A near-disaster was narrowly avoided after a car travelling at high speed crashed into the fence of a playground in a small settlement near Budapest, smashing through it before coming to a halt in a sandpit.
Residents left stunned by events
Locals in Dány, Pest County, have reacted with disbelief and anger. In response, a public forum was convened yesterday to address concerns over public safety and to curb dangerous speeding along the village’s main road, Blikk, a Hungarian tabloid wrote.
On 25 May, a BMW was reportedly travelling at excessive speed along Fő Street when, under circumstances that remain unclear, the driver lost control of the vehicle. The car tore through the playground fence, ripped out a bench, and finally stopped in the sandpit. Tragedy was only narrowly averted. According to residents, young children had been playing in the sandpit just five minutes before the incident.
Playground repaired, but fears remain
While the fence has since been repaired and the damaged sandpit and bench removed, fears of another accident — potentially with casualties — persist. Residents are calling on local authorities to restore order, arguing that fines alone are ineffective. They claim the problem stems from a well-defined group of individuals who routinely disregard both rules and safety.
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Complaints were aired at yesterday’s public meeting, although no outcome has yet been reported.
Meanwhile, Dávid Vitézy, transport minister in the government led by Péter Magyar, has suggested that extreme speeding offences should be punished not with fines but with vehicle confiscation and multi-year driving bans. Should such measures be introduced, owners of high-value cars could lose their vehicles — a prospect that may give habitual speeders pause for thought.
The footage of the crash reveals the car attempting to brake from high speed, tyres screeching loudly, but ultimately failing to stop in time. There is, as yet, no information on who was driving the vehicle or whether any police action has been taken.
Check out the video below:
What’s next? Budapest public transport: everything you need to know about tickets, routes and the BudapestGO app – a 2026 guide
