Deadly crash near Himara shows Albania needs a more proactive approach in preventing road accidents
Tirana Times editorial
For years Albania has endured one road tragedy after another. The latest, near the tourist hot spot of Himara on the southern Albanian Riviera was hard to deal with. Thirteen people died, 11 of which were female university students on a pre-graduation trip. Another 21 were injured, some very seriously.
The cause of the Monday crash has not entirely been clear so far. Albanian media quoted one of the passengers and a resident near the crash site as saying the bus had been speeding. It’s a version backed by the latest police report. At first sight, as Albania’s transport minister noted, it appeared the highway had been recently repaired and equipped with all the modern signage and barriers – yet it wasn’t enough to stop the bus from falling off the cliff.
Albania has clear rules on buses used for public transport. There are requirements for maintenance, regulations for drivers to have the proper commercial licenses and checks are supposed to be performed. According to the police report, everything was in order in that regard.
But the problem here is deeper. Such rules are written in the books, but their enforcement is often formal at best. Getting the right stamps is more often than not a formal process, experts say, and more rigorous checks should be done on vehicles and the commercial drivers’ abilities.
Experts also note the stretch of highway where the deadly crash happened has been one of the deadliest in Albania for year, that’s why authorities worked to make it safer – but apparently not safe enough. Perhaps higher barriers and more warning signs are needed. Perhaps the road needs to be rerouted.
Tragic accidents such as these happen everywhere around the world. But they appear to be happening in Albania at a higher frequency than most places. Our highways are simply more deadly than their European counterparts. This partly due to road conditions, but more often than not it is the outcome of careless driving. That’s why a more proactive approach is needed to prevent accidents.
Albania needs tighter regulations, tougher enforcement of the highway codes – particularly for commercial public transport companies.
In expressing our deepest condolences to the families of the victims, we would also like to express concern about the media coverage of the event, particularly how television stations covered this tragedy.
Footage and reports were at times insensitive to the victims’ families, and reporting was often rushed and wrong in the absence of fact checking. Some reporters rushed to give names of students on television that weren’t part of the expedition, creating panic among students’ families. Others showed improper footage of the injured students – performing gruesome interviews on hospital beds and even helicopters sent to transport students to emergency rooms.
The media walks a fine ethical line between giving speedy information to the public and getting it right. While the speed of reporting means Albanian media has advanced quite a bit, the ethical line was stepped on several times by reporters, prompting calls for coming up with a code which journalists should follow in such events.
