It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to today's Road Safety Council ceremony to award the Road Safety Ambassadors for 2021 and appoint the new Road Safety Ambassadors for 2022. The institution of the Road Safety Ambassador, which has been applied in European and other countries for years, has been operating in our country for the first time this year, with admittedly great success.
Friends,
With road collisions being the leading cause of death worldwide, especially for people up to 29 years of age, and a major cause of serious injuries and permanent disabilities for millions of people worldwide, governments in all countries are called upon to develop coordinated and targeted initiatives to tackle this complex phenomenon.
In Cyprus, putting the problem of road collisions as a priority, we have proceeded for years with the establishment of the Road Safety Council, as the institutional body for the formulation of the overall road safety policy. Since the beginning of our organised efforts in 1986, a number of measures have been implemented which have produced positive results in terms of reducing the number of casualties.
For the period 2021-2030, the overall objective has been set to reduce road deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030, compared to the final figures recorded for 2020, which is in line with the European Union target.
Over the last two years, together we have launched a series of initiatives and actions and achieved a significant reduction in road fatalities. Typically, in 2019, there were 52 deaths from road collisions, with the number falling to 48 in 2020 and 45 in 2021. Although the overall reduction is almost 14% compared to 2019, we still have a lot of work to do.
Improving road safety is not the responsibility of a single ministry or agency, but a collective effort. I would like to thank all the Departments and their Agencies that contribute to this cause and in particular the Ministry of Justice and the Police, the Department of Road Transport, the Department for Transport's Road Safety Unit and voluntary groups. In the coming days, along with the Minister of Justice, we will be meeting with our fellow Ministers of Defence and Education to look at ways to provide better and more effective information on road safety issues in our camps and schools.
The appointment of Road Safety Ambassadors is a suggestion that came out of our attendance at the Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety held in Stockholm in 2020, where the importance of putting a face to road safety was highlighted. It was therefore proposed and included in the actions of the Road Safety Strategic Plan 2021-2030. For this reason, on 25 January 2021, the first Road Safety Ambassadors in our country, Ms Rafaela Miltiadous and Marina Kyriakou, were appointed, who served the institution with zeal from the first day of their appointment, with the main concern of informing on issues of road behaviour and road awareness, the need to respect the road traffic code and especially the need to realise that we are not the only users on the roads and we have an obligation to show the same respect to all users of the road network.
It is undeniable that in all road collisions human error and recklessness are a decisive factor. For this reason, actions aimed at improving the road behaviour of all road users are vital and are the spearhead of our strategy to tackle this serious problem.
In particular, the Ambassadors have implemented a series of actions, under the guidance of the Education and Traffic Education Committee, such as lectures in schools and media interviews, with a single objective: the cultivation of road awareness in all age groups. At the same time, and in order to encourage the participation and cooperation of state and social actors, the Road Safety Ambassadors had a series of contacts with representatives of local authorities and the Police and examined ways of solving issues such as illegal parking and accessibility, which is an essential factor in hindering safe movement and therefore road safety.
Raphaela and Marina were the protagonists of the three Road Safety Council campaigns for 2021 and delivered messages on respecting the speed limit, the use of protective equipment, as well as messages against driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances.
At this point, I would like to mention that during my joint visit with the Road Safety Ambassadors to the 2nd Primary School of Avgoros, I noted the warm reception the Ambassadors received from the students and how important it is to continue this institution.
Dear Rafaela and Marina,
Your action over the past year has been commendable and has contributed to the success of the Road Safety Ambassador institution from the very first year of its implementation. I would like to express my sincere thanks for your selfless service as Road Safety Ambassadors. I am sure that you will continue your contribution in the field of road safety with the same enthusiasm.
Finally, I welcome the new Road Safety Ambassadors Mr Alexis Demetriou and Mr Michalis Sofokleous, who have willingly accepted to be the successors of the institution. I am sure that, as part of their efforts, they will emphasize our young people, since the statistics of fatal road collisions for the period 2010-2020, confirm the tragic reality that in Cyprus about 30% of deaths from road collisions involve young people under the age of 25.
Dear Alexis and Michael,
I would like to thank you for willingly accepting to be part of our great effort.
I would like to thank you for willingly accepting to be part of our great effort.
Dear Alexis and Michael,
I would like to thank you for willingly accepting to be part of our great effort. I am sure that you will use your enthusiasm, experiences and awareness and will contribute positively to the cultivation of good behaviour among road users, following the path paved by Marina and Rafaela. Our common goal is to convey the message that we are all vulnerable on the road and that driving under the influence of drugs, not wearing a seatbelt and helmet or using a mobile phone while driving is not cool, but can be fatal and can even take our life or the life of a fellow human being.
The Road Safety Unit, myself personally, and of course the Minister of Justice, are ready to support your actions aimed at creating a safer tomorrow by halving deaths and serious injuries from road collisions by 2030. I also invite you to move beyond the stereotype, share your ideas and take initiatives. In all your actions, we will stand by your side and support you.
Thank you again and I wish you every success in your work.
(MKY)
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