Changes to the circulation regime for skates are being brought in by the government, with the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport planning drastic interventions to curb road accidents.
Hosted on MEGA TV station, Konstantinos Kyranakis spoke at length about upcoming legislative initiatives aimed at improving road safety.
The Deputy Transport Minister set as a key priority addressing the risks from the use of electric skates, focusing on the need to institutionalise a strict framework.
Analysing the statistics and the current situation on Greek roads, the deputy minister said: “Last year out of 517 fatal road accidents, 2 involved scooters. This is an unfortunate fact. It is much lower than the European average. Overall in Europe we have 150 fatalities. The accidents that do occur come from violations of the framework already in place. We are not coming to do something that will bring in bans so that there are no violations. That is to say, as we speak today, and the tragic and fatal accident involving the minor in Ilia came from a breach of the existing framework. What I see and what really worries me and that is why we will take further measures is that we have too many minors who show no inclination to understand that there are rules on the road.
There is the Traffic Code which everyone else respects. They pretty much treat traffic as a video game rather than a coexistence, a symbiosis with cars, bikes and everything else on a road that we all have to respect rules. That didn’t used to be the case with bicycles. We’re moving to a complete ban on minors on the road under 18.
For adults we are going to go to mandatory insurance. This is already happening with most rental companies. That is, these companies already have liability type insurance. If someone is involved in an accident with a scooter of a rental company, they are entitled to compensation up to 50,000 euros. But we’re also going to insurance for privately owned. That is someone who buys a skateboard.
Also, we will go to substantial fines and for commercial businesses that sell such vehicles, sell skates that are out of specification. There is a law that says the specifications have to be for speeds of 25 kilometres per hour. This is met in rental properties, it is not met in owner-occupied properties.”
Following his interview, Kyranakis was asked about the burning issue of the circulation of four-wheeled motorcycles (pigs), especially in view of the tourist season. He appeared satisfied with the overall reduction in road accidents in the country, and identified the framework of controls that will be applied to rental shops:
“We had the second largest reduction in fatalities in Europe, unprecedented for Greece, the lowest number of fatalities in our history, lower than the year of covid, when not a soul was out and about. So, the measures we have taken are working and we are implementing them together with Michael Chrysochoidis. Beyond that, our campaign this year is all about rent a car.
Whether they rent a car, motorbikes or pigs, they will have to take stricter measures. They should be concerned, first of all, that the rider of a motorbike should definitely wear a helmet, have the right license in the right displacement. And from there on in the forks, what we’ve been discussing since last summer is some criteria which relate to more years of experience on the licence. Now universal bans, which are not also in place in other countries in Europe, I don’t know what the point is.”
