With a package of 31 measures and legislative changes, the state is working around the clock to control road safety, said the Minister of Transport and Communications Georgi Peev. He and Deputy Minister of Transport Hristina Velinova participated in a demonstration training on safe driving on the "Drakon" highway near the village of Kaloyanovo, organized jointly with the civil initiative "SIYANIE".
The two participated in testing critical situations on the road. The initiative is part of the government's targeted efforts to limit serious road injuries, where statistics show worrying trends.
During the meeting, Minister Peev presented detailed details about serious accidents. He noted that over 50% of accidents involving new drivers are self-inflicted due to lack of sufficient skills in critical situations, and not as a result of a collision with another vehicle. As an additional example, the minister pointed to a recently reported nighttime accident on a wide road with perfect visibility, in which an empty bus without passengers entered the oncoming traffic with a head-on collision, without any other objective reasons other than the human factor, fatigue or distraction.
To counter such tragedies, a serious preventive approach is being prepared. The state plans to build a minimum of six specialized training grounds. In them, new drivers will be required to undergo special training within the first two years after receiving their license to master dangers such as aquaplaning, U-turns and low grip on the asphalt, in order to build stable reaction reflexes. The imposition of legal restrictions on the power of cars for new drivers during this two-year period is also being considered.
The Minister was categorical that fines alone do not solve the problem. “We must start from the school, from the family and we must change the culture of people who drive, which is precisely why I am here today for this joint event“. He added that campaigns in schools are needed, a change in training, including advanced training, and only then to move on to control and fines.
Minister Peev made a comparison in the sectors and reassured the public about security, giving aviation as an example: “There is no plane that we do not have information about and is not under our control. So be calm about all planes in our airspace.“