Quarter past three in the morning, the Jažince - Tetovo regional road, near the village of Poroj. In those early hours, when the road is empty and no one expects anything, two cars collided - a „Seat“ and a „Golf“, both with Tetovo plates. The result: two seriously injured drivers, both taken to the Clinical Hospital in Tetovo.

Behind the wheel of the „Seat“ was a 55-year-old man from Slatino, and in the „Golf“ a 39-year-old from Poroj. Their serious injuries were confirmed at the hospital. A crew from the Tetovo Interior Ministry unit went out to the scene and is carrying out an investigation to establish the causes and circumstances of the collision.

This is the format we read almost every week - two vehicles, the night hours, a regional road with no lighting, serious injuries. Every time the same coordinates: a narrow road, poor visibility, and a speed that would look impossible in daylight. The roads don't change, and it's the drivers who foot the bill.

The investigation has yet to show who got it wrong and how. But the question that recurs with every crash like this isn't only for the drivers - it's also about how far the regional roads in this country were ever designed for driving at night. While the answer is awaited, two families wake this morning to a phone call from the hospital.