Road safety is an undeniable indicator of culture, education, respect, but also an expression of institutional responsibility, said Minister of Infrastructure and Transport Christos Dimas during his speech in the plenary session on the draft law “New Cyriotic Framework of the CMC”.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport stressed that the new Road Traffic Code is, in addition to an institutional tool, a bold and holistic intervention to strengthen and shield road safety, protecting human life and obviously, to change our mindset in the way we move on our country.

“Prevention, tightening the penalties, as well as a culture of compliance and responsibility are the key pillars on which the revised road traffic code was built. But what is of particular importance is the urgent need to cultivate a new road education, which will be expressed as a constant attitude of responsibility, consciousness and respect for fellow human beings and public space, “said Dimas.

The Minister of Infrastructure and Transport added that traffic accidents in Greece are a timeless phenomenon with social scourge features.

As he said, in 2024 more than 665 traffic deaths were recorded in Greece, and according to official data from the European Commission, the European average amounts to 46 deaths per million inhabitants and Greece records 61, confirming the need for immediate and effective reforms.

Mr Dimas said that the new Road Traffic Code sets the preservation of human life as a top priority and presented the basic arrangements instituted.

About, he said, among other things:

“For the first time the concept of relapse is introduced. It is an essential and innovative institutional intersection aimed at enhancing compliance and prevent repeated abusive driving behavior.

The concept of relapse now tackles the repetition of violations, by introducing analog and scalable sanctions for drivers who show a constant abusive attitude, while the driving license is removed by completing 25 degrees.

In particular, this draft law provides for the criminalization of a series of high -risk offenses.

In this context, it also provides for strict sanctions for driving under the influence of alcohol, both for moderate and for high limit exceeding, while establishing modern ways of detecting substances.

Also, this legislation provides for tightening penalties at multiple levels: from the imposition of a maximum speed of 30 km/h in urban centers, to the deprivation of a diploma for relapse or “counter” cases.

Here, in essence, we have a significant change in the fine that relates to speeds. Specifically, the fine is increased from EUR 100 to 2,000 euros, while the driving license for one year is deducted on the spot.

For driving at a speed of exceeding 200 kilometers per hour, an administrative fine of EUR 2,000 shall be imposed and a driving license for one year.

In terms of a traffic light now, it is worth pointing out that 18,612 violations were confirmed by ELAS for 2024.

In the new coke, the fine for a red traffic light violation starts at 700 euros and the driving license is deducted on the spot for 60 days and reaches 2,000 euros, with a license for one year in 2nd relapse. If the driver causes a fatal accident, the penalties of the Criminal Code are imposed.

With regard to the STOP violation now, the new CMS provides a fine of 350 euros and the deduction of the diploma for one month, with the escalation of the fines in the cases of relapse.

It will be strictly, both fines for those who obstruct rail traffic, as well as public transport, as well as illegal parking on a disabled ramp.

Finally, a proper solution is also provided on the issue of buses, the use of which can also be used by taxis.

We are also moving on to develop a network of traffic violations, through a concession competition and the creation of a single infringement information system, which will be managed by an existing body of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the Road – Electronic Road Infrastructure Management Service.

It should be noted that for the infringement recording system it provides for 2,000 cameras on urban networks, and 500 cameras within OSY buses. For buses.

The ratification of this draft law constitutes an act of consistency, responsibility and collective will to leave behind decades of pathogenesis and to establish a new road safety culture“