On the Case of the Boy on the Highway: Motorways Are Indeed Responsible for Traffic Safety!

A twelve-year-old boy from Sarajevo who disappeared with a car in front of Umihana Čuvidina elementary school in Sarajevo, who was driving the car himself and was found near Tešanj, is still the focus of interest in our country, writes the Patria News Agency.

The boy was found in the vehicle when it stopped because it ran out of fuel. He paid the toll at the toll booths without any problems and drove on the highway!

JP Autoceste FBiH (Motorways of FBiH) stated that they are neither responsible nor have the legal mechanisms to prevent such and similar events. The issue of responsibility lies with other institutions.

However, such a quick and efficient public statement did not calm the citizens, as it is incomprehensible that a worker at the toll booths raised the barrier and let a boy onto the highway, thereby directly endangering the safety of both the boy and all other road users.

But let's return to the famous word that is becoming the most common in Bosnian reality – jurisdiction. A simple review of the JP Autoceste FBiH website clearly shows that the Motorways and their employees are indeed responsible for ensuring traffic safety, and letting a 12-year-old onto the highway is in direct contradiction with many legal regulations that JP Autoceste follows in its operations.

Autoceste FBiH operates in accordance with the Law on Roads, the Law on the Motorway on Corridor Vc, the Law on Public Enterprises of FBiH, the Law on the Basics of Road Traffic Safety in BiH, and the Law on Amendments to the Law on the Basics of Road Safety.

In addition to laws, Autoceste also has a series of its own regulations, according to which an employee should not have raised the barrier for a 12-year-old boy under any circumstances.

And instead of raising the issue of employee responsibility, Autoceste refers to jurisdiction, while every law states that traffic safety is paramount, so a statement about lack of jurisdiction should not prevent someone in this country from asking, does jurisdiction matter when it comes to saving a life?