Drink Driving .

[PeteandSylvi]

Are there better things to talk about then the driving / speed limits / parking over here? It's like a diary note that comes out every few months that produces the same conversation!

Ha ha, you are quite right Ian. This subject is brought up regularly and always has the die-hard "Cypriots are terrible drivers" brigade who won't accept anything other than the British way which, of course, is statistically not the best by a long chalk.

I enjoy driving here and curse at other drivers no more than I did in England. I dread to think that Cyprus could ever ruin it's character by adopting the petty rules and regulations that so many whingers yearn for. Speed cameras, parking wardens, exorbitant parking charges, unbelievable hospital parking charges, annual MOTs, roads closed by police for half a day because 2 cars bumped, traffic jams, points threatening your quality of life for every slight mistake ? No thanks.

Pete

[Dominic]

Are there better things to talk about then the driving / speed limits / parking over here? It's like a diary note that comes out every few months that produces the same conversation!

Ha ha, you are quite right Ian. This subject is brought up regularly and always has the die-hard "Cypriots are terrible drivers" brigade who won't accept anything other than the British way which, of course, is statistically not the best by a long chalk.

I enjoy driving here and curse at other drivers no more than I did in England. I dread to think that Cyprus could ever ruin it's character by adopting the petty rules and regulations that so many whingers yearn for. Speed cameras, parking wardens, exorbitant parking charges, unbelievable hospital parking charges, annual MOTs, roads closed by police for half a day because 2 cars bumped, traffic jams, points threatening your quality of life for every slight mistake ? No thanks.

Pete

One of the first things I fell in love with about Cyprus was the lack of speed cameras, and CCTV in general.

Another was how friendly Cypriot road users were compared to the UK. I remember accidently driving the wrong way up a one way street in the Old Town. If I had done that in London, I would have been sworn at by just about everybody, and honked at. In Paphos, people smiled and laughed, and made friendly gestures to me indicating that I should reverse back.

I have seen bizarre stuff here too though. We were waiting at a traffic lights a few months ago, next to another car, on the dual carriageway near Debenhams. All of a sudden the car next to us jolts forward, as somebody has run into it's back. Nothing too bizarre there, but the driver of the car who hadn't noticed the red light, or the fact that we were all stopped, then got out and started blaming the driver they had crashed into.

We just gave the chap in the car that had been hit our details, in case he needed a witness. But it was all a bit surreal!

[boycott]

Not only well over the limit but no insurance and wanted for non payment of fines!
What a naughty boy!

A driver from Liopetri was stopped on Sunday night by police with an alcohol reading of 109μg, while the legal limit is 22.

According to the police, shortly after 8.30pm while officers were carrying out speed checks on a Liopetri road they stopped a saloon driven by a 45-year-old Romanian who is a permanent resident of the village because he was driving at 72km/hr in an area where the speed limit is 50.

During a check police found the driver was found to have no insurance and without the correct papers. A breathalyser test showed a reading of 105μg
The driver was taken to the station in Xylophagou where a further breathalyser showed a reading of 109μg.

A check on his name showed that the driver had outstanding fines against him so he was arrested and held by the police.

http://cyprus-mail.com/2017/01/23/drive ... mes-limit/

[Jersey]

Are there better things to talk about then the driving / speed limits / parking over here? It's like a diary note that comes out every few months that produces the same conversation!

Ha ha, you are quite right Ian. This subject is brought up regularly and always has the die-hard "Cypriots are terrible drivers" brigade who won't accept anything other than the British way which, of course, is statistically not the best by a long chalk.

I enjoy driving here and curse at other drivers no more than I did in England. I dread to think that Cyprus could ever ruin it's character by adopting the petty rules and regulations that so many whingers yearn for. Speed cameras, parking wardens, exorbitant parking charges, unbelievable hospital parking charges, annual MOTs, roads closed by police for half a day because 2 cars bumped, traffic jams, points threatening your quality of life for every slight mistake ? No thanks.

Pete

Well said ...

[boycott]

A case of ruthless pursuit NOT!
A motorist who was charged with speeding after being snapped by a speed camera has had his case thrown out by a Nicosia magistrate after prosecutors took more than two years to prosecute.

Police fear that the ruling by the Nicosia District Court could set a precedent for other motorists who have been clocked by the speed camera on Griva Digeni Avenue in Nicosia but who have had their court cases delayed.

