Motorcyclists accounted for 38 per cent and young people for 26 per cent of all road deaths in Cyprus between 2021 and 2025, Transport Minister Evi Tsolaki said on Saturday.

Tsolaki, who chairs the road safety council, launched a campaign in Limassol against distracted driving.

The campaign, prepared with the press and information office, aims to protect young and vulnerable road users and to highlight the consequences of distraction at the wheel.

The government’s target is to cut deaths and serious injuries on the roads by 50 per cent by 2030.

Tsolaki said this interim goal under the road safety strategic plan needs “consistency, systematic effort and coordinated action”.

The plan covers safer infrastructure, new laws, information campaigns, prevention work and cooperation with local authorities.

“Behind every statistic lies a human life lost and a family experiencing an irreparable loss,” she said.

The minister outlined steps taken to protect motorcyclists, including a subsidy scheme for airbag protective gear that has run for four years.

She also cited approved grants for local authorities to create 30 kilometre per hour zones, especially around schools and in residential areas.

Urban areas account for about 60 per cent of fatal crashes and 80 per cent of crashes causing injury, she said.

Lower speeds give drivers more time to react and reduce the severity of collisions.

On distraction, Tsolaki said even a phone notification can make a driver lose focus, with potentially fatal results for pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists.

She urged drivers to set up navigation before setting off, put phones aside and stop in a safe place if they need to use them.

Limassol mayor Yiannis Armeftis also spoke and backed the 30 kilometre per hour limit on the city’s roads.

He said the municipality considers the measure important so that parents can walk safely with children, elderly people are not afraid to move around the city, and cyclists face less risk.