100 euro fine if scooter, bicycle and cart drivers refuse to undergo an alcohol and drug test. This is what majority MPs are proposing with amendments to the Road Traffic Act, bTV reports.
The idea of the changes is that scooters, bicycles and carts, although they move without an engine, are also vehicles and are subject to alcohol and drug tests.
"In principle, it is not a bad idea, because people who ride these scooters, if they are drunk or drugged, also endanger traffic on the roads, just like car drivers," commented a man with a scooter.
With regard to carts, at first glance it seems a bit funny that their drivers should be tested for alcohol and drugs, but they are also participants in traffic and accidents also occur with them.
A horse weighs about half a ton, and a cart weighs about a hundred kilograms. This is undoubtedly the largest vehicle without an engine, so it is important whether the person driving it is sober or not.
According to police data, in the first eight months of this year, 75 traffic accidents involving carts occurred, of which 21 were serious and 32 were minor. There were no fatalities.
There were 445 accidents involving scooters during the same period, with 7 fatalities and 364 injuries. In other words, the situation with scooters is truly alarming, and that is why GERB is proposing changes to the law that would require scooter drivers to have a driver's license.
"They may not have an engine, but they move at a certain speed, which is usually lower than that of other car traffic. Accordingly, if their drivers take any inadequate actions, as usually happens when we are talking about someone drunk or using drugs, this could become a prerequisite for an accident," commented Iliyan Todorov, a lawyer specializing in road safety cases.
The proposed changes will be discussed in parliament. However, the direction is clear - there will be stricter control and fines for drivers of carts, bicycles and scooters.