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Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2019 10:35 pm
by Paphos Life
Mortality on urban roads in Cyprus is close to three times the EU average with around 60 deaths per million inhabitants, the fourth worst record in the bloc, with progress on reducing fatalities having stagnated, a damning report published on Tuesday revealed....

Read the article and chat about it below...

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2019 11:18 pm
by smudger
Absolutely dreadful. Cyprus should hang its head in shame. I fear that won't happen though.

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:45 am
by JimX
It is the Cypriot attitude towards driving, no signals, it is OK to use a phone while driving and they must be first at all costs, in my time here before roundabouts nothing has changed for the better, I doubt now I will ever see a change to driving standards, we all make mistakes, but every time you drive out on Cypriot roads you wonder if you will return safely, theses are my feelings and experiences only, I am not looking for any arguments.

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 8:10 am
by Kili01
Agree with Jim’s comments. Lack of signals and jumping traffic lights on red, pulling out or diving into lanes without warning, must contribute to this... And of course driving around with mobile clamped to ear....

Dee

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 8:52 am
by daveg
Meanwhile the Police are mainly to be seen on the Motorway...the safest road, according to the report .

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 9:59 am
by trevnhil
I have seen speed traps on the Motorway, but I have also seen them in various places around the Paphos area, as well

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 10:42 am
by Anarita John
Whose going to try to kill us today? Yesterday it was a coach driver. I indicated to turn right into the EKO garage at Mandria. I was making my manoeuvre just after the turn into Mandria village and a coach, who was driving on my tail, pulled out and overtook, forcing me almost onto the grass verge. He overtook where the road markings are for filter lanes, with traffic coming the other way. Must be the same driver who did not stop when coming out of the coach depot on the industrial estate road between Anarita and Ayia Varvara.

Then there was the police motorcyclist on a big powerful bike who overtook me on the inside as I was making a right turn. I was cm from knocking him off his bike.No siren or lights as a warning and you rarely look in your left hand mirror as you are executing a right turn at traffic lights as you are more concerned with traffic on the opposite side coming through on red.

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 5:22 pm
by tonee
Just had a close one on the hospital roundabout.Coming from the motorway direction,got in right hand lane indicating right at the roundabout to go up to Anavargos,then indicated left for the exit.Good job I checked my offside mirror,a guy in a car was on my inside.
The thing is....the guy was going crazy at me!Close call.

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 6:11 pm
by Kili01
Some people still don’t seem to understand lane discipline on the roundabouts..
I reckon that its a free for all with virtually no one indicating, so I wait for a safe gap in the traffic and try to keep an eye on what the drivers around me are doing. I always use my indicators too what ever others are dong, hoping that they will notice which direction I am taking....

Dee

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 7:29 pm
by smudger
I'm with you Dee, I find discipline on and around roundabouts appalling. Why, why, why don't they teach this in driving lessons?? Or do they, and then it's abandoned??

I'm convinced that the newish 'basket' roundabout has a huge problem in that drivers coming up from Paphos assume they have the right of way. I've had one very scary incident when coming off the roundabout to go up to Tremithousa/Mesoghi and a driver coming up the main road just carried on round the roundabout! Smoking brakes on both sides were an understatement!

All down to learner driving training!! Inadequate in the extreme!!
,

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 8:16 pm
by trevnhil
You have to use the Boy Scout Motto... Be Prepared... for anything

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 8:44 pm
by Anarita John
We drive so defensively here and, as Trev said, be prepared for anything. A new trait seems to be cars coming around the front of you as you are waiting to turn left at a T junction.

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 8:52 pm
by smudger
Always am Trev. It's the main thing the advanced driver training taught me. I'm always very aware of what's going around, behind and in front of me. They teach a spoken dialogue of what's happening around and in front, and although I found it difficult at the time, I find myself still doing it to myself now. Makes me very aware of what's going on. Constantly find myself thanking that training.

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 9:20 pm
by trevnhil
I have been through the same course here in Cyprus..

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 7:42 am
by JimX
No matter how careful you are driving do not expect them to understand proper driving procedures, why? well they are never trained to do so, good luck out there, you will need it.

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 7:54 am
by PW in Polemi
trevnhil wrote: Wed Jun 12, 2019 9:59 am I have seen speed traps on the Motorway, but I have also seen them in various places around the Paphos area, as well
There are often police speed traps on the road between Polemi village, past the Sodap winery, to the fuel station at the junction with the Paphos-Polis road.
I am now one of those irritating drivers who stick to the limit of 50kph even though it is a lovely mostly straight stretch of road. In the past, I have done 70 along there and been overtaken ...
However, since being stopped by police on my way from Letymbou to Tsada, and issued a verbal warning, I have been careful with my speed - my cruise control gets a lot of use!

