Speeding tops nearly 37,000 traffic charges in six months

Local finespoliceRoad fatalitiesTop Newstraffic collisiontransport Speeding tops nearly 37,000 traffic charges in six months Speeding Tops Nearly 37,000 Traffic Charges In Six Months Relevant News Things to do on Thursday, August 13 13 August 2026 Speeding tops nearly 37,000 traffic charges in six months 13 August 2026 Income tax filings to switch to Tax For All platform in 2027 13 August 2026 Michalis Hadjivasilis 13 August 2026 FacebookXWhatsAppEmailPrintViber Traffic police brought 36,879 charges against drivers in the first six months of 2026, most of them for speeding, followed by driving while holding a mobile phone and failure to wear a seatbelt. Road deaths this year have reached 25, against 27 in the same period last year, after a 22-year-old woman died on Wednesday. Traffic police have stepped up efforts to reduce serious and fatal collisions, with measures applied countrywide including driver enforcement campaigns and fixed and mobile cameras. Nearly 2,000 charges in one week Police brought close to 2,000 charges for serious breaches of the Highway Code during a Europe-wide speed enforcement campaign that ran in Cyprus between August 3 and 9. Officers charged 1,457 drivers with speeding, 166 with using a mobile phone while driving, and 79 with drink-driving. They charged 165 people over seatbelts and 79 motorcycle passengers for not wearing a helmet. Six-month figures Between January 1 and June 30 this year, out-of-court notices covered 24,915 speeding offences, 4,549 for mobile phone use while driving, 4,075 for seatbelts and 615 for helmets, according to traffic police figures. Police recorded 2,291 charges for drink-driving, dealt with through both out-of-court notices and the courts. Preliminary drug tests returned positive results for 423 drivers, while 11 refused to give a sample. Red light offences and illegal right turns add to the picture, an official said, and are among the main causes of deaths on the roads. There is an issue with payment of out-of-court fines, mainly those generated by cameras, on the assessment that a driver who faces no cost for breaking the law is likely to carry on doing so. More than 70,000 charges last year Traffic police issued 70,852 out-of-court notices in 2025 or sent cases to court, covering drivers who tested positive for drugs, for whom no out-of-court notice is available, and people found with double the permitted alcohol level. Notices issued on the spot by traffic officers rose compared with 2024. Speeding led the 2025 figures as well, with 47,136 out-of-court notices, followed by 8,490 for mobile phone use and 8,196 for seatbelts. A further 1,954 covered helmets, and 4,095 charges related to drink-driving. Preliminary drug tests came back positive for 921 drivers, and 60 refused to give a sample. A police officer told Phileleftheros the figures show a repeating pattern of offending by drivers who do not realise the dangers on the roads, adding that campaigns and enforcement will concentrate on the offences behind serious collisions. The more than 4,000 drink-drivers caught in a year show the scale of the problem, the officer said, noting these are the ones who are detected. Subscribe to our Newsletter Latest News Things to do on Thursday, August 13 Income tax filings to switch to Tax For All platform in 2027 IPTO files investment request for Cyprus-Israel power link Paphos marina contract expected January 2027, sources say Customs flags smuggling route from occupied areas to Israel Carmakers must fund scrapping under new EU rules Hotel cleaner arrested over jewellery theft in Paphos guest room Follow en.philenews on Google News and be the first to know all the news about Cyprus and the world.