Manolis Rodousakis' 2024 campaign to deny fuel to motorcyclists without helmets spread nationwide after the death of a 16-year-old in Crete, aiming to improve road safety and prevent further fatalities
File photo: Car crash on Crete.
Manolis Rodousakis' 2024 campaign to deny fuel to motorcyclists without helmets spread nationwide after the death of a 16-year-old in Crete, aiming to improve road safety and prevent further fatalities
A gas station owner whose initiative to deny fuel to motorcyclists driving without helmets grew into a nationwide road safety campaign was killed in a collision on Crete’s northern coastal highway on Saturday.
Manolis Rodousakis became widely known in December 2024 after announcing that his petrol stations in the Kissamos area of western Crete would no longer sell fuel to drivers of motorcycles unless both the former – and passenger, if applicable – were wearing safety helmets. The initiative followed the death of 16-year-old Ioannis Christoulakis in a motorcycle crash in Kissamos in November 2024.
Rodousakis was killed on Saturday at the Platanias interchange when the car he was driving, in which his wife and son were also travelling, collided with a van carrying three children. His wife, Maria, and a young child suffered head injuries.
The initiative was subsequently taken up by the Chania Gas Station Owners Association, spread across Crete and inspired similar actions elsewhere in Greece. The campaign attracted nationwide attention, prompting discussion among fuel station owners and public officials about ways to encourage helmet use and improve motorcycle safety.
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