Two Young Men Dead After Car Collides with Tree

Two young men, 16 and 20, died in a tragic car accident in Paphos last night after a violent collision with a tree, said police.

20-year-old Nicosia resident Vrasides Christofi and 16-year-old Polis Chrysochou resident Christoforos Christofi were driving on Argakas-Polis road at 8pm last night. Vrasides Christofi lost control of the car which crashed into a pine tree on the side of the road.

The two men, who were not wearing seatbelts, were certified dead upon arrival at Polis hospital, said police.

Majority of road accident fatalities are men, youths

Out of the 60 road accident fatalities in 2010, 82 percent were men, and 18 of them were people under the age of 25, said a police survey.

Although the number of road fatalities has dropped by 15.5 percent compared to 2009, the number of drink-drivers has authorities concerned. The number one cause of fatalities is drink-driving (43 percent), followed by speeding and not using safety belts and helmets, according to the survey.

The number of road accidents has gradually fallen over the last 50 years, after peaking at 162 deaths in 1973, said the survey. The highest-risk groups are young drivers, foreigners and motorcyclists, said police.

Traffic police aim to reduce the number of road fatalities by 50 percent by the year 2020, they said.

Three young men have died in road accidents within 48 hours, and there have been six road fatalities so far in June.