Two adults have been arrested after serious car crashes in Larnaca this weekend. Both crashes involved young boys who were driving and are now badly hurt in the hospital. The similar accidents have started a big discussion about why children had access to cars.
The first crash happened around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday in the Athienou area. A fourteen-year-old boy was driving a car very fast on a dirt road. He lost control and the car turned over. He was wearing a seatbelt but has a serious head injury. He was taken to a hospital in Nicosia for special treatment.
At almost the same time, a second crash happened in another rural part of Larnaca. A thirteen-year-old boy was driving a car that left the road, hit some trees, and rolled over. He also has serious injuries. Doctors say his condition is now stable and he is not in immediate danger.
After the crashes, police focused on the adults responsible for the cars. They arrested a relative of the fourteen-year-old, who owns the car. They also arrested the forty-year-old father of the thirteen-year-old boy. The police are questioning them about how the boys were able to drive. Letting a child without a license drive a car is a very serious crime.
These accidents show a continuing problem in some areas, where children sometimes drive on quiet country roads. Safety experts say this is very dangerous because children do not have training or experience. Police are still investigating the crashes. Many people believe that adults must take responsibility to stop these kinds of accidents.