Outdated roads, tragic consequences
Three young adults, aged 21-24, were killed last week when their car veered off the Sparta-Mystras highway in southern Greece, struck a tree, and overturned near Goude Park.
Firefighters pulled them from the wreckage, but they were pronounced dead at Sparta General Hospital.
The accident is part of a growing wave of fatal crashes across Greece.
The last 10 days alone have served as an ominous reminder of the trend, with deadly crashes in Thessaloniki and in Athens – in Agioi Anargyroi and on Katehaki Avenue and Piraeus Street.
Last year, the number of deaths from traffic accidents reached 665, according to the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT).
This is a five-year record, given that there were 524 deaths in 2020, 624 in 2021, 654 in 2022 and 637 in 2023.
Experts attribute the trend to aging infrastructure, poor maintenance, and lax law enforcement.
“The provincial network is poorly maintained and has poor geometry,” said Ioannis Politis, a professor of transportation engineering at the Aristotle University in Thessaloniki.
He pointed to narrow roads, sharp curves, and obstacles dangerously close to traffic lanes.
While Greece successfully reduced traffic deaths between 2010 and 2020 through major highway investments, most fatal crashes now occur in urban and rural areas.
George Yannis, a transportation expert and professor at the National Technical University of Athens warns that excessive speed, alcohol, mobile phone use, and lack of seat belt enforcement remain key dangers.
Greece’s revised traffic code, pending since 2019, and which aims to reduce deaths and serious injuries by 50% by 2030, still “remains on paper,” experts tell Kathimerini, leaving crucial road safety measures unimplemented.
Kathimerini