I have found, that by reducing my speed, I am much more aware of everything going on around me. And of course, I have more time to react if some other driver does something silly.

Inattention (on mobile usually) kills, but so does speed. I noticed a section of crash barrier was being replaced yesterday on my drive down to Paphos. It had been very badly bent - on a straight stretch of road....

Despite the report showing driving in Cyprus is, well, basically pretty poor, I have noticed an improvement in attitude over the years I have lived here. When we first started visiting, it was rare to be thanked for letting somebody join the main flow of traffic - yes, even Brits only managed the occasional wave in thanks. Last week I was thanked with a wave, a smile and/or a nod of the head on each of the three occasions I let somebody exit from a sidestreet. 🙂

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:07 am
by emgee
As I understand it, Cypriots don't wave as a method of thanks because the shape of the hand represents death.

Alan
Ex IAM Member

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Tue Aug 20, 2019 5:15 pm
by memory man
Fatal road accidents: how does each EU member state compare?

Image

Cyprus and Luxembourg had the lowest rate of cyclists killed in road accidents at zero per million of inhabitants according to figures released by Eurostat on Tuesday.

Overall, Cyprus had 54.2 deaths from traffic accidents per one million inhabitants in 2016 of whom 11.8 in passenger cars, 7.1 in commercial vehicles, 1.2 in buses, none on bicycles, 2.4 on mopeds, 11.8 on motorcycles, 16.5 involving pedestrians and 3.5 under the category other.

Cyprus figures are for 2016 as figures for 2017 were no available, Eurostat said. It added that overall the number of fatalities recorded in road traffic accidents in the EU is estimated to be around 25,000 in 2017, corresponding to 50 fatal accidents per million inhabitants.

The annual number of deaths on EU roads has been around 25,000 since 2013, after a steady decline from 43,000 in 2007.

Passenger car deaths accounted for almost half (46%) of all fatal road accidents in 2017, followed by deaths of pedestrians (21%), motorcyclists (15%), bicyclists (8%) and deaths involving other forms of road transport (10%).

In the EU Member States, Bulgaria ranks highest in the passenger car category with 64 deaths per million inhabitants (2016 data), which is almost six times the lowest rate, that of Malta (11, also 2016 data).

The rate of deaths among pedestrians in road traffic accidents is highest in Romania (37 deaths per million inhabitants) and lowest in Denmark (3).

Greece has the highest rate of fatalities in relation to motorcycle accidents (20 deaths per million inhabitants) in 2017. This contrasts with the situation in Bulgaria (2016 data) and Estonia, where the rate is zero.

Finally, regarding the number of cyclists killed in road accidents as a proportion of the population, the highest rate is in Romania (10 deaths per million inhabitants) and the lowest rate is zero, recorded in Cyprus (2016 data) and Luxembourg.

Note: The data are for 2017 unless otherwise stated and have been extracted from the CARE database (the Community database on road accidents resulting in death or injury). CARE contains detailed data on individual accidents collected by the Member States from police and hospital sources.

The source data can be found in Eurostat tables tran_sf_roadve (number of persons killed) and demo_pjan (number of inhabitants).


https://in-cyprus.com/fatal-road-accide ... e-compare/

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 3:06 pm
by PolemIan
Kay, my wife, who is now starting drive again after a gap of many, many years, is the same as you on the road out of the village. Though to be controversial, I cannot for the life of me see why the limit is 50 all the way up to the main road in the first place. Once you get pat the last few houses on the left, there are no pavements, no houses, well one, no severe bends, no blind crests. Should be 65 at least - same as the road from Emba to Tala for example. 50kmh is more or less 30mph so that road has the same limit as the cul de sac we use dot live in in the UK. I just cant see the logic behind the current limit. Whatever lens i look through I can't see a higher risk on that stretch than the 80kmh sections on the main road.

Ian

Re: Death on Cyprus - urban roads three times higher than EU average

Posted: Wed Aug 21, 2019 5:35 pm
by trevnhil
I was pulled up an the section of road you are referring to Ian... From the bungalows to the first bend..
I thought it was perhaps for speeding.. But no it was for overtaking a slow farmers truck... Single white line :-( But the Police were right :-)