Road Traffic Code: Artificial intelligence, fines and innovations – Fatalities at a 7-year low

The rollout of Greece’s caller Highway Code — backed by sweeping constabulary checks targeting reckless drivers — has coincided with a melodramatic diminution successful postulation accidents, marking the lowest figures successful 7 years. The updated codification introduces unprecedented, for Greek standards, rules governing some pedestrians and drivers, with the connection clear: wherever there’s nary crushed to interruption the law, there’s present a fine.

Among the cardinal changes: lifting telecommunications confidentiality to find whether drivers progressive successful accidents were utilizing their phones, banning the usage of smartwatches, cameras, and adjacent live-streaming connected societal media portion driving. Some rules look old-fashioned — specified arsenic requiring beforehand and rear lights connected flocks of sheep — portion others are futuristic, including restrictions connected driverless cars. Combined with pugnacious constabulary measures and AI-powered postulation cameras, the caller codification aims to tackle chaos connected Greece’s roads and trim deaths to zero.

Fewer Victims connected the Roads

The strict enforcement program introduced this summertime made an contiguous impact. Authorities stepped up controls not lone successful Athens but besides connected islands and tourer hubs. In uncommon scenes for Greece, each lanes of Athens’ Poseidonos Avenue were closed astatine dawn for intoxicant checks, portion supercar owners were fined for utmost speeding, and dozens of nonrecreational drivers were caught without licenses oregon insurance.

July and August — historically the deadliest months for roadworthy accidents — saw unprecedented results. According to THEMA, postulation deaths fell sharply this summer, signaling the steepest diminution successful 7 years. Greece, which had been stuck successful a grim rhythm of 600–650 roadworthy deaths annually, is yet seeing progress.

Fatalities nationwide dropped by 25.52% compared with 2024 (from 145 to 108) and by 21.74% compared with 2018. The full of 108 deaths is the lowest successful 7 years. Similarly, the fig of radical killed successful car crashes fell by 27.22% year-on-year (from 158 to 115) and 21.77% compared with 2018.

Still, 115 lives mislaid successful conscionable 2 months remains a sobering figure.

Officials astatine the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport property the betterment to a 5.26% summation successful inspections nationwide compared with 2024, and a 13.48% emergence compared with 2018 — the highest inspection levels successful 7 years. Violation notices besides reached a seven-year peak, up 1.88% from past year and astir 62% compared with 2018.

What the New Highway Code Brings

The caller codification modernizes postulation rules to code today’s roadworthy realities:

• Mobile telephone usage portion driving: Already the 3rd starring origin of accidents successful 2024, telephone usage is present heavy penalized. Authorities whitethorn assistance confidentiality of communications aft an mishap to corroborate whether a operator was connected a telephone oregon utilizing societal media.
  • Ordinary use: €350 good + 1-month licence suspension.
  • First repetition offence: €1,000 good + 180-day suspension.
  • Second repetition offence: €2,000 good + 1-year revocation.
  • If mobile usage is linked to an accident, transgression penalties apply: up to 10 years successful situation for superior injuries, 10–20 years for a fatal accident, and beingness imprisonment if aggregate deaths occur.
• Other devices: Smartwatches, tablets, and cameras autumn nether the aforesaid rules. Live-streaming portion driving is explicitly banned.
• Driver behavior:
  • Drivers indispensable support some hands connected the wheel. For scooters and e-scooters, this regularisation is strict.
  • Courtesy is mandatory. Insulting oregon harassing different drivers oregon pedestrians tin pb to fines of €150 and licence revocation for 40 days.
  • “Brake checking” — unnecessary abrupt braking — is prohibited.
• Speeding: Still the astir communal usurpation (338,419 cases successful 2024). Repeat offences tin present trigger not conscionable dense fines (€700–€2,000) and licence revocations but besides situation clip if accidents occur. Speeds supra 200 km/h and amerciable racing transportation adjacent harsher penalties.
• Red lights and halt signs: Now taxable to criminalization owed to their nexus to hundreds of accidents.
• Autonomous vehicles: Banned from Greek roads but for supervised aviator projects (urban buses, airy vehicles ≤3.5 tonnes).
• Motorcyclists: Lane-splitting is allowed lone erstwhile postulation is stopped, astatine speeds nether 20 km/h, with strict information requirements.
• Left-lane hogging: Staying unnecessarily successful the accelerated lane is punishable by a €150 good and a 20-day licence suspension.
• Herds and marches: Farmers moving animals connected roads indispensable usage lights (white successful front, reddish successful back). Marches and radical movements indispensable besides beryllium signposted.
• Pedestrians: Must usage crossings wherever disposable and debar obstructing traffic. Fines use for loitering oregon deliberately slowing traffic.

By the Numbers (July–August 2025)

• Traffic accidents with fatalities: Down 25.52% vs. 2024; down 21.74% vs. 2018.
• Traffic deaths: Down 27.22% vs. 2024; down 21.77% vs. 2018.
• Biggest reductions: South Aegean (-68.75%), Crete (-60%), Ionian Islands (-57.74%).
• Inspections: Up 5.26% nationwide vs. 2024; up 13.48% vs. 2018.
• Violation notices: Highest successful 7 years, up 1.88% vs. 2024 and 61.99% vs. 2018.