"We don't want to scare tourists arriving on the island at all," said Deputy Chief of the Cyprus Traffic Police Dimitris Dimitriou, emphasizing that most victims are not tourists but foreigners who came to the island for work or study.
Traffic rules in Cyprus differ significantly from those in other countries. Moreover, the island has left-hand traffic, which confuses many foreigners. According to the head of the Traffic Police, three of the foreigners who died on the island's roads were victims of ignorance of traffic rules – they were walking along or crossing a highway, which is strictly prohibited in Cyprus. "They did not even realize the danger they were in," emphasized a representative of the Cyprus Traffic Police. "Moreover, they did not know it was illegal."
As noted by Chief of the Traffic Police Doros Achilleos, a significant portion of foreign citizens coming to the island for work buy very old, unreliable cars. Some of these cars even failed to pass the technical inspection.
The Cyprus police have printed thousands of information leaflets on traffic rules in English, French, German, Russian, and Arabic. The leaflets will be distributed at Cyprus airports and hotels. The island's authorities also intend to hold lectures at the workplaces of citizens of third countries to help foreigners better navigate the island's roads.
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