Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis sent a clear message about road safety with his videotaped intervention at the 1st NewsAuto Talks 2025 Conference, which is being held at the Ellinikon Experience Centre.
The prime minister emphasized that Greece “pays a heavy blood tax” on the asphalt, but in recent years “it shows that something is changing”, with a steady decrease in traffic accident victims. “It’s no accident; it’s the result of planning and a lot of effort,” he said, citing improved roads and infrastructure, tighter policing, use of new traffic monitoring and control technologies and traffic education programs.
Mr. Mitsotakis pointed out that in the first month of implementation of the stricter regulations of the KOK, deaths on the roads decreased by 34%, expressing the hope that the trend will continue.
The key, according to him, is the change in mentality: “For decades we have been saying “the bad moment”. It’s not true. Traffic police is not a squadron. They are prevented when individual responsibility is also sitting behind the wheel: not to talk on the mobile phone, not to drive under the influence of alcohol, not to run a red light.”
He also underlined the need for targeted policing with the help of technology: cameras with artificial intelligence software and a digital call system that enable mass screening and automatic detection of offences.
As the prime minister concluded, “Greeks are increasingly realizing that road safety is not just about laws and fines, but about protecting each other”, he concluded, expressing the hope that the conference will further contribute to this new culture.