A Toyota jeep bearing British registration plates was involved in a serious collision in the region of Strandja leaving a 27-year old man dead and two people seriously injured, Bulgarian National Television (BNT) reported on December 4 2009.

Bulgarian traffic police said that the collision was probably caused by excessive speed, causing the vehicle to lose control, veer off the road,  "fly 12 metres over the adjacent river" and smash onto the opposing bank. All three casualties were from the same vehicle, KAT told the BNT. The authorities have not revealed the nationality of the casualties.

Meanwhile, in Veliko Turnovo, the medieval capital of Bulgaria, the local KAT department informed BNT that the safety operation implemented by the traffic control department bearing the name "Save a Life" has been a success. Over two weeks, since the operation was launched, police report that with every passing day motorists are becoming more careful and more aware of the increased police presence in the region, Emil Denev, Veliko Turnovo’s municipal prosecutor, told the BNT.

Both traffic violations and speeding have been considerably reduced after the police were deployed in force and started conducting systematic checks. More than 200 motorists are stopped every day and more than 20 of them are given fines, predominantly for speeding, among other traffic violations.

KAT officer Gencho Minkov told BNT that as a direct result of the police operation, serious collisions and other traffic accidents have seen a marked decrease compared to last year.

Veliko Turnovo, however, is strategically located on the Sofia-Varna road and as such the city is subject to heavy traffic, and hence has a high potential for serious traffic accidents. Hence, according to Denev, "the operation will continue".

"I propose that the Save a Life operation is conducted throughout 2010," Denev was quoted as saying by the BNT.