Police are looking into the road fatality in which a 91-year-old motorist collided with another car head-on after driving down the wrong lane, killing the driver.
The latest road death has now sparked debate over how the state can grant driving licenses to motorists of such an advanced age.
According to Limassol Traffic Police, the impact killed 64-year-old Theofilos Christodoulou after his car crashed head-on with the pick-up truck being driven by the elderly man on the Limassol-Agros road. The unfortunate Christodoulou later died in hospital while his 70-year-old wife is being treated for injuries but is said to be out of danger.
The 91-year-old driver is said also said to be out of danger despite suffering numerous fractures to his body.
The accident occurred at around 9.20 on Wednesday morning when the two cars collided after the 91-year-old steered into the opposite lane. According to witnesses, the impact was severe and firemen were needed to free all persons from their mangled vehicles.
Limassol Traffic Police official Emilios Kafas said that it appeared that the 91-year-old had a valid driving license that expired in 2017 – or until he turns 93. He also confirmed that he had steered into the wrong lane.
“The age is irrelevant,” commented Kafas when quizzed over the age of the driver. “It is the physical state of the driver that determines whether he or she is able to drive. We will now be looking into whether this motorist was in satisfactory physical condition and is in fact able to hold a driving license.”
Kafas went on to say that the police were concerned by the laws concerning the issuing of driving licenses and that the matter had been discussed recently in parliament.
