New state body to be set up for truck safety in wake of accidents

In the wake of a spate of serious road accidents caused by trucks, Transport Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis on Thursday heralded the creation of a new state body to oversee truck safety.

Chrysochoidis announced the plan to boost safety checks amid indications that 26 percent of trucks on Greek roads have been in circulation for more than 30 years; the corresponding average in the 28-nation European Union is 11.5 years while in countries such as Germany and England the proportion is 8 and 6.7 years respectively.

Two serious roads accidents in the past two weeks, one fatal, were both prompted by trucks with faulty brakes.