Two more die in bloody weekend on the roads

TWO MORE people have lost their lives on the roads over the weekend, bringing the death toll up to 71 for the year.

At 1.50am on Sunday morning, 22-year-old Andreas Sazeides was riding his motorbike in Makedonitissa, Nicosia, when he hit the pavement and was dragged 60 metres down the road before hitting a parked car.

On impact, his motorbike caught fire, resulting in Sazeides burning to death, despite people from surrounding houses trying to put out the flames.

It was nine hours later before he was identified through dental records.

It later emerged that he hadn’t been wearing a crash helmet.

Only three years ago, Sazeides and another family member had temporarily ended up in a wheelchair after being involved in a major road accident.

Eighteen motorcyclists have been killed on the island’s roads so far this year. Of these, 14 were not wearing crash helmets.

In the second incident, which took place in Paphos at 7.10 pm on Sunday evening, 63-year-old Ezekiel Ezekiel from Limassol, was crossing Mesogis Street with his wife when he was hit by a car driven by a 24-year-old. Ezekiel was killed, while his wife suffered minor injuries.

The driver was arrested and taken in for questioning. He was breathalysed, but was not over the limit.

Andreas Papas, the police road safety advisor, yesterday told CyBC radio that all drivers must change the way they use the roads and their mentality on driving. He added that road safety legislation would also have to be looked into again.