Blaming the State?
Both the 40-year-old road at the Vale of Tempe and the specific turning where Sunday’s fatal collision occurred – which is also the site of many previous accidents – could have been in a better state. A tunnel which was supposed to have been built years ago remains a mere plan after the money set aside for the project disappeared. Also, the signposting at that particular point is insufficient. There is a law banning trucks from using that particular road on weekends – but no one ensures that this law is adhered to. And one can identify many other irregularities – both on this road and on others across the country – for which state incompetence is to blame, and which can prove fatal during an adverse series of events. It goes without saying that the State shoulders much of the blame. However, it cannot be denied that the direct cause of Sunday’s accident was the behavior of the truckdriver who – for reasons we hope will be clarified – lost control of his bulky truck (and its load) at that crucial moment. State responsibility can be attributed to many misfortunes and disasters that befall us – even the consequences of natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods. However, blaming an essentially faceless collective subject does not detract from the citizen’s responsibility for his own behavior – whether it is legal or not, logical or irrational, and whether or not it shows respect and concern for others…
