The transport ministry on Saturday announced that the House plenum has approved an amendment to the Road Safety Act 2022, allowing it to regulate advertisements and other such activities that concern the sale of alcohol and vehicles.
“By law, it will now be mandatory to include communication messages about road safety issues in advertisements related to the purchase of vehicles and alcohol consumption,” the ministry said.
“These messages will be determined by a decree from the minister of transport, in which the requirements and relevant details will be provided,” it added.
According to the amending bill, the minister may, by decree published in the Official Gazette, establish requirements for the purpose of improving road safety, with the inclusion of communication messages in advertisements promoting the purchase of vehicles or advertisements related to the consumption of alcohol or determine other ways to incorporate this type of communication into vehicle sales or alcohol advertising.
What is more, the ministry clarified that the obligation to include the messages rests, based on the law, on the person on whose behalf the product is promoted.
This bill is part of a series of initiatives, actions and legislative arrangements that the transport ministry has implemented in the interest of road safety.
Other actions include the installation of the traffic camera system, the institution of road safety ambassadors, the grant schemes for protective equipment for motorcyclists, the significant increase in the road safety budget, as well as the promotion of roadworthiness testing for motorcycles.
In addition, the ministry has also implemented the child-seat grant scheme for buses, the passing of the electric scooter law, and the completion of related bills for driving schools and instructors, as well as the bill concerning the mandatory recording and declaration of road collision damages in the history of each vehicle.
The ministry said that in February 2022 it also submitted to the House various amendments to the driving licence law, through which driving on the road network is regulated in such a way that learners of all categories of mopeds and motorcycles can be trained while on the road network.
This means that they can be accompanied and under the direct supervision of a licensed driving instructor.
The amendment also dictates that mopeds and motorcycle drivers who are riding while working, such as when distributing food or documents, must, in addition to the protective helmet, also carry additional protective equipment, such as an airbag for motorcyclists.
In his statements, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos welcomed the passing of the amending bill, stating that “we now have at our disposal an excellent tool, which we will use to promote, promote and inform road safety issues”.
“Now in every advertisement, television, radio, digital, print or other, which is related to the purchase of vehicles and the consumption of alcohol, a relevant message about road safety will also necessarily be included,” he added.
The minister explained that by enforcing this rule, the public will be further exposed to road safety messages and other pieces of communication.
“The first decree will be issued in January 2023 after a relevant consultation in December,” Karousos said.
“I would like to thank the chairman of the parliamentary committee on transport, Marinos Moushiouttas, as well as the committee’s members, for their cooperation and support of the bill,” the minister concluded.
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