The European Centre for Transport Policy (ECTP) is sounding the alarm about a serious systemic problem with road safety, after official data revealed 2,673 violations committed by TIR drivers in Bulgaria between June 30 and July 6, 2026. The non-governmental organization sharply criticizes the control authorities for their administrative working hours from 9:00 to 17:30, while heavy goods traffic continues around the clock and generates fatal accidents.
From the official data obtained under the Access to Public Information Act (APIA), it is clear that the main share of offenses is related to improper driving. The most - 2,145 cases - are for driving TIRs in the overtaking lane, where this is explicitly prohibited. There were also 399 violations for unpaid toll fees, 107 for overloading vehicles, seven for driving in the emergency lane and 15 for not using seat belts.
“These data may seem like statistical details to you, but they are actually a diagnosis of a systemic problem“, the ECTP said.
The experts point to the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration“ (IAAA), which formally controls public freight transport and technical condition. The agency's official working hours are from Monday to Friday, between 09:00 and 17:30.
“The problem is that heavy goods traffic does not only move on weekdays and does not stop after 17:30. Trucks are not waiting for the administration to open to start on the highways“, the organization is categorical.
Although since July 1, the National Toll Administration has started registering violations for driving in the overtaking lane and transmitting the records to the Ministry of Interior, the ECTP asks what the control bodies actually do with this information. The lack of synchronization between the institutions leads to an accumulation of violations and increased risk for all road users, as well as the inability to adequately sanction foreign drivers.
In just a few days, the country witnessed a series of serious accidents involving TIRs. On June 22, a truck hit another on the “Struma“ highway. Two days later, on June 24, a TIR went through the guardrail on the “Thrace“ highway near Yambol and crushed a car, killing three people, including two children.
There were accidents near Malo Buchino on June 25 and near Karnobat on June 26. On July 3, two separate accidents involving TIRs blocked traffic on the “Hemus“ highway near Sofia for hours.
The ECTP emphasizes that the conversation about road safety should not be limited to the state of the infrastructure.
“Road safety is not just asphalt and guardrails. It is also control over the driver, the carrier, the load, the technical condition, compliance with prohibitions, the traffic regime and the subsequent sanction. The real role of the state is to work so that people do not die. This means prevention or control before the accident, not justifications after it“, experts add.