The decline in the number of road accidents in the first two months of 2021 is insignificant. According to statistics, there were 689 serious road accidents on Bulgarian territory. 50 people died and 858 were injured in road accidents. The number of road accidents decreased by 115 as compared to the same period in 2020. However, the number of road traffic casualties fell significantly- by 160 people.

“I don’t’ think that this is only due to the Covid-19 pandemic, said Bogdan Milchev from the Road Safety Institute in an interview for Hristo Botev channel of the Bulgarian National Radio.Time will tell, because apart from restricting the movement of people last year, nothing was done with regard to road safety.”

Many single-vehicle accidents occur in Bulgaria:

“It is clear that this is due to human errors. Why human errors in Bulgaria occur more often than in other countries? This is due to the road infrastructure in this country, which makes us feel tired quickly.”

Drivers become quickly exhausted due to lack of road surface marking. Moreover, the roads are dark and rough and there are plenty of holes on them. We need to change the environment that surrounds all drivers. However, it seems that the institutions involved in road safety management have not yet realized that, contends Bogdan Milchev.

What we are seeing is an absolute fixation on driver rehabilitation and more fines for drivers. It is impossible for every driver to be a Formula 1 pilot and control the vehicle in a perfect manner. When drivers get behind the steering wheel, they must adhere to traffic rules. The road should lead drivers and when they make a mistake, it should protect them from fatal accidents.”

Non-compliance with the traffic conditions and speeding, which leads to loss of control, are among the most common causes of accidents in Bulgaria. Accidents also occur because many young drivers, who have not yet gained enough experience behind the steering wheel, are overconfident. 

Compiled by: Yoan Kolev

English version: Kostadin Atanasov