Obviously not very many people. I read with interest The Sofia Echo article Audit the Roads, Audit the Traffic, July 18 2008 by Alex Bivol. I found the piece largely misguided. A few statistics clearly show the crisis that Bulgaria faces. More than 1000 people die on Bulgarian roads annually – an immense impact on the families of those involved in this slaughter. Unfortunately, the trend is up.
Let’s look at the league tables. Per million of population, Bulgaria is among the worst in Europe, with 135 people dying per million on the roads annually. Portugal, Spain, Ireland and Italy are about 90 per million. Bulgaria is more than double the rate of the UK and the Scandinavian countries and, remarkably, it is higher than Romania. While the Bulgarian death toll has risen since 2001 without much obvious concern, Western European countries have managed a remarkable drop in motor vehicle death rates, with Portugal and France down more than 40 per cent, Italy down 18 per cent and Greece, renowned for its bad drivers, down 12 per cent. What is perhaps most remarkable is that the decrease in the death toll in most European countries accelerated dramatically after 2001; prior to this, the trend was down but the rate of decline was low. This decrease was largely due to increased and efficient enforcement and, to a lesser degree, better roads.
The focus by the Ministry of Transport on road infrastructure and heavy-goods vehicles (HGV, a category that also includes buses) is commendable. But will this effectively reduce the road toll in Bulgaria? Available statistics suggest that HGVs in Europe account for about six per cent of deaths. HGV accidents are generally spectacular, often involving multiple vehicles and multiple deaths, and are a clear focus for the media, but it would appear that this focus will have little effect on the Bulgarian death toll.
The Bivol article references driver education and publicity programmes. Experience elsewhere has shown these to be largely ineffective. Most drivers knows the rules of the road – they simply choose to ignore them. The most effective means of driver education after licence issuance is the infringement notice. Alcohol is a significant contributor to motor vehicle deaths and draconian fines and prison terms for multiple offenders are the only solution.
I do business in Macedonia and Serbia as well as Bulgaria and travel extensively. My experience suggests that Bulgaria has by far the worst roads in the region. Its highways are in far worse condition, as are its rural roads and municipal streets. Its street markings are also, without question, the worst in the region. However, it is rare for road or weather conditions to result in a motor vehicle accident where the vehicle is operated in a manner consistent with the conditions. Pedestrian deaths are a different matter, usually involving driver negligence, something, again, best addressed with infringement notices. It must be enforced on drivers that to hit a pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing will likely involve a prison term.
Let us reflect: more than 1000 families with an unnecessary death each year – and the number is increasing. This is a disaster and needs immediate action.
The solution is simple – the road map to a dramatic reduction in motor vehicle deaths has already been written. There needs to be significant improvement in Bulgarian road conditions and this should be funded from the Budget surplus (or, indeed, EU funds), but until such a time as road conditions improve, the highway speed limit should be reduced to 110kph and elsewhere to 80kph. Sale of alcohol at service stations should be banned forthwith. Enforcement needs to be dramatically improved. I would suggest the immediate establishment of a new Road Traffic Authority (RTA), a wholly independent body outside the Interior Ministry with the sole responsibility of implementing the road rules that already exist in Bulgaria. Whatever KAT does, it does not appear to be having any significant impact. New equipment should be purchased and the new RTA trained in its use. This should include fixed cameras on most traffic lights to photograph cars that drive through red lights, strategically located fixed radar cameras on major roads and highways and 100 mobile radar camera units that will move about the country photographing speeding drivers. Radar camera units will largely overcome the problem with police accepting bribes, although this appears to be a declining trend.
Fines should also increase significantly, with exponential increases for non-payment and for multiple infringements.
Essential to enforcement is an ability to collect fines and summon those who seek to avoid fines to court. The database already exists within the national identity card and motor vehicle registration systems, but needs to be updated with new commercial software and hardware – readily available elsewhere in the EU. Fine payment should be available online through bank transfer or credit card. Given three years and sufficient funding, the death toll in Bulgaria can be dramatically and rapidly reduced, in part funded through increased fines and their efficient collection.
Fundamentally, there needs to be political will to achieve the above and this appears to be fully lacking. Good intentions and publicity seeking actions against HGVs will have no impact. The reality is that driving in Bulgaria has become more dangerous in the last two years and is unlikely to improve in the near term. Keep the kids near.
John Menzies
Sofia, Bulgaria
