Albanian Minister of the Interior Sander Lleshaj has called for road users to take an “idiot test” to ascertain their ability to be behind the wheel.
During a roundtable between his Ministry and the State Police, ways to change the current situation on Albania’s roads and proposals for changes to the Road Code were discussed.
“We have a lot of people killed on the streets of the country and that number should be reduced,” said Lleshaj.
He stated that a comprehensive set of measures is being developed to make significant improvements for road safety in the country. One such suggestion is the introduction of a so-called “idiot test” that is currently being used in Germany.
“We still have road users who do not deserve their driving license. The time has come to think of psychological tests for drivers that verify their psychological stability. In Germany this is called the “idiot test”,” he said.
Albania has often ranked as one of the least-safe countries for road users in Europe. 2018 data from the World Health Organisation noted a death rate of 13.7 per 100,000 inhabitants, beaten by the likes of by Armenia (17.1) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (15.7).
A recent report by International SOS stated Albania was a medium risk country for travellers, due in part to road conditions and the risk of accidents. The most recent data put the mortality rate at between 10-19.9 per 100,000.
