Every time a new life is lost on the road, society freezes for a few days. Grief, anger, promises of stricter measures and zero tolerance. Then silence, until the next accident. Yesterday’s fatal road collision in Cyprus, which claimed the life of a 19 year old woman, is not just another tragic news item but a painful reminder that road safety remains an open wound.
It is deeply saddening and unthinkable that young people lose their lives during an ordinary journey. Each such incident destroys families, shatters dreams, and leaves behind a void that cannot be filled. If we truly want to honour the memory of those who were lost, both society and the state must turn road safety into reality.
Embedding road safety cannot be limited to campaigns lasting only a few weeks. It requires a permanent strategy, with particular focus on young drivers. Road education should begin at school, be systematically integrated into the curriculum, and cultivate a culture of responsibility, respect, and self restraint. Speeding, showing off, and recklessness are not bravado but the acceptance of unnecessary life risk.
At the same time, strict and consistent policing is required. Not fragmented checks that intensify after a tragedy and then fade away. The presence of traffic police must be continuous and visible. Checks for speed, seat belts, helmets, mobile phone use, and driving under the influence of alcohol or substances must be carried out consistently and without concessions. The certainty of punishment deters more effectively than the severity of the penalty. Fines must also be strict.
It is equally important for the issue to remain high on the public agenda. We must not remember road safety only when counting victims. The media, the state, local authorities, and civil society organisations have a duty to keep the discussion active, publish data, evaluate policies, and press for improvements in infrastructure and lighting at dangerous points across the road network.
Human life is not a statistical figure. Every number in a road accident report is a child, a friend, a fellow student, or a worker who will not return home. Without constant vigilance, we will continue to mourn young people lost unjustly.
Road safety must be elevated to a matter of high political priority, with no gaps in action and no complacency.