Five Romanians die in road accidents every day, association says
On average, five Romanians die every day in road accidents. The country has the highest traffic mortality rate in the EU, with 92.7 deaths per million inhabitants, more than double the EU average, and roughly 1,800 dead and 8,000 wounded annually.
The “Romania without Potholes” (Romania fara Gropi) Association says that there is a death in traffic every few hours. It asks for the placing of manually operated traffic signals on main roads. “We have 1,700 victims per year precisely because we lack this kind of signals next to pedestrian crossings,” Alex Vîlvoi, a representative of “Romania without Potholes,” told ProTV.
“The issue of road safety has never been a priority for the authorities,” added Cătălin Codescu, spokesperson for the Association of Road Accidents (Asociația Accidentelor Rutiere). “As long as the administrator [of the road] will not be responsible for signaling problems and problems related, in general, to the reliability of the road, it will not correct these problems.”
Friday is, on average, the deadliest day when it comes to traffic fatalities, according to data published by the Romanian Police and quoted by the Union of Insurers from Romania. Last year, over 770 serious road accidents happened on Friday, followed by 717 on Sunday, and 699 on Monday, Hotnews.ro reported.
Romania’s roads saw 410 serious road accidents every month in 2021. The months with the most accidents were the ones usually reserved for the holidays – July and August. The first part of the year, when the weather is unfavorable to vacationing, sees comparatively fewer accidents.
The main causes that contribute to the occurrence of serious road accidents are drivers' failure to adapt the speed to road conditions and the irregular crossing by pedestrians. Most serious road accidents occur in rural areas.
Another association, that of victims of traffic accidents (Asociaţiei Victimelor Accidentelor de Circulaţie), argues that resonator markings transversally placed 50 meters or even 150 meters before the crossing could improve safety. Pre-marking signs for pedestrian crossings should also be placed above, where they can be seen by all drivers.
90% of pedestrian crossings in Bucharest do not comply with these road standards, according to ProTV. Traffic police fined the city’s Streets Administration authority 44 times this year for failing to remedy problems related to road signs.
(Photo source: Dmitry Kalinovsky | Dreamstime.com)
