Every year and better. This is the unpleasant reality of driving behavior in our country as reflected in ELAS statistics For 2024. Drivers appear to be violating conflict basic road safety rules, with excessive speed, driving without a diploma and driving.
Excessive speed: The “champion” of violations
First in the violations list comes over speed, with 338,419 recorded incidents in the year. In detail:
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171.312 concern passenger vehicles drivers
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107.877 truck drivers
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729 bus drivers
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130 school bus drivers
Driving without a diploma: Shocking numbers
In second place of serious violations, driving without permission. Overall 79.549 Drivers found themselves driving without a diploma – either because they had been removed or because they never had.
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42.038 were motorcycle drivers
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29.959 passenger drivers
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131 truck drivers
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339 school bus drivers
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18 bus drivers
Drunkenness on the steering wheel: one in two with the limit exceeded
About 32.000 Drivers were found to drive under the influence of alcohol – with the threshold at 0.10 mg/l. Of them, the 18.637 exceeded 0.25 mg/l.
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15.567 were car drivers
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1.983 motorcycle drivers
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28 truck
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5 school bus drivers
Other Violations: Belts, Lanterns and Mobile
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In 55.980 Cases, drivers did not wear a seat belt.
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18.612 Drivers violated a red lantern.
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Almost 5.000 Drivers were driving with distraction, mainly due to the use of a mobile phone.
As expected, Attica records most of the incidents due to population density and volume of vehicles.
The new sentences: from imprisonment to life imprisonment
The case of the Ukrainian driver in Kozani, which was detained after a deadly car accident, highlighted the tightening of the legislative framework. Based on the new Criminal Code applied by May 2024, dangerous driving resulting in death or serious injury is treated as a felony.
Penalties range from 10 years of imprisonment up to lifelongdepending on the number of victims. In addition, a minimal one -year sentence is provided in cases:
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Drunkenness or drug use
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Driving with physical or mental exhaustion
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Illegal maneuvering or road racing (” scars’))
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Overcoming speed within residential areas
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Traffic in Emergency Strip (LEA)
The question for ambulances
The recent Thursday car accident in downtown Athens, with a private ambulance involvement, reinstated the debate on the crossing of emergency vehicles. Although ambulances are prioritized with activated lights and sirens, the responsibility of safe passage remains in the driver so as not to endanger pedestrians or other vehicles.