Driver puts pedal to the metal

A man was detained Thursday night for driving 196 kilometres per hour on the highway and ignoring police who signaled him to pull over.

Police said a 36-year-old man was driving twice the speed limit on the Limassol-Nicosia highway, where the speed limit was 100 kilometers (60 miles). Shortly after 9:30pm, he was spotted and signaled to stop by traffic police who were out on patrol near Skarinou, but the Nicosia-bound vehicle sped through without even slowing down.

Cops caught up to the man and his passenger near Alambra Industrial Area and they administered a Breathalyzer test on the driver. It turned out that the suspect was driving on an expired licence since July.

Both men were taken to a local police station where charges were filed against them. The front-seat passenger had a valid licence according to police.

Last week, traffic police went on a one-week road safety awareness campaign, giving tickets to those who broke the speed limit but also checked if all other documents were in order.

Social media users responded to police on Facebook with a number of comments, ranging from telling police to “do it, but don’t advertise it” and “also target the town centre at midnight, where car races are taking place.”

According to a police statement, last week’s road safety campaign aimed to “prevent and reduce serious and fatal traffic accidents” by targeting speed violators all over the Republic of Cyprus.

Cops previously said these campaigns are also used throughout the year to focus on different problems and help reduce offences. This was the ninth road safety campaign this year, according to officials.