Drivers with a phone in hand will be caught by AI cameras

Cypriot authorities are preparing a large-scale modernization of the traffic enforcement camera system in order to drastically reduce road accidents. On June 25, 2026, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeadis announced plans to integrate artificial intelligence into road cameras to identify drivers using mobile phones while driving. According to the minister, the situation has become critical — motorists often get distracted by watching content on TikTok for 10 seconds or more, creating a deadly threat. A pilot launch of the neural-network-based monitoring system is scheduled for the second half of 2026 after the legal framework is adjusted.

At the same time, the ministry intends to change the deployment strategy for enforcement units: mobile vans will be moved into city limits, where the highest number of fatal crashes is recorded, and average-speed enforcement systems will begin to be introduced on key highways over long stretches. The introduction of AI technologies builds on the successful experience of other European countries — in particular, similar pilot projects in Athens (Greece) and the United Kingdom have already made it possible to identify tens of thousands of violations related to gadget use and ignoring seat belts.

In addition to the digitalization of enforcement, the parliamentary transport committee discussed the critical congestion situation in Limassol, where around 12,000 new cars are added every year. To address the problem, the government has drawn up a list of 60 infrastructure projects. The main way to ease the road network will be the construction of Limassol's northern bypass road, costing 200 million euros, which will connect the eastern and western suburbs parallel to the coastal highway. The main tenders for the stages of this flagship project are scheduled to take place by the end of 2026, and the construction work itself will take three to four years.