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Welcome to today's presentation of the Road Safety Council's information campaign with the central message "Eyes on the road, mobile can wait". The campaign will take place between 15 and 30 November 2023 and will feature two Road Safety Ambassadors, Michael Pavlidis and Vladimir Tziortzis, whom I would like to thank warmly for their dedication and contribution to this effort.
Our choice to focus on the issue of mobile phone use while driving is due to a serious challenge we face in the field of road safety. This issue is always topical and particularly important. Our aim is to prevent, inform, raise awareness and instil the concept of road awareness, especially among young drivers.
Undoubtedly, our daily lives have been significantly shaped by the use of mobile phones, which make our lives easier and our communication more immediate. However, we would like to reiterate that their use while driving distracts drivers, increasing the risk of being involved in road collisions.
Distraction is one of the main factors causing road collisions, affecting drivers' reaction time to unexpected incidents. A moment of distraction can have serious consequences, as Michael Pavlidis points out in his message below.
Many times we have seen drivers using their mobile phones while waiting at traffic lights, talking, texting, looking at social media, or even taking a selfie. Drivers, apparently, often underestimate the danger thinking they can manage the situation. This risk is due to the fact that distraction for a few seconds is equivalent to blindly driving 70 metres when moving at 50 km/h, a point made by Vladimir Tziortzis in his message.
We are talking about a distance where we practically do not perceive in time any obstacles in front of us, such as a stationary vehicle or, even worse, a pedestrian.
Driver distraction is among the most important factors causing road collisions, both internationally and in Cyprus, since it significantly reduces the reaction time of drivers in case of emergency or unexpected incidents on the road network. It reduces the perception of what is happening on the road, the observance of road signs and the correct safety distances, but also the ability to stay in the appropriate driving position.
In 2023 there have already been 26 fatal collisions with 28 fatalities. Nine of these were mainly caused by careless driving and distraction. At the same time 7,331 out-of-court mobile phone complaints have been issued in 2022 and 6,367 since 1/1/2023 to date. These numbers demonstrate the urgent need to take action and raise public awareness of the dangers of cell phone use while driving.
I hope the Road Safety Council's campaign through the messages of our two Ambassadors raises awareness and concern. The human life of every citizen is a priceless asset and does not deserve to be put at risk because of careless, irresponsible and selfish driving.
Let us drive safely so that we can make the right decisions. Let us strictly and systematically observe traffic rules, speed limits and drive wisely.
In conclusion, we would like to express our sincere thanks to the Information Press Office for implementing the campaign and to all those involved, especially our two ambassadors.
Thank you.
(NG/ASP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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