The speed limit on a section of a major road in Athens will be reduced from 80km/h to 70km/h, in an effort to reduce severe and fatal accidents.
Attica’s Regional Authority voted to reduce the speed limit on Vouliagmenis Avenue, between Alimou and Poseidonos Avenues which runs along the seaside.
According to a study, by reducing the speed limit by 10 kilometres, there would be a 10% reduction in accidents with injuries and 20% reduction of fatalities.
It also showed that there were environmental benefits such as lower nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions, lower hydrocarbon emissions, less noise, and reduced ozone formation.
Earlier this year, Greece rolled out an action plan for road safety.
“Our interest in road safety issues should be self-evident. Greece is above the EU average in deaths and serious road accidents. This is exactly what we are trying to achieve with the National Action Plan for Improved Road Safety,” Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis shared on social media.
The €450 million program will be financed by the European Investment Bank, and seeks targeted improvements in 7,000 highly dangerous locations across the country.
“These are small changes that could, however, make the difference between life and death,” Mitsotakis said, noting that many accidents occur within cities and on the rural road network.
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