Speeding and driving under the influence of substances are the main contributors to serious and fatal road collisions, police said on Thursday a day after a driver was caught speeding while on drugs on the motorway.

Police gives particular emphasis on tackling these serious traffic offences through daily traffic checks and operations as well as through continuous public awareness.

“The aim is always to prevent serious and fatal road collisions, to cultivate road safety awareness and to increase the sense of safety of residents,” the announcement said.

It added that around 3am on Wednesday, police caught a 27-year-old man driving at 174kph instead of the maximum of 100kph on the Kofinou-Larnaca motorway.

The driver ignored police’s signal to stop and continued on his course, but officers stopped him near Klavdia.

He tested positive to a narcotest and then gave an additional sample to be tested at the state laboratory.