PM Mitsotakis on Road Traffic Code: We punish first and foremost the repeat offenders

“I want to speak also in my capacity as a father and as a citizen, who is outraged when hearing that a drunk driver ran over pedestrians. These are frequent news stories. The time has come to look ourselves in the mirror – we are among the leading countries in fatal road accidents in Europe, and unfortunately, the trend has recently been rising again,” stated Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Parliament on Tuesday, during the discussion of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport’s bill titled “Road Traffic Code and other provisions.”
“Today we are facing a choice of responsibility with a new traffic code with penalties corresponding to the risk, distinguishing between the first offence and its repetition. We are implementing universal controls on breathalyser tests, no longer random checks. One in four deaths is linked to alcohol consumption, the use of mobile phone still a serious risk, especially texting multiplies up to 23 times the risk of an accident. In this dialogue, proposals from scientists and victims were incorporated,” the Prime Minister noted, pointing out: “I will stick to the key interventions for the most frequent offences, speeding, drink-driving and mobile phone use. For the most serious ones, the fine will be multiplied and the driving licence will be withdrawn. We punish first and foremost the repeat offenders.”
The Prime Minister concluded by stressing that “a new traffic code alone does not solve the problem of traffic. Better roads are needed, the government is investing in this, better education in schools is needed and in the background of this process people should be encouraged to leave their cars for public transport. One issue is the quality of the means of transport and another equally important one is the frequency and quality of the routes. We need new buses, but we also need more drivers. Only if people are convinced of the reliability of public transport will they choose it over their cars. Finally, I would like to thank the opposition parties for their creative attitude.”