‘Phone use primary cause of accidents’

Distraction by phones is one of the main causes of traffic accidents after speeding, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Saturday.

“We believe that we should now focus on two issues, the vulnerable and driver distraction. Unfortunately, the use of mobile phones is our number one problem,” he stressed, speaking at a classic car Rally in Nicosia.

Vafeades said that the ministry is working on the implementation of faster warning-systems, however pointing to the highway code as a guideline for everyone’s safety.

“And especially our professional drivers must abide by the code. We have a red line, which when you cross is a violation of the code,” he said in reference to Friday’s bus drivers protests over traffic cameras and safety concerns.

Vafeades said that the issue could be resolved by “a little better management of the road network, probably a little better training and a warning”, which he said his ministry would make sure was made available.

According to the most recent figures released by the European Commission on Tuesday, road deaths in Cyprus increased by 10 per cent last year compared to 2024.

In 2025 there were 46 road deaths per million inhabitants in Cyprus, which compares to 42 deaths in the year prior, marking a ten per cent increase.

However, 2025 saw a 13 per cent decrease in fatalities compared to 2019.

Across the EU, a total of 19,400 fatalities were recorded on the road in the EU in 2025, marking a three per cent decrease – 580 deaths fewer – on 2024.