Friday, 15 September 2023
Traffic accidents have been a running sore in the country for years, and continue to be so every day, Kibris Postasi reports.
A lack of street lighting combined with speeding and drink-driving are the root causes of so many road deaths and injuries.
President of the Association for the Prevention of Traffic Accidents Mehmet Zeki Avcı, who spoke to Kibris Postasi, said that 35 people had died in traffic accidents in the last eight months.
Citing the recent road death of 18-year-old Fatih Can, Avcı said that the driver Mustafa Tuş, who was involved in Can’s death, was found to have only 20 percent vision in one eye. It was also revealed that he had a 50 percent disability report and was receiving treatment at the Peace and Mental Diseases Hospital. Whether he has criminal liability or not will be determined after medical examinations, said Avci.
Avcı stated that the health of drivers is one of the most important criteria and that in developed countries, all drivers undergo detailed health checks and receive a driver’s licence.
Avcı said that the Association for the Prevention of Traffic Accidents had completed its work on the ‘Driving Training Permit and Driving Licences Health Regulation’ from 2007 to 2017 and said, “We explained this regulation in meetings involving the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Health and the European Union experts” .
Health Check for Driving Licence Rule Abolished
Avcı went on to say that the ‘Driving Training Permit and Driving Licences Health Regulation’ governing the issuing of driving licences was passed by the Council of Ministers and published in the Official Gazette in 2017. He emphasised it was slated to come into force in 2019, but this did not happen and it was postponed. “Eventually, this regulation was completely abolished“, said Avcı, adding that no health tests have come into law so far.
Normal driver’s licences are valid every 10 years for truck-taxi-bus etc. Avcı said that people with a professional licence who use it, renew their licence every 5 years, and noted that if the health check regulation came into effect, the licence renewal periods would depend on the doctor.
Avci noted that the Department of Health and the Department of Health have begun working to introduce this regulation again.
“Those who are blind, have slow reflexes or have sudden heart attacks may experience problems”. He added that driver health is not taken into consideration and that each individual fills out the health form at their own initiative.
Currently, a person can renew their driving licence between the ages of 18 to 90 without any kind of medical assessment. This endangers all road users, motorists and pedestrians alike, Avci said.
“Everyone’s life is in danger, and this is another shame of the state“, said Avci.
