‘We will not repeat mistakes’ says transport minister

Mistakes of the past will not be repeated, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said on Monday after meeting a Road Safety Council workgroup put forward a series of recommendations concerning risks associated with ‘grey cars’.

“We will not leave any gaps,” Vafeades said.

The meeting was attended by Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis, police officers and other government representatives.

Vafeades said the workgroup was set up to study the report prepared by a tripartite inquiry commission into cars imported second-hand – the ‘grey cars’ – pending recalls for those cars.

The group undertook to identify deficiencies and formulate a coherent framework of proposals to restore the chain of communication and the overall enhancement of road safety.

The recommendations adopted by the Road Safety Council include a mechanism for the exchange of information among involved bodies, a risk assessment mechanism for recalls, legislative regulation of the vehicle importers’ profession, modernisation of the procedure to approve cars from third countries and its alignment with EU standards, making recall checks mandatory before importing a vehicle, pre-delivery inspection, awareness campaigns, staff training, exchange of know-how between departments and the imposition of sanctions wherever necessary.

The issue of recalls stems from the production of faulty airbags by Japanese company Takata, which were recalled. The company’s airbags suffer a fault related to exposure to high levels of heat or humidity, which means they have a tendency to explode when released under such circumstances.

Faulty airbags have caused two deaths in Cyprus, those of Styliani Giorgalli last year and Kyriakos Oxinos in 2023, while Alexandros Lougos has so far undergone 21 surgeries to restore his face after being involved in an accident in 2017.

The report documenting the findings of the committee formed to investigate the history of faulty airbags in Cyprus and their import into the country recommended that criminal charges be brought against three people.

Vafeades said the road safety unit – which will be restarted – had been an important instrument for the prevention, distribution of information and coordination regarding road safety issues, however it had been idle since 2021, causing a gap in communication between the relevant departments.

The unit’s reactivation solves this problem and aims at creating a mechanism for the exchange of information and enhanced cooperation and coordination among ministries and departments, and to improve the manner in which policy is drafted.

“The unit will also contribute to supporting the new accident control and expert assessment subgroup, as well as to the institutional upgrading of the Road Safety Council,” Vafeades said.

He added that the recommendations adopted “constitute the roadmap for restoring trust, enhancing the supervision of the used vehicle market and protecting human life”.

Asked if there would be an extension of the recall implementation deadline, Vafeades said this was being looked into.

The deadline is set for October 2, but about 35,000 vehicles are still subject to recalls.

He added that a lot of work had been done in the direction of implementing recalls and that the eight-month deadline was being reassessed.

Vafeades said some distributors had brought in crews from abroad to implement the recalls faster, with mixed results.

“The state is moving in an effort to help all those involved to implement the recalls the soonest possible,” he added.

On July 22, Vafeades said half of the cars on Cyprus’ roads have been imported secondhand and, despite efforts to move forward with the replacement of faulty Takata airbags following deaths and injuries, “we are back at square one”.

For more information and to check if your vehicle is affected, visit the official government portal: https://www.gov.cy/mtcw/airbag-recalls/