[PIO] Address by the Minister of Justice and Public Order Ms Anna Koukkidi Prokopiou at the press conference for the launch of the Road Week

"To prevent our dreams from being shattered"

It is with great pleasure that I attend today's press conference and that I have the honour to declare the launch of Road Safety Week.

An important initiative organised for the 24th year this year by the Cyprus Police and CNP Insurance, which has now become an institution.

I would be remiss if I did not express my special thanks to CNP Insurance, which continues to participate in this campaign as a co-organizing sponsor, demonstrating once again the policy of social corporate responsibility that characterizes the Organization.

In order not to let our dreams become wrecked, we need to strengthen our sense of social responsibility and respect for the Road Traffic Code and change our mentality and driving behaviour through a network of policies, measures and actions - because this is the only way to reduce the number of fatal and serious road accidents in our country.

In recent years, road safety efforts have increased significantly. Important projects and actions have been - and are being - promoted, aiming at a single vision: to minimise and - why not - achieve zero fatal or serious injuries.

Through the new Road Safety Strategic Plan 2021-2030, major projects and actions have been implemented and launched, such as:

1. the launching of the establishment and operation of the Driver Training School aimed at providing opportunities for traffic offenders to develop a positive driving attitude and behaviour while driving on the road network,
2. the introduction of the mandatory use of helmets by cyclists and the regulation of the use of scooters,
3. the extension of the installation of the second phase of a holistic light signalling system,
4. awareness campaigns on social media and television,
5. lectures in schools for children of all ages with road safety ambassadors,
6. experiential workshops in camps using police equipment to simulate the experience of an accident.

These actions aim to inform and raise awareness among existing drivers, as well as to systematically educate the new generation of drivers, tomorrow's drivers and users of our road network.

However, despite all the efforts made and the actions developed, it is regrettable to note that the non-compliance of citizens with the Road Traffic Code remains a major problem. The numbers of traffic offences recorded on a daily basis demonstrate the need to cultivate good road behaviour, to change attitudes and to strengthen the sense of social and individual responsibility of each and every one of us.

This year, there have been 20 fatal road accidents with 22 fatalities. Numbers that translate into human lives unjustly lost and their families in black.

Road safety, then, is everyone's business, it is our duty and obligation to all these families and to all those who have been so unjustly lost on the tarmac. It is part of our everyday life and an integral part of the protection of the ultimate good, life itself, towards which we must all stand with great responsibility and sensitivity.

This great struggle to reduce road collisions gains unlimited momentum and influence when more institutions, organisations, groups and ordinary people are involved in it.

No matter how many measures we take, no matter how many actions we plan, the key to success will always lie in the individual responsibility that each and every one of us must demonstrate.

Above all, every citizen must realise that driving safely protects not only himself or herself, but also our fellow citizens.

Road safety must therefore become a way of life.

In declaring the start of Road Safety Week 2-8 October 2023, I would like to dedicate it to all our fellow human beings who lost their lives this year in road traffic collisions and, in particular, to Police Officer Petros Eleftheriou, who lost his life in the line of duty, trying to offer help to a fellow human being.

In closing, I would like to express again my thanks to CNP Insurance, both for its continuous practical contribution to this event, and for the generous sponsorship of six cars / bicycles to the Police, one of which is specially designed for use by children with special abilities, for the purpose of practical training on road safety issues in the traffic education park of the Police Headquarters, where we are today.

(AF/SX)
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