The incident with the fire in a tanker truck at the 46th km of N.E.O. Athens-Corinth “brings to the fore serious issues of road safety”, according to a report by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport and Networks PASOK-Movement for Change.

“Fortunately, human lives were not put at high risk, given that the incident did not occur during the passage of the tanker within the underground works of this particular road,” the announcement states. However, “the competent ministry must answer if the traffic rules were violated by the traffic permit for the passage of dangerous goods inside the tunnel, as defined by the Tunnel Administrative Authority”, it is added.

In addition, it is noted that “he must ensure that the passage of dangerous goods within the underground works throughout the Greek territory is carried out in accordance with the updated safety standards and is adequately supervised by the competent road control bodies”.

Regarding “the long-term suffering of road users due to the stoppage of traffic on a highway with a precise crossing, on which we also recently had the incident of a bridge collapse during maintenance, the competent ministry must ask the concessionaire for institutional information, so that to establish whether the terms of the concession agreement regarding the operation and maintenance of the road are being violated,” asserts the competent PASOK-Movement for Change Sector.

“A major road safety issue concerning the renewal of the truck fleet is coming back to the fore. Our country has the longest average age of trucks within the European Union (22.7 years with a corresponding EU average of 14.2 years) and a national fleet renewal plan is required, which will shield road safety and environment”, the announcement concludes.