Roundtable Urges Stringent Actions to Mitigate Road Fatalities in Bulgaria
Sofia, Dec 10 (NationPress) A roundtable gathering emphasized the necessity for stringent actions to tackle serious road incidents and diminish casualties in Bulgaria.
The event took place on Monday, organized by two Bulgarian non-governmental organizations, the European Center for Transport Policies and Angels on the Road, as reported by the Xinhua news agency.
According to data from the European Commission, Bulgaria recorded the highest fatality rate from road accidents in the European Union last year, with 82 deaths per million residents.
A participant, known only as Philip's father, shared his personal sorrow, recounting the tragic loss of his child in a car accident last September. He identified several recurring factors contributing to the elevated road accident mortality rates, such as excessive speeding, substance abuse (alcohol or drugs), blatant disregard for traffic regulations, inexperienced young drivers handling powerful vehicles, and inadequate road infrastructure.
Officials at the roundtable highlighted that since August 2023, Bulgaria has enacted measures that empower the state to confiscate vehicles from individuals operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs. This policy has demonstrated a positive preventive impact.
Peter Petrov, a member of parliament (MP), referenced data from the Interior Ministry, indicating that from August 2023 to August 2024, instances of drivers caught with more than 1.2 per mille of alcohol fell by 545, while drug-related cases declined by 901 compared to the previous year. During this timeframe, road fatalities decreased by 64, representing an 11 percent reduction.
Another MP, Kalin Stoyanov, who was the Interior Minister until August, commended the effectiveness of vehicle confiscation as a deterrent and endorsed stricter penalties.
Acting Prosecutor General Borislav Sarafov supported the confiscation initiative and advocated for obtaining traffic data from mobile network operators for investigative purposes in road accidents. He noted that the existing Bulgarian Criminal Procedure Code limits such data collection to severe intentional crimes.
Sarafov also urged for overseeing prosecutors to file charges for intentional crimes in incidents involving drivers impaired by alcohol or drugs.
