Cyprus records 6.1% increase in road fatalities in 2019

[Paphos Life]

 Cyprus recorded a 6.1% increase in road fatalities in 2019 and ranked 18th in the EU in terms of the number of fatalities per one million inhabitants according to the More specifically,?? 52 people lost their lives on the roads here last year, three more than in 2018. In the past eight years, Cyprus has seen a fluctuation in road fatalities averaging around 50....

Read the article and chat about it below...

[boycott]

Whilst I appreciate and understand the issues with Covid 19 and the excellent and positive action the Cypriot government has taken to try and resolve the problems why do they seemly accept a high number of road accident deaths.

Covid 19 deaths in Cyprus is recorded as 18. (https://covid19.who.int/region/euro/country/cy)

Yet road deaths in 2019 was 52 and I am sure a far higher number of people seriously injured.
Oddly I see motor cyclists riding with a face mask but NO helmet!

When will the Cypriot government really get hold of road policing and get the roads safe?

[Jim B]

Not so long ago the average road death was around 120 annually so overall there has been a vast improvement.
Of course it should be better but I think a lot of it is down to poor teaching standards. I was out yesterday and the number drivers who appear not to know how to or bother indicating on roundabouts is amazing, very few have knowledge of positioning either at junctions or when turning right.
Also Russians and Europeans who are allowed to exchange their national licenses without any experience of driving on the left. doesn't help matters either.

Jim

[Kili01]

Very good post, Jim B. I've been thinking the same thoughts as you. I wrote on here or JimX's board previously, that the use of indicators by all motorists would do a lot to make the roads safer for us all. How often do you see a vehicle suddenly without any warning suddenly change its direction, often at the last minute?
And roundabouts are rather like playing Russian roulette with drivers entering and leaving them totally regardless of other road users already on the roundabout. Often lane discipline is zero.
Better driving instruction might help, but I suspect that some of the instructors aren't much better drivers themselves. Do they have to take special training and an exam before teaching novices?
Dee

[trevnhil]

A few years ago most of the driving instructors took training and passed the Advanced driving test

[Kili01]

That's interesting... maybe they passed a test a while ago, but how many are actually practicing what they should have learnt now?

Dee

[Lincoln]

Dee, you are spot on. They the driving instructors as far as I am aware "Do not have to re-sit and further test/exams".

I have seen instructors going through red lights, turning off roundabouts from the wrong lane and no indicators .

It leaves much to be desired. In a nutshell. Lack of correct teaching.

[Jim B]

Dee, though I often stand accused of having rose-tinted specs when it comes to all things Cyprus, I never cease to be amazed how you manage to put a negative slant on almost every single post you make on a Cyprus-related topic. Even if you start off in positive vein, you then qualify your praise with negative undertones, in school ma'am fashion.

I find it amazing and perplexing in equal measure for someone who presumably likes living in Cyprus?

Sorry Lloyd but in this case Dee is spot on and so is Lincoln. Being honest isn't being negative.


Jim

[Jimgym]

Very good post, Jim B. I've been thinking the same thoughts as you. I wrote on here or JimX's board previously, that the use of indicators by all motorists would do a lot to make the roads safer for us all. How often do you see a vehicle suddenly without any warning suddenly change its direction, often at the last minute?
And roundabouts are rather like playing Russian roulette with drivers entering and leaving them totally regardless of other road users already on the roundabout. Often lane discipline is zero.
Better driving instruction might help, but I suspect that some of the instructors aren't much better drivers themselves. Do they have to take special training and an exam before teaching novices?
Dee

Oh Dee, you have committed a cardinal sin by criticising Cyprus!! As it happens, I completely agree with you. Roundabouts here are a nightmare to use, because of drivers who don't have a clue. The smaller ones are worse, drivers don't stop, and there have been many occasions where i have slammed the brakes on to avoid being hit, whilst being in middle of a turn.

[Anarita John]

Last night went for a meal on TOTK Road. It was being used as a race track, with cars blatantly speeding through red lights. When we came out of the side road onto the main road, the lights were on green for us. As we had witnessed what was going on, we stopped and looked both ways before proceeding.

[Jim B]

Sorry Lloyd but in this case Dee is spot on and so is Lincoln. Being honest isn't being negative.
Jim

As I thought I had made clear in my post JIm, this was a general observation of Dee's posts, not necessarily this thread in particular. A sentiment which has been expressed by others in the past.

Lloyd

I think Dee doesn't need me to argue her corner.
Just my opinion but I find her posts generally informative and objective rather than critical. She has lived here a lot longer than you or me and is like us entitled to her opinion whether we agree with it or not.
Cyprus is my home and I love living here but there's a lot of things that irritate me but I can live with them.
If your general observation of Dees post didnt occur on this particular thread why bother raise it?

