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Fri, Feb 10 2012
Young drivers to stay home at night
Photo: Юлия Лазарова
Parliament adopted on first reading amendment to the Traffic Act stipulating that drivers with less than one year of experience behind the wheel and who are younger than 25 will not be allowed to drive after dark.
Other amendments adopted on April 3 2009 provide for a ban on young drivers to drive motor vehicles with an engine capacity of more than 1.6 litres.
Young drivers will also not be allowed to drive with a minor as a passenger unless accompanied by someone else. The amendments ban young drivers from drinking liquor before driving - meaning that they should have a blood-alcohol level of zero.
MPs also increased traffic fines. For driving more than five km/h over the limit, the fine was raised to 50 leva.
Fines issued on the basis of video surveillance cameras will not be subject to appeal, MPs decided. The change was made because of complaints by Traffic Police who said that drivers preferred to appeal against the fines instead of paying them, which delayed implementation.
The amendments are subject to appeal on second reading.
Traffic offences have become a serious issue for Bulgaria in the past 10 years, with thousands of people killed and injured on the roads every year. On April 4 2009 alone, Traffic Police reported 23 car accidents with 29 injured people, of whom two were in critical condition.
Other amendments adopted on April 3 2009 provide for a ban on young drivers to drive motor vehicles with an engine capacity of more than 1.6 litres.
Young drivers will also not be allowed to drive with a minor as a passenger unless accompanied by someone else. The amendments ban young drivers from drinking liquor before driving - meaning that they should have a blood-alcohol level of zero.
MPs also increased traffic fines. For driving more than five km/h over the limit, the fine was raised to 50 leva.
Fines issued on the basis of video surveillance cameras will not be subject to appeal, MPs decided. The change was made because of complaints by Traffic Police who said that drivers preferred to appeal against the fines instead of paying them, which delayed implementation.
The amendments are subject to appeal on second reading.
Traffic offences have become a serious issue for Bulgaria in the past 10 years, with thousands of people killed and injured on the roads every year. On April 4 2009 alone, Traffic Police reported 23 car accidents with 29 injured people, of whom two were in critical condition.
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Bulgaria mulling fines as sole penalty for drink-driving
Removing drunken driving as a crime listed in the Penal Code would lessen bureaucracy, prosecutors say, but the idea gets short shrift from accident victims and emergency doctors.
Do not call traffic police for minor road accidents
Officers of the traffic police would stop responding to reports of minor car accidents, but they would arrive if there was a suspicion that the driver causing the accident was driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, the press centre of the Interior Ministry announced on its website on January 30 2009.
Video policing
Traffic Police (KAT) have come up with novel software to make Sofia's drivers pay fines without having to visit KAT's headquarters in Durvenitsa in person, Bulgarian news agencies reported on December 11. The software will try to exploit the video cameras positioned on major thoroughfares around Sofia.
Sofia traffic: 30 000 accidents and counting
More than 30 000 road accidents have been registered in Sofia municipality since the start of 2008, the deputy head of the Road Police Vanyo Stanevski said on October 13, the European Road Safety Day, which runs under the motto "For safe traffic in our city". The number of serious incidents in Sofia since the start of the year was 1200, in which 94 people lost their lives. For the country as a whole, the number of serious road accidents since the beginning of 2008 was 6265, taking the lives of 801 people and injuring 7829, according to the statistics kept by the Interior Ministry.
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The discovery was made after some of the land in a complex near Bourgas was washed away by rough seas.
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No trains could cross the Danube Bridge and passengers from international trains were being taken to the city of Rousse by road transport.
Bulgaria faces further fatal freeze a day after Black Sea devastation
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Bulgarian Parliament passes controversial Forestry Act amendments
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Bulgaria, Romania suspend shipping on Danube River
Ferry-boat service between the Bulgarian and Romanian banks of the river may continue if the ferry captains decide that the weather conditions allow the safe passage of the boats.
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A correction needed: No, doctors do not obtain a license here after six years. 6 years medical school PLUS 3-5 years residency before one can practice just like everywhere else. There are both great and terrible physicians here as in every country. However, in Bulgaria, there is a lack of oversight and accountability in every public sector.
But no, you cannot just hang a sign on your door.
Maybe not such a bad idea, but like so many things here unenforceable, and therefore dumb. Plus, I've seen just as many kiddie-crashes in daylight. Now, if someone would keep the mutra in their black jeeps and BMWs home..forever. And preferably under house arrest.
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained
This comment has been removed by the moderator because it contained
I agree with you Left of center, if they replaced the govt. with younger people, it would reduce corruption and stupidity all around. Bulgaria is in big trouble, just think about the new potential PM Boyko. Come on, this guy can't even run a small city like Sofia, do you think he will run the whole country? I don't think so and it scares me, the corruption that will be taking place in a Boyko gov. would be so high and I'm sure he will distance himself from it very well but you can't change what you are. I've had [...]
Read the full comment with BG, I love this country but to see it get worst instead of better is depressing me, I had the pleasure of spending some time in a Bulgarian hospital recently and it was just shocking. First, the Dr that came to the seen to evaluate the person just gave him a shot and told him he'll be fine, get some rest and later that night he was in really bad pain so we called again and finally went to Pirgov where they did do some test but otherwise he sat on a chair in the hallway for Hrs. Then they finally concluded that they would admit him in the hospital but nobody would tell us what the problem was, nobody talked to us, they just took him upstairs and told us to come back 5PM the next day. When we got there my friend had his surgery, we don't know what kind of surgery but he had surgery. These Drs. are so under trained its sad. The govt. should support them and improve there ability's. In Bulgaria you can be a Dr. in just 6 yrs. This is the most shocking thing I've ever heard in my life. In the states or the UK Drs. are not even able to work alone for almost 11 yrs. They have to have a basic 4 year degree in science and be on the top 2% of there class and only then will they be accepted to medical school and they is 4 yrs and then you must work as a resident for another 4 yrs where you learn to treat patients. Here in BG after 6 years you can hang a sign on an office and call yourself a Dr. this needs to change and fast. There are so many problems here in BG and the solutions are not easy but someone has to take control of this country and do right by it, Bulgarians deserve it, they are the victims of this do nothing system. While I agree that traffic is a problem in BG but the people that due get injured don't have much of a chance to survive because the people that take care of them are under trained. It's not the Drs. fault, they do there best but they don't have the proper equipment, the drugs in this country are limited, I could go on and on but whenever I even think about this I get pissed so take care of yourselves Bulgarians because no one else will and as for the GP's out there, listed to your patients, at least try to figure out what is wrong with your patient before you send them home with medicine that has nothing to do with what's wrong with them.
Admit it!!!! They all drive like Twats..
And seem to think it is ok.
If all these guys clever you would not have so many accidents.
The madness of the nanny state - a 23 year old can die for his country in battle but cannot drive a car at night.
I guess coffee for the policeman just got more expensive too....
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