Bro, grab a beer and sit down, 'cause I've got news that'll make you bury your head in the ground! 34 accidents on a single express road, man! CNAIR finally announced they're putting in emergency lanes after all these tragedies. But until then, a 12-year-old girl died on the sidewalk because a driver fell asleep at the wheel. You don't know what I went through with my BMW on the shoulder, I swear, it's a mess.
CNAIR, the ones who've kept us on edge on construction sites for 20 years, now says express roads will have emergency lanes or pull-offs. Why? Because on the Craiova-Pitești road alone, there have been 34 accidents, 9 of them serious. Nine, bro! And I'm not kidding: in March, a 60-year-old driver was injured when a van clipped him on the shoulder. A few months ago, two young guys who stopped due to a breakdown were wiped out; one 30-year-old died. Last year, a truck smashed into a van stopped on the shoulder - the 46-year-old driver died, the 30-year-old passenger seriously injured. What more can I say? We Romanians are heroes on our roads: we stop on the shoulder and pray no one hits us from behind.
Drivers say it's a danger: "You get a flat - you'd have somewhere to pull over, but like this... Cars stop on the roadside and you don't see them. You're behind another truck and it pulls in front of you, then we're the ones to blame." Exactly, bro, like when my battery died on the A3: I pulled over, put out the triangle, but a truck came and clipped my mirror. Lucky I ran fast, otherwise I'd be telling a different story.
CNAIR, through Alin Șerbănescu, said: "There have been quite a few accidents to worry us, caused by collisions with those stationary on the shoulder." Bravo, man, you finally figured it out! Now, in the next modernization phase, they're widening the roads. For example, an express road linking the A3 to DN1 in Cluj could be expanded with a 2.5-meter lane on each side or they'll make pull-offs. Driving instructor Valentin Albu says: "Someone who breaks down on the spot has no emergency lane." Ionuț Ciurea, director at Pro Infrastructura, adds: "It's not an emergency lane, it's just a narrow shoulder that can't fit any car." And the new standards apply to Arad - Oradea or Suceava - Siret too. Well, bro, no wonder people are dying - we build cheap roads and wonder why accidents happen.
But wait, now comes the even sadder part. In Bistrița-Năsăud, Raluca, a 12-year-old girl, died in the hospital a day after being hit on the sidewalk by a 59-year-old driver who fell asleep at the wheel. In Tiha Bârgăului commune, Raluca was leaving a store. Two other people - an 11-year-old girl and a 31-year-old woman - were injured. The driver said he fell asleep; tests showed zero alcohol and zero drugs. Just five minutes before, Raluca had found out she'd get third prize at the end of the year and was happy. Classmates and teachers paid tribute in front of the school, lit candles. Mayor Vasile Șut said the girl came from a needy family and had four siblings. The community is helping the parents with the funeral. Mioara cried when I told her, said she feels sorry for the parents. That's how it is, bro, one moment of falling asleep and it's all over.
But it doesn't stop there. Another driver wrecked his car by driving from a side street onto a county road under construction. On July 20, 2021, a Mercedes Benz 350D 4Matic, insured CASCO with Omniasig, drove from Vitejilor Street in Horlești onto DJ 282, which was 30 cm higher. The insurer paid the repairs of 3,752 lei and sued the County Road Administration, the County Council, and two town halls. The trial has been going on for five years and only just passed the first court. Five years, bro! And we wonder why justice is slow. If it were my BMW, maybe it'd be resolved faster, but like this...
Not to mention RAR, which recommends drivers check if their cars are recalled. On www.rarom.ro they've made a section "Recall Campaigns" where you can find out if your model is affected and get free repairs. Repairs are covered by the manufacturer. Good, bro, but how do you check if you don't have internet? Or if you're like Fane, who doesn't even know how to spell "recall"? Anyway, it's good that something's moving. What can I say: our roads, our lives. Alright, I'm off to explain to Mioara how important it is to have an emergency lane - she says I'm obsessed with cars, but when she hears about 34 accidents, she shuts up and looks at me like a prophet.
