The Ministry of Transport is moving forward with a proposal aimed at reducing road fatalities linked to distracted driving and failure to wear seatbelts. The plan, presented to the Road Safety Council, предусматриes an expansion of the role of mobile traffic cameras across motorways and the urban road network.
Legislative amendment under preparation
Under the proposal submitted to the Road Safety Council, legislation will be amended to allow mobile cameras to record drivers who do not keep both hands on the steering wheel or who are not wearing a seatbelt. The planned changes form part of a broader effort to strengthen road safety enforcement.
Road safety data and identified risks
The initiative follows findings that last year recorded 19 road deaths attributed to careless or negligent driving, a factor authorities link to mobile phone use. In addition, several drivers and passengers lost their lives because they were not wearing seatbelts, even in collisions where the driver or front passenger area remained largely intact.
Use of artificial intelligence in enforcement
According to the proposal being processed by the Ministry of Transport, the operating programme of mobile cameras will be modified to enable continuous monitoring of traffic. Using artificial intelligence, the camera system will activate when a driver’s hands are not detected on the steering wheel or when a seatbelt is not visibly worn.
In such cases, the driver will be photographed. The image will then be processed following existing procedures used for camera recorded offences. If a violation is confirmed, an out of court fine will be issued.
Parliamentary approval required
For this expansion of the photo enforcement system to be implemented, the new categories of offences must be incorporated into the operating framework and approved by the House of Representatives.
Review of the photo enforcement system
A committee will be established to examine and assess data from the photo enforcement system based on experience to date. The committee is expected to submit recommendations to the Road Safety Council by March, with a view to improving the monitoring of drivers.
Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeades stated that after two to three years of operation, it is an appropriate time to evaluate what has worked well and what has not. He said the committee would identify areas for improvement, corrections and actions that could be adopted.
Focus on mobile phone use while driving
The Minister noted that a major gap in current enforcement is the detection of drivers using mobile phones. Referring to last year’s fatal collisions, he said police assessments point to driver distraction, which is linked to mobile phone use.
He stressed that reducing such incidents is essential, adding that continued loss of life on the roads due to mobile phone use while driving is unacceptable. According to the Minister, this issue can only be addressed effectively through the photo enforcement system, which will be dedicated specifically to detecting this behaviour and not other types of traffic violations.