Another road tragedy has shaken the country. In Vlora, after midnight, a 17-year-old boy who was returning from work as a waiter was hit and killed by a Porsche. The driver of the vehicle was drunk and was driving at breakneck speed in an urban area. A young life was lost in the country, while the perpetrator, like many others before him, is expected to easily escape the consequences with a fine or a few months in prison.
This is not an isolated case. For years, Albanian roads have become a playground for “car killers,” who walk fearlessly, protected by connections, arrogance, and a system that has failed to establish order. Drunk or drugged drivers, often in luxury cars, hit people and children and get away with it the next day. While these events are repeated, the Ministry of Interior and the State Police find time and energy to ban… electric scooters.
The action initiated by Minister Albana Koçiu to ban scooters was carried out within a day, without any official document, only after a post on Facebook. The police reacted immediately to implement this "verbal order", as if citizens with scooters were the biggest danger on the road. Meanwhile, drunk drivers, with cars flying over the white lines, continue to be out of control.
The General Director of Police, Ilir Proda, should deal with these. He should demand action against those who drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and exemplary punishments for those who take people's lives on the road. But for now, it seems easier to stop a citizen on a scooter than a "Porsche" driving at 180 km/h in the city.
In a country where a person's life is measured by the payment of a fine, where the police stop at the weak and turn a blind eye to the strong, there is no order, no justice. If Minister Koçiu wants to make a difference, let her start where the real murders happen — not with those who ride scooters to work.
