Doljevac Crash: Man, 22, Dies After Hitting Guardrail

A 22-year-old man died last night, on August 30, at around 9 p.m., in a traffic accident near the village of Orljane in the Doljevac municipality.

The young man was driving a Citroen. The car, most likely due to excessive speed, ran off the road and hit a guardrail. The driver was killed at the scene.

Traffic police went to the scene and carried out an investigation. The cause of the crash is still being determined. Police have appealed to citizens to obey traffic regulations.

Weekly toll: 14 dead on Serbia’s roads

The Traffic Police Directorate of Serbia’s Interior Ministry (MUP) announced on August 31 that 667 traffic accidents occurred on Serbian roads over the previous week. Fourteen people were killed in those crashes, and 367 others were injured.

According to the police analysis, speeding and driving at a speed unsuited to road conditions were a direct factor in more than half of the fatal accidents, including the crash near Orljane.

“Drivers who fail to adjust their speed lose the ability to properly assess the situation on the road and to spot other road users in time,” the Traffic Police Directorate of Serbia’s Interior Ministry said in its statement.

The statement adds that driving at an unsuited speed leads to misjudgment, loss of control of the vehicle, and vehicles running off the road, as well as direct collisions with other vehicles, objects or pedestrians, a scenario close to what happened near Doljevac.

What is the advice to drivers?

The Traffic Police Directorate urged all road users to strictly obey traffic regulations and adjust their driving to road conditions.

“Strictly obey traffic regulations and adjust your driving to road conditions,” the Traffic Police Directorate of Serbia’s Interior Ministry said.

Extra caution, according to the statement, is needed in built up areas and on stretches of road where more pedestrians, children and two wheeler riders can be expected, since slowing down in time in such places gives a driver enough time to react properly and, if necessary, stop the vehicle safely.

The Doljevac crash is not an isolated case in the region. A similar tragedy occurred on August 24 near Aleksinac, when a 25-year-old driver was killed after his Mercedes ran off the road and hit a tree. In both cases, police cite speed unsuited to road conditions as the likely cause.

According to an earlier report by our site, 272 people have died on Serbia’s roads since the start of the year. Last night’s crash near Orljane adds to that rising toll, and the latest weekly figures from the Interior Ministry show the number of road deaths in Serbia is not going down.