On Friday, in the wee hours of the night, a 21-year-old driver crashed his sports car, which later became clear that it was not his, into a bus of the capital's public transport. A 65-year-old man died, and there were also seriously injured.
On this topic of our roads and road hooliganism, psychologist Rosen Yordanov and Nikolay Popov - the father of Siyana, who died in an accident, spoke to bTV.
“For us to have such a driver who can afford to drive at 170 km/h in a populated area, to accumulate 6 fines in 2 weeks, this means that firstly he is ill-mannered, and secondly, for me he is uneducated. Such people are born by the system, which for years has been focusing on everything but not on the proper upbringing of drivers, on the correct qualification“, said Nikolay Popov.
And he was categorical – a revision of the entire system is necessary, beyond legislative changes.
„What legislative changes, what can stop such a person, when he cannot even read the law, nor does he know it“, Popov further explained.
And he drew a parallel between this incident and his personal tragedy, in which his daughter died.
„Driving a car in a populated area at such a speed is the same as driving a truck in heavy rain at 83 km/h“, he said.
„The lack of secondary education, purchased licenses and the lack of control form such drivers. Abroad, Bulgarians behave differently – they follow the rules. The problem is not only in the personality, but also in the environment, which radiates the possibility of breaking the law“, he further specified.
Six tickets in just two weeks with a driver's license. What shapes such a driver? His family and society shape him, explains psychologist Rosen Yordanov.
„It is important to note that when a person is placed in an environment that radiates the potential for control and discipline, he begins to comply. The lack of such social and institutional control mechanisms leads to risky behavior“, the psychologist explained.
Another key factor is the personal, subjective interpretation of the situation.
„In Bulgaria, people often show a slightly provincial approach – they immediately begin to break the rules. Abroad, the same people are more restrained, because the environment imposes compliance with the law“, said Yordanov.