The never-before-seen images on a highway in Romania represent an accusation against the authorities, say the drivers who pass through the area. The 38-year-old driver had no chance after the piece of metal pierced his car from end to end.
He had a terrible death
Cristi Popovici – Observer reporter: The police say that the accident occurred because the driver did not adjust the speed to the weather conditions. It was raining and the road was wet. The driver allegedly aquaplaned, lost control of the steering wheel and drove the car into the slide that separates the two directions. The thick sheet pierced the car from one side to the other, including the driver, who died on the spot.
The fatal accident was caused by a number of factors. The A1 highway, the first built in Romania, has not undergone a total modernization since 1972, when it was put into use.
The aquaplaning occurred due to the faulty rainwater drainage system. Normally, the water should reach the side ditches. But the antiquated parapet was the deciding factor.
Ionuţ Ciurea, Pro Infrastructure: The problem here was that it was a spear. The protective parapet must be replaced, even if no one has entered it for 20 years. Once your respective metal rusts, in the event of an impact, it no longer behaves as it is written in your technical book.
The oldest highway in the country
The oldest highway in the country has become a danger at every meter. In many parts, the railing that separates the walking directions is rusted or deformed. After accidents, it often takes weeks to replace it. And for whole kilometers, the protective fences on the side of the road are also destroyed. At any moment, wild animals can get in front of the cars.
Driver at the gas station: If something comes up in your face, what do you do? At 100 kilometers, 130 kilometers you have nothing left to do to avoid him.
The first lane is also a trap for drivers who pass from one ditch to another due to the deformation of the asphalt.
Truck driver: Very bumpy, throws you up. You destroy goods, you destroy everything. It should be worked from end to end, after 49 (kilometer no. 49) it’s still uneven, you say you’re going on the plough.
Ionuţ Ciurea, Infrastructure PRO: The asphalt here is tired, the foundation is tired. Bucharest-Piteste needs a modernization from the ground up. It is not enough to just change the wear or patch here and there.
Just as seriously, anti-dazzle panels are rare – they can cause serious accidents if a driver is blinded at night by the headlights of oncoming cars. The road markings are missing from many parts, the light warning signs in case of an accident or bad weather rarely work, and the classic ones are degraded. In addition, between the two directions there are piles of gravel that, brought by wind and rain on the road, destroy the windshields of cars.
The technical expertise of the Ministry of Transport shows that half of the Bucharest – Pitesti Highway must be urgently repaired.
Alin Şerbănescu, CNAIR spokesperson: We are planning a somewhat more extensive modernization, in the sense in which we want to increase the capacity of the highway to three lanes in each direction. An analysis was made to tell us how much it would cost to strictly modernize the A1, and we are talking about a billion lei. We are going to put the design and the execution up for auction.
Built for a daily transit of 18,000 cars, the Bucharest – Pitesti highway is the busiest road in Romania, with an average of 50,000 cars per day.
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