Minister of Interior: Tougher sanctions for drink and drug driving are needed

The MPs from the Parliament’s committee on internal security and public order on May 17 hear the caretaker Minister of the Interior, Ivan Demerdzhiev, after the serious car crash on the capital's “Slivnitsa” Boulevard, in which two young people died - a 23-year-old boy and a girl, aged 19, died at the scene while crossing a pedestrian crossing after being hit by an 18-year-old drive, driving at a very high speed.

A working group in the Ministry of Interior is working to propose options to solve the problem of road trauma. They are working in several directions, with proposals to amend the Criminal Code and the Road Traffic Act, Ivan Demerdzhiev said.

He said more comprehensive measures were needed, tougher penalties for those driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol and for those refusing blood tests.

Fully tackling the issue would require a longer period, Demerdzhiev said, citing Spain as an example where it has taken 10 years to tackle road traffic trauma.

Image by BGNES

Demerdzhiev said it is suggested:

• To criminalise the refusal to carry out checks and detect drugs in the blood.
• To criminalize the refusal for alcohol concentration, to make it a crime to refuse again.
• Increase penalties for speeding and passing through when red traffic light is shown, increase penalties, that include imprisonment.
• The proposed legislative changes relating to the Road Traffic Act are as follows: to regulate in detail the maximum speed limits for traffic in settlements, outside settlements and on motorways. It is proposed to reduce the maximum speed limit on motorways and to reduce the speed limit in certain urban areas from 50 to 30 km per hour.
• Refinement of road traffic rules, with additional rules proposed for pedestrian safety.
• introducing specific obligations on road owners to put up signs and carry out repairs.
• Provide for new drivers to be able to drive accompanied for a certain period of time.
• propose a change in the level of administrative penalties such as fines and the period for the revocation of a driving licence.

One part of the problem is that documents issued cannot be served effectively, the Minister said.

Part of the problem in the Road Traffic Act is related to making use of available capacity and technical facilities. The data from the thousands of cameras operating in the country cannot be used. If the legislation allowed these cameras to be used, they would be much more effective and drivers much more strict, he said.

Regarding domestic violence, Demerdzhiev said they are also proposing several measures.

Some of them are to create an additional protection mechanism, as well as an obligation for relatives to inform the competent authorities about acts of violence. Also - a ban on the perpetrator to make contact with the victim in any form, a ban on the possession of weapons and pyrotechnics, to create a national register of victims of domestic violence.