Regarding the increased number of accidents in recent days, Hristo Radkov from the Bulgarian Drivers' Association commented that the crash barrier cannot be the cause of the accident. It may not have held back, it may have done everything else that it should not have done, but it cannot have caused the accident.
The incident in question, in which the driver immediately said that he had a flat front left tire, which threw him into oncoming traffic, according to the expert, was due to driver error.
"There is some other reason. Is it technical, or something else. Let's assume that it is moving at 90 km/h, there is no way it can shift the trajectory of movement so sharply that it goes diagonally through the guardrail", Radkov claims to the Bulgarian National Radio.
"Regarding the restrictive facilities, I am one of the people who were in the group that wrote the last regulation on restrictive facilities. Which we worked on, if I'm not mistaken, for two years. It was promulgated in 2024 and has been in force since then".
That is, the roads that are built after 2024 must comply with this regulation, but not only them, but also those that are in operation must be brought into line with the requirements of this regulation.
Honestly, I have no idea why a period of 10 years should be given to bring the roads into line with the regulation. I am talking about the built roads.
The expert categorically rejected the idea of concrete restraint facilities on highways.
The main reason is that the restraint facility itself, such as the "Mantinella", absorbs the kinetic energy in a collision.
Therefore, the shock of the passengers in the vehicle is much smaller, and in addition, when part of the energy is absorbed, when the vehicle returns, it returns at a reduced speed.
While when you hit the concrete facility, it is exactly like in billiards, when the ball hits the cue. It continues at exactly the same speed. And then only the trajectory of movement changes.
"These facilities are used like the Lyulin tunnel in Sofia, where the speed is lower and it is not necessary that a foundation be made underneath for reinforcement," he adds.