When one in three dead on the asphalt is a two -wheeler rider, when the seat belt It remains “optional” and the mobile has become an extension of the steering wheel, then the problem has reached an impasse.
Greece remains steadily among EU countries. With the highest percentages of traffic accidents – a “first” that costs lives and leaves hundreds of tragedies behind.
In 2024, 665 people died on the asphalt. The new Code of Road Traffic (COK), submitted to Parliament by Deputy Minister of Transport, Konstantinos Kyranakis, brings radical changes to reduce deadly accidents and cultivating traffic education.
Reviews Procedure: The large incision
The most fundamental change brought by the new COK is the introduction of the concept of relapse. For the first time, penalties for frequent or repetitive violations will not be offset. They will work cumulatively. The logic is simple: a guide that falls into a breach of negligence and someone who insists on illegally systematically by putting human lives, drivers and pedestrians with traffic culture and treatment.
The new sentence is scaled and clear. Strictness is not punishment, but a prevention tool. Each infringement is recorded, and if it is repeated, the sentence is significantly increased – not only money, but also administratively: from a diploma removal to criminal prosecutions, depending on the severity and the consequences.
The cellphone on the steering wheel kills – and will be punished as a crime
The cell phone has evolved into one of the most sneaky “murderers” of modern driving. In Greece, the use of drivers’ mobile reaches 9%, three times the European average. And yet, to date, punishment has been limited to a formal fine and a temporary driver’s license and plates.
This is over. With the new coke, the use of a mobile is now leading to heavy penalties:
– Fines reaching up to 4,000 euros in 2nd relapse.
– Removal of up to 8 years.
– Criminalization of behavior if it causes an accident.
The driver who sends a message on the go does not make a “offense” – puts lives at risk. And now, this is treated accordingly.
Driving under the influence of alcohol
RES-EIA/VASILIS
Statistics are overwhelming: one in four deadly accidents in Europe is associated with alcohol consumption. This percentage also torments our country. In Greece, the night and early morning hours of the weekend are the most deadly.
The new CME provides for strict sanctions, both for the moderate and for high overruns. The fines start at 1,000 euros and reach up to 4,000 for the sub -submerses, and are accompanied by a diploma for up to 10 years. In cases of serious intoxication, compulsory immobilization and storage of the vehicle is required, and criminal proceedings are activated.
Tolerance to the “drunken” steering wheel is no longer zero. It is not “night careless”, it is a social danger and it is only as such.
Helmet and zone: not “suggestions” but terms of life
(GIANNIS PANAGOPOULOS/ Eurokinissi)
Greece has one of the lower rates of compliance with the use of zone and helmet in Europe. Only 71% of drivers are wearing a zone, compared to 93.3% in the EU. In bicycles, things are even worse: only 65.5% wear a helmet, when in Europe the corresponding rate reaches 94%.
The young Co now punishes not only the driver, but also the passenger who does not comply. The fine concerns both, and in the second relapse the driver can lose his diploma for a whole year. Security is not a personal affair. It is a public good.
Speed without limits, cost measured in lives
It is no exaggeration to say that excessive speed remains the most widespread “routine” on Greek roads. In 2024 more than 338,000 offenses were recorded, a number that captures the extent of the problem and the inability to prevent the tools so far.
The new CMS provides for tightening penalties at multiple levels: from the imposition of a speed of 30 km/h in urban centers, to the deprivation of a diploma for relapse or “counter” cases. In the most extreme cases – such as driving over 200 km/h – fines of EUR 8,000 and leave for four years are forecast. It is not revengeful punishment. It is an elemental defense against a phenomenon that kills silently but steadily.
Do you park on a disabled ramp? You’re not just antisocial – you’re dangerous
Illegal parking has emerged as the absolute nightmare of urban travel. Each year, more than 1 million calls are cut, with 30-35% concerning disabled positions, crossings and angles. It’s not just a matter of legality – it’s a matter of dignity.
The new CME provides for heavy penalties: a fine of up to 2,000 euros and a license for one year in the event of a recurrence. The message is clear: Accessibility is not negotiable.
When you park on a ramp, you are not just illegal. You block someone else’s life.
Media Priority: The city must move smoothly
One of the less prominent – but critical – points of the new CMC are the arrangements related to the smooth circulation of public transport, mainly within the densely populated urban tissues of Athens and Thessaloniki. The new approach sets a clear limit: buses are no longer an “easy solution” for illegal overtraining and parking. The new Code tightens the fines for each vehicle that violates these infrastructure, with emphasis on bus reliability and network functionality. At the same time, there is an explicit ban on even free taxi traffic inside these strips, with the only exceptions for passenger landing, nightlife and special types (disabled or zero pollutants). Effective public transport is not a luxury – it is a prerequisite for sustainable cities. And the new coke explicitly recognizes it.
Technology in the service of prevention
The new CCC is not only investing in punishment but also in deterrence. The utilization of technology for infringement control, the installation of cameras, traffic interconnections and digital registries come to enhance the surveillance system. At the same time, the institutional upgrading of traffic education is proceeding, with the aim of shifting the culture from tolerance to compliance.
The coke of responsibility and life
“The big challenge is not the vote of the new code. It is his social acceptance. Because it is not enough to have rules – they must be observed. And this is a bet that concerns not only the state and the police, but each driver individually. The new CC is not punishing. Prevented. Because every handling behind the wheel has consequences. Because human life cannot be measured in the euro, but with prevention, respect and solidarity, ”said officials of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport.