FOUR PEOPLE were seriously injured in two separate road accidents that occurred on Wednesday.
The first accident took place just outside the village of Oroklini with the second accident taking place on the Nicosia-Limassol motorway just shy of the village of Mosfiloti.
In Oroklini, two British Cypriots, who are on holiday in Cyprus, Polyvios Christofi, 19, and 20- year-old Vasoula Sotiriou, were travelling on a moped when they were hit by a car,
The driver of the car abandoned the scene, leaving Christofi and Sotiriou lying injured in the road.
The accident took place at around 4.20am on the Larnaca-Dhekeleia road close to the fire and police station.
After a tip-off regarding to the accident, police went to a nearby neighbourhood next to the Marsellou apartment building, and found a parked luxury car.
The car was damaged on the left side of the front. The 24-year-old driver, who later turned up to where the car was parked, admitted to officers that he was heading towards Dehekelia when he collided with a motorcycle and then fled the scene. Police then breathalysed the driver who showed that he had 63mg of alcohol in his blood and was immediately arrested. The legal alcohol limit is 22mg.
The victims were taken to Larnaca General Hospital, where Sotiriou immediately underwent surgery. Her condition has since stabilised and she is now off the respirator.
Christofi is now under observation in the orthopaedic department as his injuries weren’t serious.
In a separate accident just outside Mosfiloti, two people were injured when a car, travelling on the Nicosia-Limassol motorway slammed into the central reservation and overturned.
Two people, 24-year-old Stavros Stavrou from Pyrga village and 19-year-old Evfrosini Christoforou, from Dhali village were seriously injured.
According to police, they were not wearing seatbelts.
Both were rushed to Nicosia General Hospital where Stavrou’s condition is said to be serious.
He has heavy head injures, a broken right arm and shoulder. Christoforou’s condition is said to be not life threatening. Police believe that the driver, who was flung out of the car as it was rolling, was speeding.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, a motorcyclist was arrested after refusing to stop when he was waved down by a police officer in the Paphos district.
According to police, the rider of the motorbike didn’t stop when flagged down by police as he was travelling on the Polis Chrysochous-Prodromi road.
Police said the driver was speeding, not wearing a helmet and did not have a registration plates.
The driver was also reported to have done a wheelie, that could have injured a policeman, before speeding off.
The police later located the 21-year old in Paphos. He was arrested after a court warrant was issued against him.
During Wednesday’s bank holiday, traffic police conducted a nationwide clampdown checking motorbike riders between 7pm and 12am on Wednesday. Traffic police checked a total of 39 vehicles.
The police went on to fine seven for driving without registration plates, four for not having a helmet. Three of the vehicles were not insured and three drivers were carrying a pillion passenger while having only a learner’s licence. One driver hadn’t pay the road tax and one didn’t have an ‘L’ sign on the vehicle he was riding
On the same night, a total of 15 people were caught driving under the influence of alcohol. Seven drivers from the Nicosia and Famagusta districts were charged as was one driver from Paphos
Commenting on the series of offences on Wednesday, Justice Minister Sophocles Sophocleous said, “No matter how hard we [police] make our efforts, if people are not going to be serious on the roads, are not going to be responsible, and are not being careful then of course we will not have the results that we are all aiming for.
“When a driver is driving under the influence of alcohol and is drunk and when a driver is speeding then I am obliged to say that the driver is stupid and of course has a very bad sense of responsibility.”
