (31.1% of the total deaths from road collisions) involved motorcyclists/motorcyclists or motorcycle passengers. In the same year, 98 serious injuries and 22 minor injuries involving motorcyclists/motorcyclists were recorded (47.34% and 29.33%, respectively, of total injuries from road collisions).
In his intervention, the Minister reiterated that motorcyclists and especially those who ride motorcycles for business purposes are one of the most vulnerable groups of road users. The purpose of the changes being promoted in the relevant legislation and the Government's wider plans, Mr Karousos stressed, is to save lives and protect vulnerable road users from serious and critical injuries.
Finally, it is recalled that the Driving Licence (Trooping) Law aims, in addition, to set a limitation on the period of validity of a learner's licence to two years from the date of issue. It also regulates the issue of driving mopeds and motorcycles on the road network by a person holding only a learner's permit.
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