Prime Minister Rumen Radev on June 8 convened a meeting with responsible institutions to discuss measures to improve road safety. The talks at the Council of Ministers include representatives of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works, the Ministry of Transport and Communications, as well as the State Agency “Road Traffic Safety”. The Mayor of Sofia Municipality, Vasil Terziev, has also been invited.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister, said:
"Society has for many years been faced with an issue that continues not to find an adequate solution. We know very well that the road transport system is an extremely complex socio-technical system. We know that in Bulgaria we are among the first or leading countries in the European Union in terms of trauma and mortality on our roads. We also know that efforts have been made for years to reduce this road traafic-related death rates, but so far these efforts have not shown significant progress."
According to data from the World Health Organization, losses from road traffic accidents amount to up to 3% of gross domestic product, but these are only material losses. The moral and human losses, however, are simply immeasurable. Parents lose their children, children lose their parents, teenagers and young people die, as do elderly people, and we continue to fail to address this extremely complex and important problem for our society, Radev stressed.
According to him, the causes are highly complex and well known. They include the condition of roads, driver training and licensing, the work of municipalities and control authorities, and — very importantly — the acquisition of adequate knowledge, education and discipline by each of us as drivers and road users, Radev said.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister:
"The first thing that happens when there is a high-profile case is that we change the laws, and we do so. Penalties become even harsher, fines increase, but the effect is not achieved to the extent we want to see. Why? Because, as I said, this is a complex process. And when we also have delayed justice, delayed investigations and delayed reporting, things begin to look very disappointing for society itself.
The weight of all legal penalties starts to lose its strength if there is no timeliness, if there is no precise determination, if offenders continue to evade justice."
“And that is why I want us today to clarify all these issues, because the accident that has brought this to the fore – the crash near Chelopetchene – is merely another case that has ended in this way. Yet every day we witness dozens, even hundreds, of acts of hooliganism on our roads that remain undetected, unproven and unpunished. That is where I want us to begin.
I know what you will tell me, including colleagues at the Ministry of the Interior. I know how difficult it is to establish responsibility, but I will expect measures to be put in place so that we start there. I am certain that the Ministry of the Interior is aware of, and has information about, the locations where these races and so-called drifting events take place. I am also certain that it has information about the individuals involved in such activities,” the Prime Minister said.
Rumen Radev, Prime Minister: “I know it will not take long to prepare, as I discussed with the Minister of the Interior, a comprehensive mapping of the entire country – not only in Sofia, but everywhere that reckless drivers and hooligans, however one chooses to describe them, are harassing other citizens and, more seriously, endangering their lives and health.
And I expect us to start there. However difficult coordination may be, at the very least the Ministry of the Interior, with the full enforcement powers of the state at its disposal, must ensure that these acts of hooliganism are brought to a halt. No leniency whatsoever for offenders who endanger the health and lives of Bulgarian citizens.”
“How you increase patrols, how you monitor them, how you gather evidence – I know you have your own methods. I know it is difficult at present, particularly when it comes to securing evidence that will stand up in court, but we must learn from those countries that have achieved success in this area.
This is a longer-term process, but we must begin with draconian measures. And I will expect them from you. I am confident that if the Ministry of the Interior, with the support of municipalities, local authorities and all other relevant institutions, stands united, we will be able to protect, once again I stress, the health and lives of innocent citizens and road users.
I expect the full force of the law to be applied. I expect effective action. I know that you have measures to propose. I know there is much for us to discuss in terms of coordination. I know that roads in many places are in a dreadful condition, but all of us together must take measures which, given the current state of the road network, can reduce road casualties and ensure greater safety,” the Prime Minister added at the start of the meeting.
Чуй новините
Подкаст
