Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

National protest demanding tougher penalties for road accidents, legislative changes and better road infrastructure

Photo: BGNES - archive

A national protest against road accidents will take place today. Roads will be blocked in a number of cities across the country where serious accidents have occurred. 

"We are at war. Every year 500-600 people die in road accidents involving motor vehicles. Most of the victims are young people," Ivan Spasov, organiser of the protest and representative of 250 Bulgarian families who have lost loved ones in road accidents, told BNR. 

The protesters want tougher penalties, legislative changes and better road infrastructure. Among their demands is that driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs be recognised as a deliberate crime. According to Spasov, under the current law, if a driver kills a person, he now remains in custody for 3 months. After that, he either absconds or gets a suspended sentence.

In 2022 alone, 531 people were killed and 8,422 injured in 6,609 serious traffic accidents on Bulgaria's roads, according to Interior Ministry statistics.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Heavy traffic of truck near Danube Bridge at the border with Romania

The traffic of trucks in the area of the Danube Bridge at the border with Romania is heavy.  This situation is expected to continue over the weekend as the trucks that were waiting at the Kapitan Andreevo crossing at the Bulgarian-Turkish border for..

published on 11/22/24 3:36 PM

Traffic to the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing between Bulgaria and Turkey is normalised

The truck traffic on the Maritsa highway to the Kapitan Andreevo border crossing at the Bulgarian-Turkish border is now normalized. "As of this morning, there are no more queues of trucks standing on the roadway waiting to cross the border," assured..

published on 11/22/24 3:04 PM

European Public Prosecutor's Office conducts searches in four Bulgarian cities for alleged fraud with EU funds

At the request of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, searches have been carried out in Sofia, Burgas, Petrich and Rila in connection with an investigation into alleged fraud with EU funds in the restoration of a church. In 2017, a public tender..

published on 11/22/24 1:42 PM