More than BGN 523 million earmarked for road safety remains unused, despite Bulgaria continuing to rank among the European Union countries with the highest number of road fatalities. This is according to an audit by the Bulgarian National Audit Office examining the operation and management of the Road Safety Fund within the Ministry of the Interior between 2021 and 2025.
The audit found that just over BGN 125 million was spent during the five-year period. Of that amount, nearly BGN 48 million was used directly for road safety measures, just over BGN 67 million was allocated to activities only partially related to road safety, and approximately BGN 10 million was spent on activities unrelated to road safety, including building renovations, air-conditioning systems, office supplies, competitions and other administrative expenses.
Over the four-and-a-half-year audit period, the Road Safety Fund received BGN 428 million from fines. The fund was established in 2011 to finance measures aimed at reducing road traffic accidents. However, a substantial proportion of its resources has remained unspent.
According to Rosena Gadzheva, the regulatory framework governing the fund's management is inadequate.
“The management of the fund is not sufficiently regulated by law. A significant proportion of the funds has been spent on measures and activities with possible dual purposes, both for improving road safety and for other objectives.”
Only around 1% of the fund's resources were spent on initiatives aimed at improving child safety and public awareness campaigns. Meanwhile, funds were used for activities such as the “Police Officer of the Year” awards and renovations of regional police buildings.
Road safety experts have expressed concern over the findings.
Diana Rusinova said that the fund should have been used to finance improvements at high-risk accident locations and to support road safety projects on both the national and municipal road networks.
Iliya Todorov warned that leaving the money unused allows inflation to erode its value while essential road safety projects continue to lack funding.
The Ministry of the Interior said that Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev has ordered a review of the fund's current activities and instructed that future spending be directed exclusively towards measures directly linked to improving road safety and reducing accidents.
The audit also highlights concerning trends in road traffic incidents. During the period under review, more than 485,000 road accidents were recorded nationwide.
The number of accidents increased by 11%, while the number of injured people rose by 19%. Serious injuries increased by approximately 30%.
Although the number of fatalities declined, with 478 people losing their lives on Bulgarian roads in 2024 — 15% fewer than in 2021 — Bulgaria continues to rank among the EU countries with the highest rates of road deaths.
Over the past four and a half years, the Ministry of the Interior’s “Road Safety Fund” has received 428 million leva from traffic fines. It was established in 2011 to finance measures aimed at reducing road accidents. However, a large portion of the funds remains unspent.
Rosena Gadzheva, Director of the “Execution” Directorate at the National Audit Office: “ The management of this fund is not well regulated by law. A large portion has been spent on measures and activities with a potentially dual purpose—both to improve road safety and for other activities.”
Only 1% of the funds were spent on activities to improve road safety related to protecting children’s lives and on public awareness campaigns. However, the money was used for contests such as “Police Officer of the Year” and renovations of various police stations. These facts are a cause for concern among experts.
Diana Rusinova – European Centre for Transport Policy: “Money from this fund should have been allocated not only to high-risk road sections and to improving safety on the national road network in general, but also for direct investments in municipalities where there are also road safety issues.”
Iliya Todorov – Association of Road Accident Victims: “ The money is sitting there, not being spent; inflation is eroding its value, which is a problem; at the same time, there is no money for many road safety projects—whether for technical support or for infrastructure improvements that would lead to safer roads.”
The Ministry of the Interior explained that Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev had requested a review of the current status of activities under the “Road Safety” Fund and has ordered that, going forward, expenditures from the fund be made only for activities directly related to improving road traffic conditions. Against this backdrop, the data on traffic accidents in Bulgaria remains alarming. During the audit period, over 485,000 traffic accidents were recorded in the country.
The number of accidents is rising—by 11% over the period—and the number of injuries is also increasing—by 19%; there has also been a rise in the number of seriously injured—by about 30%. The number of fatalities is decreasing—478 people lost their lives on the roads in 2024, a 15% decrease compared to 2021. However, we still rank among the top countries in terms of the number of road fatalities.
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