Police announce driving offences that can lead to license revocation

After the first days of February saw the first immediate revocations of the licences of two reckless drivers, the director of Traffic Police Yiannakis Georgiou on Tuesday specified the criteria that may land a driver a referral to the Road Transport Department for license revocation.

Amid persisting high death rates being recorded on the Cyprus road network, the Transport Ministry announced on January 31 that it would be cracking down on reckless driving with the immediate revocation of licenses.

State authorities have been on an uphill battle trying to enforce traffic rules over the years, with police last year admitting publicly it had failed to reduce road fatalities or the risk of serious accidents.

The first two licenses were revoked during the first week of February, after one driver was found speeding at 180 km/h while recording his speedometer in a bid to impress his friends, and another was also found speeding and under the influence of cocaine.

On Tuesday, police released official guidelines they will need to follow in enforcing the new policy.

According to the director of Traffic Police Yiannakis Georgiou, authorities may move to revoke the license of drivers if, in a period of 12 months:

1. they test positive to a drug test or are found to have consumed alcohol above the permitted limit (or both) twice
2. they are caught twice driving at a speed that is 75 per cent higher than the speed limit
3. they are caught twice driving at a speed that is 75 per cent higher than the speed limit and under the influence of unpermitted substances
4. they are involved in a road accident and it is later determined that they were speeding or were under the influence of alcohol or drugs

Professional drivers, such as bus and taxi drivers, are bound by the same criteria, though authorities are allowed to revoke their license from the first time they are caught committing the above offenses. 

Drivers have 15 days to appeal a licence suspension or revocation but must sit through a driving course if they lose the case and wish to regain their licence.