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Sat, May 26 2012
Interior Minister: 342 people in Bulgaria killed on the roads in H1 2010
Photo: Stoyan Nenov
The war on Bulgaria's roads has claimed 342 fatalities since the turn of 2010, Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov has said, reported by Bulgarian media on July 2 2010.
By way of comparison, this is more than the total number of British troops killed in the war in Afghanistan since British deployment under operation Herrick began in 2001.
During a meeting between Tsvetanov and a Parliamentary control commission, Tsvetanov said that there were 52 fewer deaths in the first half of 2010 than in the first half of 2009.
The vast majority of fatalities, 250 out of 342, involved "private vehicles", the report said.
According to Tsvetanov, in the short period between February and March 2010, just 15 CCTV randomly selected cameras registered about 28 000 traffic violations, mainly for excessive speeding .
Tsvetanov cited Sofia's Tsarigradsko Chaussee where surveillance equipment has led to about 600 drivers being fined for traffic violations. As a consequence, the "bus lane" is now free of private vehicles because drivers know not to venture there. It also means that there is no need "for installation of more such technology which, theoretically, would help curtail even more violations and reduce the need for a physical police presence in the area," Dnevnik daily reported.
The Interior Ministry has repeatedly undertaken campaigns to improve road safety, reminding drivers to wear seat belts, to obey traffic regulations and to drive safely and responsibly.
More officers will be deployed around Bulgaria during summer to facilitate traffic to and from the Black Sea, as Bulgarian and foreign tourists arrive.
"Tsvetanov said that the current tendency points to a reduction in the number of heavy traffic accidents but that the number of fatalities remain alarmingly high.
"With the arrival of summer, motorways and first class roads around the country will be strained. Our colleagues from KAT (traffic police) are working on ways to create alternative routes to alleviate the situation," Tsvetanov said.
Meanwhile, Greek daily Kathimerini reported that the number of fatalities on Greek roads dropped by 18.5 percent in the first half of this year, compared to 2009, citing official information from the citizens’ protection ministry on July 1.
Deputy minister Spyros Vougias attributed the improvement to increased traffic supervision and more police patrols. Vougias explained that deaths remained high in urban areas. He also said his ministry was planning joint initiatives with local authorities to reduce urban fatalities.
By way of comparison, this is more than the total number of British troops killed in the war in Afghanistan since British deployment under operation Herrick began in 2001.
During a meeting between Tsvetanov and a Parliamentary control commission, Tsvetanov said that there were 52 fewer deaths in the first half of 2010 than in the first half of 2009.
The vast majority of fatalities, 250 out of 342, involved "private vehicles", the report said.
According to Tsvetanov, in the short period between February and March 2010, just 15 CCTV randomly selected cameras registered about 28 000 traffic violations, mainly for excessive speeding .
Tsvetanov cited Sofia's Tsarigradsko Chaussee where surveillance equipment has led to about 600 drivers being fined for traffic violations. As a consequence, the "bus lane" is now free of private vehicles because drivers know not to venture there. It also means that there is no need "for installation of more such technology which, theoretically, would help curtail even more violations and reduce the need for a physical police presence in the area," Dnevnik daily reported.
The Interior Ministry has repeatedly undertaken campaigns to improve road safety, reminding drivers to wear seat belts, to obey traffic regulations and to drive safely and responsibly.
More officers will be deployed around Bulgaria during summer to facilitate traffic to and from the Black Sea, as Bulgarian and foreign tourists arrive.
"Tsvetanov said that the current tendency points to a reduction in the number of heavy traffic accidents but that the number of fatalities remain alarmingly high.
"With the arrival of summer, motorways and first class roads around the country will be strained. Our colleagues from KAT (traffic police) are working on ways to create alternative routes to alleviate the situation," Tsvetanov said.
Meanwhile, Greek daily Kathimerini reported that the number of fatalities on Greek roads dropped by 18.5 percent in the first half of this year, compared to 2009, citing official information from the citizens’ protection ministry on July 1.
Deputy minister Spyros Vougias attributed the improvement to increased traffic supervision and more police patrols. Vougias explained that deaths remained high in urban areas. He also said his ministry was planning joint initiatives with local authorities to reduce urban fatalities.
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You need to adapt your style of driving to the condition of the roads, that simply means less speed with many holes. Bulgarian are only in a hurry in traffic and all think they own the road. In few European cities they had people adopt potholes to get them fixed, why not do the same with entire street in Bulgaria and sell them to the people with too much money so they can fix them and give the street whatever name they want?
Bulgarians don't give a sh*t about traffic rules, just watch where they stop at a [...]
Read the full comment red light, technically they pass the red light and should be fined for that, fined few times take their license forever, maybe that will make the streets safer.
I am a UK driver resident in Bulgaria. The UK has some of the safest roads per vehicular volume and road miles in the world and I make comparisons between the two countries. Nearly all drivers drive to the centre line in the road and this will cause accidents, I conclude that this is either (A) because they are trained to do so by their instructors or (B) their instructors do not train the tendency out of them, this is solely a training issue and should be addressed by the authorities. Another bad habit is speed, perhaps drivers believe that [...]
Read the full comment speed allows them to glide over the potholes with less damage to the car when the reverse could be nearer the truth or its gets them wherever quicker, again not true, another training issue, speed does kill if not you then someone else. Potholes, how many accidents can be attributed to drivers who have to spend too much time watching the road surface ahead rather than what is happening ahead. That leads to another, connected issue drivers do not look far enough ahead so as to give themselves time to adjust to what is happening. The number of times I have had cars roar past me only to become stuck behind several lorries (which was why I was where I was) or to turn right only about 100m ahead of me - what was the point in the overtaking??. Finally insurance, it is stupid to insure the car when the car does not cause accidents, it is always people who cause accidents either by bad driving bad car maintenance or bad pedestrian behaviour therefore it the the driver who should be insured and his premium should reflect any fines, convictions and accidents that are their fault. These issues along with constant TV and newspaper public education (as was done in the UK in the 60's/70's & 80's)would go a long way towards bringing down the death toll that is not only a tragic loss to families but an unnecessary drain on the countries human resources.
The driving in BG is obscene.
Repair the pot holes then make them take lessons from a British driving school and a British goverment test at the age of seventeen.
We need more and better infrastructure
I wonder if they will ever learn how to drive safely. Maybe time to try give them some professional lessons how to drive instead of idiots teaching them the wrong way.