43% of motorcyclists who died in Cyprus in 2021 did not wear a helmet

According to a recent report by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), 43% of motorcyclists and moped users who died in road accidents in 2021 did not wear a helmet. The report, which is part of the Road Safety PIN (Performance Index) program, also found that Cyprus has the second-highest percentage of helmet non-compliance among the 12 countries that provided relevant data.

The report recommends that governments across the EU take measures to improve the enforcement of helmet-wearing, particularly in countries with low levels of compliance such as Greece and Cyprus. The report also calls for the promotion of a consumer information scheme on the safety performance of helmets and other protective gear.

The ETSC is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries in transport across Europe. The PIN Flash Report 44, which presents data from 27 member states of the European Union, as well as Switzerland, Israel, Norway, Serbia, and the United Kingdom, highlights the decline in road deaths of motorcyclists and mopeds in the EU over the last decade. The number of deaths has decreased by 25%, from 5,216 in 2011 to 3,891 in 2021. However, the number of motorcycle user deaths is declining more slowly than moped and other road deaths.

The report recommends that all EU countries adopt mandatory practical tests and a minimum recommended age of 16 for riding a moped. It also suggests mandatory technical inspections for all motorcycles and mopeds, as well as a focus on checking that vehicles haven’t been modified for higher speeds.

Jenny Carson, manager of ETSC’s Road Safety Performance Index program, highlighted the need for "smart and straightforward measures" to reduce the number of motorcyclist deaths. She suggested that governments "ensure that motorcyclists can be sanctioned for exceeding the speed limit like any other road user" and "pay close attention to growing trends such as the number of young people, mostly men, now delivering hot food in our cities on motorcycles, working under time pressure on poorly maintained vehicles, while being distracted by app-based tools."

Carson also noted that the report's findings demonstrate the importance of helmet compliance. "In recent years, motorcyclists have been less of a focus in road safety," she said. "There are several smart and straightforward measures that can be taken to reduce the unacceptable number of deaths every year."

You can find more details about this report at this link https://www.etsc.eu/PinFlash44.

Source: CNA