Fulbright workshop hopes to prepare tomorrow’s drivers today
TEENAGERS on both sides of the divide have been targeted for a new road safety programme which hopes to nip bad driving habits in the bud.
The Cyprus Fulbright Commission, in collaboration with the Public Affairs Office of the American Embassy, yesterday said that it will be in the form of a pilot scheme involving 12 private schools on both sides of the divide.
The overall goal is to educate this high-risk group, thus improving the safety on Cyprus’ roads.
Titled ‘You The Driver: Attitudes and Beliefs About Driving’, workshops will examine subjects including vision and perception, judgement and decision-making. Critical thinking, discussion and reflection on hazardous driving will be on the agenda.
The driving logic behind the workshops is that currently the driving test theory examination covers only knowledge of traffic signs, which while important, is not enough for safe driving.
Tom Miller, Chairman of the Fulbright Commission, said that 14 to 18-year-olds have been targeted “with the right psychology needed before people take to the roads.”
According to recent provisional reports by the European Commission Directorate General for Energy and Transport, Cyprus has the worst record of severe road accidents resulting in death in all EU countries, with the number of fatalities rising by 20 per cent between 2004 and 2005.
Statistics suggest that many accidents and fatalities could be avoided by following basic safety measures. In 2005, 74 per cent of car crash victims were not wearing seat belts, while 58 per cent of all motorcycle and moped victims were not wearing helmets. In all cases, 34 per cent of the total road fatalities were related to excessive speed.
Additionally, there is a general unawareness of the hazards children face by not being properly restrained in the car.
Many young people are often the ones using excessive speed and aggressive driving tactics.
The programme is designed to begin addressing these statistics by educating young people to the above dangers. Rather than a more traditional approach, which might involve scare tactic methods to persuade young drivers to be more cautious, the project utilises the approach developed within the field of traffic psychology, which focuses on the behaviour of road users and the psychological processes underlying that behaviour.
The programme has been designed by Dr Kyriacos Veresies, the Director of KENTHEA, which is an education and drug treatment centre, and will be implemented in Greek Cypriot schools by the centre.
In the Turkish Cypriot community, the project will be administered and overseen by Dr Mehmet Avci, the Chairman of the Road Traffic Accidents Prevention Association.
The Chairman of KENTHEA, Bishop Chrysostomos, said: “Our aim is to save lives by addressing this deadly threat of dangerous driving, which particularly affects young people and has tragic consequences on society.”
Veresies noted that in 1923, the population of Cyprus was 310,000, with a total of 475 vehicles on the road. Today, the population has grown to over 800,000, with 540,000 vehicles in circulation.
“Since 2001, an average of 102 people have been killed on the roads every year,” he said. “The blood analysis of 50 people who died showed that 38 had alcohol in their blood, 28 were over the legal drink driving limit and four had ingested various illegal substances,” Veresies said.
Avci also gave statistics for the north, with 64 road fatalities recorded in 2005 and 48 last year. “Speeding and alcohol contributed to 46.5 per cent of accidents,” he said.
Participating Schools
Greek Cypriot
Nicosia: The English School: March 19 and 26 and the Pascal School (dates TBC).
Larnaca: Med High: March 28 and The American Academy (dates TBC).
Limassol: The Grammar School: March 16 and 23 and The American Academy, March 6, 12 and 13.
Paphos: The International School (dates TBC).
Paralimni: Xenios High: March 7 and 14.
Turkish Cypriot
Nicosia: Turk Maarif College: March 7 and 14 and Near East College: March 9 and 16.
Kyrenia: Girne American College: March 14 and 21.
Famagusta: Eastern Mediterranean College: March 12.
