There are pains that will never be completely relieved. Enrique lost his son Ivan in a traffic accident caused by the driver of another car. Despite the sentences issued against the officials, the man asserts that traditional justice “was not designed to serve the victims.” The documentary was released on Friday Life has been restored At the Texas Cinemas in Barcelona, a project deals with the encounters between victims of traffic accidents and their perpetrators, what is known as restorative justice.
The film shows that every duel is different. There are people who feel the need to talk to the person who caused the accident that took their loved one from them, while others do not feel ready to do so. Enrique, for example, says that today he could have had coffee with the person who killed his son.
On the other hand, Alba – who was hit by a driver who was driving too fast and looking at her cell phone – admits that she still cannot come to terms with her attacker. Her accident left her in a coma, and although she was able to recover, she had to learn basic tasks such as drawing or writing. Other constant consequences make the girl believe that she will never be able to forgive him. In fact, he says that the first time he crossed the zebra crossing again, he started shaking.
The film, produced by the Association for the Prevention of Traffic Accidents (P(A)T) in collaboration with the Chair of Applied Ethics at the University Ramon Llull (URL) and screened at the 28th Mediterranean Road Safety Congress, invites us to question how society, institutions and individuals understand justice in the context of traffic accidents. He focuses on the fact that the traditional penal system is not willing to fix suffering, but rather “go after facts and assign blame.”
Through real victims, people who caused accidents, and experts from the judicial, political, and ethical fields, the documentary shows how the truth of “listening and being heard” can become an essential step in repairing harm. Although they realize that ordinary justice is “necessary,” they believe that it is “insufficient,” because it does not help restore “trust” or “give meaning” to what happened.
Restorative justice proposes a model where, through meetings accompanied by judicial professionals, victims and those responsible for the crime “actively participate in the process of reparations.” For victims, it represents a “space for listening and recognition”; Judge and President of the European Magistrates Group for Spanish Mediation (GEMME), Carme Gil, explained during the presentation that this is an “opportunity” for the perpetrators of crimes to “take responsibility for their actions.”
However, it is socially assumed that disputes arising from accidents should only be addressed through traditional criminal justice. The association points out that, in general, neither victims nor perpetrators are usually informed of the existence of an alternative route to restorative justice. Indeed, on many occasions, the perpetrators themselves want to apologise, but do not dare to do so – or are advised not to by other people – in the traditional judicial framework.
Eduardo, who caused an accident that ended a man’s life, says that after the accident he tried to contact the victim’s relatives, but his lawyer opposed that, fearing that this would harm his judicial standing. “No one teaches you to live with the fact that you killed someone,” he says. He realizes that on special dates like Christmas or Christmas, when family gatherings are common, he feels worse than usual knowing that the family of the man he killed will never be able to celebrate those moments in the same way.
This association emphasizes that restorative justice is not about asking for forgiveness, but about promoting “listening and responsibility.” They stress that forgiving too quickly can lead to “disconnecting from one’s pain” and that it is necessary to “respect each person’s time.” In this sense, they believe that this model based on “mutual understanding” is capable of “transforming lives.”
The birth of this type of justice goes back centuries, through community dialogue and mediation circles for indigenous peoples in Latin America, Maori communities in New Zealand, and African communities. However, it was not incorporated as a model into the modern penal system until 1974, when one of the first correctional programs was implemented in Ontario (Canada). Since then, its application has spread to different countries, especially in the field of juvenile justice, but also in community processes.
Another main focus of the documentary is the lack of awareness and the danger of violating traffic rules, which is repeated among many drivers. In fact, the association highlighted that many traffic deaths are caused by “reckless, irresponsible and reckless” behaviour, and that “a significant proportion of them could have been avoided”.
According to data from the Ministry of Interior, 1,031 people died in traffic accidents in 2025 alone. Francesc Torralba, Head Director of Applied Ethics at URL, insisted “not to underestimate the importance of this issue” and to recognize that traffic accidents “can happen to all of us”, even though sometimes we continue to regard them as “something foreign”.