The Institute for Road Safety came out with shocking violations regarding the registration of the ATV in Sunny Beach. According to the report of the non-governmental organization, the vehicle that caused the brutal accident on August 14 was registered with irregular documents and was illegally rented out. The technical inspection was also fake.
It turned out that there are dozens more reports of incidents related to the same vehicle, or similar ATVs. Their inspection shows that the documents presented are for a completely different electric vehicle without a valid European type approval. The registration certificate states that the buggy has a power of 4 kW and a mass of up to 580 kg. In reality, however, it has almost twice the power – 7 kW and a mass of nearly a ton.
"The GDP passed - illegally, they could have seen what we saw, which was heavier and did not meet the parameters. We have a collapse, corruption and negligence. The prime minister must immediately issue a red card, yellow cards will not do", said Bogdan Milchev from the Institute for Road Safety on Bulgarian National Television.
According to the racing driver Rumen Dunev, who also has a technical inspection station, immediate regulation is needed. At the stations, they compare the data from the frame and the registration card and it is not their duty to check the parameters of the engine itself.
Rumen Dunev: "In the specific case we are talking about, what is on the plate and on the registration card is the same, there is a photo of the engine, which is under the covers and there is a discrepancy there. That's why I say that the person who exercised control over the registration unintentionally or intentionally made a mistake".
There are many ads on the Internet for renting ATVs, but most of them offer extreme experiences, riding in a group on off-road terrain. Some ads even have an age requirement - 23 years and driving experience - no less than 3 years.
"Indeed, these machines - ATVs, UTVs, buggies, they are off-road. In Bulgaria, there is a practice of renting them out in urban environments because there is no regulation. And while there is no law regulating this activity, everyone does what they want".
In a resort area like Sunny Beach, where many pedestrians move, it is unacceptable to drive electric vehicles that develop such high speeds, the opinion of the Road Safety Institute also says.