Jim

[WHL]

If you think the standard of driving here is bad, I suggest you have a drive around many of the UKs roads, it is no better, i drive regularly around the UK, and it is common practice to drive up your arse on motorways, undertaking, in and out of lanes, and yes I witness many jumping red lights, road rage, I cant remember the last time i saw it over here, a regular thing in the UK, there are thousands of current videos on you tube, of bad driving/road rage if you dont believe me,

[Dominic]

I meet dickheads of all nationalities on the road. Some of those encounters are captured on Street View.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.8895042 ... 760!8i2880

[Devil]

I would consider that 6.1% it is well within the margins of tolerances in both directions. One year it may be 6.1% positive; maybe next year it will be 7.3% negative and the following year another positive one. Statistics are meaningless unless qualified

[Jim B]

If you think the standard of driving here is bad, I suggest you have a drive around many of the UKs roads, it is no better, i drive regularly around the UK, and it is common practice to drive up your arse on motorways, undertaking, in and out of lanes, and yes I witness many jumping red lights, road rage, I cant remember the last time i saw it over here, a regular thing in the UK, there are thousands of current videos on you tube, of bad driving/road rage if you dont believe me,

I was in the UK last November and drove from Luton to Liverpool to Oxford to Ilfracombe to Tintagel and then back to Oxford and Luton and Cannot say I witnessed any of what you suggested. I'm not saying it doesn't go on just saying I've not seen it.
Here in Paphos I've seen vehicles go around the main roundabout at the end of the Limmasol motorway anticlockwise numerous times or drivers totally disorientated on the on the wrong side of a dual carriageway.
I never saw the excessive use of mobile phones while driving in the UK as I do here or the lack of use of indicators. I never saw such terrible positioning of vehicles that block the whole road when turning right.
If you want to see scary driving try the Alexandria to Port Said coast road in Egypt, drove overseas in alot of places but that was the scariest.

Jim

[WHL]

If you think the standard of driving here is bad, I suggest you have a drive around many of the UKs roads, it is no better, i drive regularly around the UK, and it is common practice to drive up your arse on motorways, undertaking, in and out of lanes, and yes I witness many jumping red lights, road rage, I cant remember the last time i saw it over here, a regular thing in the UK, there are thousands of current videos on you tube, of bad driving/road rage if you dont believe me,

I was in the UK last November and drove from Luton to Liverpool to Oxford to Ilfracombe to Tintagel and then back to Oxford and Luton and Cannot say I witnessed any of what you suggested. I'm not saying it doesn't go on just saying I've not seen it.
Here in Paphos I've seen vehicles go around the main roundabout at the end of the Limmasol motorway anticlockwise numerous times or drivers totally disorientated on the on the wrong side of a dual carriageway.
I never saw the excessive use of mobile phones while driving in the UK as I do here or the lack of use of indicators. I never saw such terrible positioning of vehicles that block the whole road when turning right.
If you want to see scary driving try the Alexandria to Port Said coast road in Egypt, drove overseas in alot of places but that was the scariest.

Jim

This is one of hundreds of videos on you tube, re bad driving in the UK, there are similar ones about bad driving in the USA and Europe, what im trying to say, bad driving is not limited to Cyprus. as for using phones while driving check out how many accidents and deaths down to using phones while driving a very high number

[Jim B]

I know there's thousands of videos from the UK but how many million drivers are there and how many millions of cars are on the road.
For a small island the standard of driving in Cyprus isn't anything to write home about. Maybe they drive perfectly on the east side of the island but here in Paphos they don't and I'm not pointing the finger just at Cypriots.

Jim

[WHL]

I know there's thousands of videos from the UK but how many million drivers are there and how many millions of cars are on the road.
For a small island the standard of driving in Cyprus isn't anything to write home about. Maybe they drive perfectly on the east side of the island but here in Paphos they don't and I'm not pointing the finger just at Cypriots.

Jim

No I see idiots every day of the week, jumping lights, not indicating etc, what I was trying to say, I also see it in the UK, try driving on any motorway at the legal speed and I guarantee you, that withing minutes someone will be up your rear, the other thing is I honestly can't remember seeing any road rage here, but in the UK every other driver is giving the finger and a few choice words for the most minor of things.

[boycott]

The Cypriot Police are slowly getting there -

Police on Saturday booked 690 traffic violations of which 374 were for speeding and 28 for drunk driving as part of a campaign to prevent traffic collisions and to combat delinquency and noise.

During the campaign, which was carried out in all the towns, police also impounded one car, six powerful bikes, one quad and a moped.

Police said their campaigns will continue as part of ongoing efforts to instill a sense of security among the public.
https://in-cyprus.philenews.com/680-tra ... cUwi63GQzY

I wonder what will happen IF they ever get into working in the villages?

[trevnhil]

Well the police obviously travel through the villages and use the surrounding roads. But they don't seem to see the ancient old wrecks with jagged body parts.. Not do they seem to see vehicles with very high suspension or with wheel well outside the bodywork of the vehicle.. But Hopefully, as you say, they are getting there.
I await now people telling me if I don't like it here go back to the UK