Multi-vehicle crash on Romania’s A2 motorway
A multi-vehicle crash that involved dozens of cars occurred on the A2 motorway between Bucharest and Constanta, killing four people and injuring over fifty.
Valentin Țigău, 07.11.2016, 13:14
The A2 motorway that connects the capital Bucharest to the Black Sea port of Constanta, also known as the Motorway of the Sun, was the site of a multi-vehicle crash on Saturday morning. The accident that killed four people and injured dozens of others was due to the dense fog and low visibility. According to the police report, the main causes of the accident were failing to adjust the speed to the weather conditions, low visibility, below 20 meters, and not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle ahead.
After witnesses were heard, the police have found that the driver of the first car that was hit slowed down to 30 kilometres per hour due to low visibility and the indications on the traffic panels, signalling a speed limit was in place. In turn, the National Roads Administration has said in a release that when the multiple-car crash occurred, the warning panels, that were fully functional, displayed the message: “Speed limit of 60 km/hour at kilometres 96 to 117!” Sources from the investigation team say that the last car involved in the accident had its speed indicator blocked at 188 km/hour. Several drivers involved in the accident had their driving licences suspended for not driving carefully and for driving too close to the cars ahead.
This has been the most serious accident since 1987, when the first segment of the A2 motorway became operational. Investigators have opened a case for second-degree murder and bodily harm. In the first stage, the cars’ technical inspection will be performed. Saturday’s car crash brings to the public attention the drivers’ behaviour behind the wheel and also the road infrastructure in Romania. In the first case, situations like the unlawful granting of driving licenses in the counties of Arges and Teleorman, in the south, by corrupt police officers, are still fresh in people’s memory. Then there is the poor road infrastructure.
A recent international survey that assesses the duration and length of tailbacks, the speed level during rush hours, the number of accidents, road quality and fuel prices, places Romania among the last of 40 countries. Romania has at present 732 kilometres of motorway, which is very little given the 6.5 million cars registered. A Transport Master plan endorsed by the Government in September shows that by 2030 Romania will have 11 motorways and 19 express roads, that is over 1,500 km of motorway and over 1,300 km of express roads.
(Translated by Elena Enache)
