No real punishment for killer drivers

I would like to express my opinion and concerns on the recent increase in Cyprus road deaths and serious injuries.

There is no doubt that Cyprus has one of the highest number of road deaths in Europe, in proportion to its tiny population.

Despite the police always commenting on road deaths and launching random and scattered campaigns to better the statistics it seems to come to no avail.

In my opinion the main problem comes down to the absence of any real punishment being handed down to the killer drivers. A small fine, a short suspended prison sentence and a short driving ban is not considered as real punishment and as an end result undermines the seriousness of the crime committed, whether this is killing another person on the road or causing life changing injuries.

The recent news headlines of well known persons in Cyprus causing serious road accidents and being left unpunished by the Cyprus courts does nothing to help the situation.

It angers people to know that there is one law applying to the ordinary citizens of this country and the ‘absence of law’ applicable to people with government and political links.

A year ago I lost someone very dear to me due to a driver who failed to stop at a stop sign. With the case due for hearing I hope the system can impose a fair and just punishment to the killer driver and help promote the seriousness of the problem we are facing today in Cyprus.

George Karapateas, via email

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.