The man who was caught by camera speeding along that particular stretch of road in the Cypriot capital was unable to settle with a fine as he had amassed a 12-penalty point on his driver’s licence and had been clocked driving double the speed limit.

The two-year delay in actually tracking down and then informing the driver that he had been caught speeding on camera proved the undoing for the police as legislation stipulates that drivers being informed by the police that they have been caught on camera are obliged to inform the police within 15 days as to who was actually behind the wheel at the time of offence.

The man’s defence lawyer, Alexandros Clerides, said that despite the man being the owner of the car, he could not possibly remember who was driving the car at the specific time because it happened over two years before.

Clerides also maintained that the police did not have proof that he was driving the car – referring to the photograph which only shows the car’s registration and the fact that another three people are registered users of the same vehicle.

The court decided that the police did not have a case and the matter was dismissed

http://in-cyprus.com/motorist-escapes-s ... ing-delay/

[ApusApus]

A case of ruthless pursuit NOT!
A motorist who was charged with speeding after being snapped by a speed camera has had his case thrown out by a Nicosia magistrate after prosecutors took more than two years to prosecute.

Police fear that the ruling by the Nicosia District Court could set a precedent for other motorists who have been clocked by the speed camera on Griva Digeni Avenue in Nicosia but who have had their court cases delayed.

The man who was caught by camera speeding along that particular stretch of road in the Cypriot capital was unable to settle with a fine as he had amassed a 12-penalty point on his driver’s licence and had been clocked driving double the speed limit.

The two-year delay in actually tracking down and then informing the driver that he had been caught speeding on camera proved the undoing for the police as legislation stipulates that drivers being informed by the police that they have been caught on camera are obliged to inform the police within 15 days as to who was actually behind the wheel at the time of offence.

The man’s defence lawyer, Alexandros Clerides, said that despite the man being the owner of the car, he could not possibly remember who was driving the car at the specific time because it happened over two years before.

Clerides also maintained that the police did not have proof that he was driving the car – referring to the photograph which only shows the car’s registration and the fact that another three people are registered users of the same vehicle.

The court decided that the police did not have a case and the matter was dismissed

http://in-cyprus.com/motorist-escapes-s ... ing-delay/

Sounds like the same guy that gets all the celebs off speeding offences back in the UK!


Shane

[cyprusgrump]

A case of ruthless pursuit NOT!
A motorist who was charged with speeding after being snapped by a speed camera has had his case thrown out by a Nicosia magistrate after prosecutors took more than two years to prosecute.

Police fear that the ruling by the Nicosia District Court could set a precedent for other motorists who have been clocked by the speed camera on Griva Digeni Avenue in Nicosia but who have had their court cases delayed.

The man who was caught by camera speeding along that particular stretch of road in the Cypriot capital was unable to settle with a fine as he had amassed a 12-penalty point on his driver’s licence and had been clocked driving double the speed limit.

The two-year delay in actually tracking down and then informing the driver that he had been caught speeding on camera proved the undoing for the police as legislation stipulates that drivers being informed by the police that they have been caught on camera are obliged to inform the police within 15 days as to who was actually behind the wheel at the time of offence.

The man’s defence lawyer, Alexandros Clerides, said that despite the man being the owner of the car, he could not possibly remember who was driving the car at the specific time because it happened over two years before.

Clerides also maintained that the police did not have proof that he was driving the car – referring to the photograph which only shows the car’s registration and the fact that another three people are registered users of the same vehicle.

The court decided that the police did not have a case and the matter was dismissed

http://in-cyprus.com/motorist-escapes-s ... ing-delay/

It doesn't seem unreasonable to me that the police should actually be able to prove their case...

...you know, innocent until proven guilty and all that...?

[boycott]

It appears that the Police are doing some work which is very good.

Police charged 164 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol during an anti-drink and drive campaign from January 16-22 with the Nicosia district chalking up the most offenders.
The campaign which was part of efforts to reduce traffic accidents and to raise driver awareness conducted 1,708 breathalyser tests on drivers of which 164 (9.6%) were charged with driving under the influence.
Nicosia drivers were the biggest culprits where 40 (24.3%) were charged followed by 37 (22.5%) in Limassol, while Famagusta and Morphou registered the least violations with 2.4% and 0.6% respectively.
Drunk driving is the number one contributor to road fatalities and for this reason, the police will concentrate their efforts on combatting the phenomenon.

http://in-cyprus.com/over-160-drivers-c ... k-driving/