Drivers with revoked licenses for alcohol and drugs will have to take a new exam. This will be written into a regulation that is subject to public discussion until May 21.
Last year, there were nearly 15 thousand cases of revoked licenses due to alcohol, drugs or refusal to take a test. More than 9,500 were caught driving with over 0.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood. Over 3,000 drivers tested positive for drugs. Another 2,350 refused to be tested – according to the law, their licenses are also confiscated.
According to Krasimir Georgiev, who has been a driver for 46 years, the idea of a test for guilty drivers is good, but he also sees risks for people who, like him, take a lot of medication: “Drug tests, especially - even if you took analgin... I am a disabled person, I often take painkillers, and when they decide to test you, this will show up.“
The measure for a re-examination after a license has been revoked is also causing concern among lawyers, as the drivers with false positive drug tests in a field test will be the most affected.
“It is precisely with these people, in whom the blood test and the expertise show that the field test gave a false positive result and they did not use drugs, that a problem arises. They fall under the general norm of taking an exam if their licenses are revoked just because of the field test. Taking an exam for them is absolutely unjustified. A court case can drag on for about 5 years if they seek compensation“, explained lawyer Ivaylo Yurukov from the Sofia Bar Association.
The Association for Qualification of Motorists in Bulgaria points out that the measure is not new. The Road Traffic Act states that drivers who have committed a significant violation have their license revoked until they successfully pass a test exam.
“When the test exams were held at the traffic police, violators were sent en masse. After the exams were no longer held at the traffic police, this measure suddenly stopped being used. In other countries, prevention is the focus – violators are worked with individually. There is no such thing here. "It mainly relies on the fine," said Krasimir Georgiev, chairman of the Association for Qualification of Motorists in Bulgaria.
The organization adds that an independent theoretical exam, without going through training classes again, will not have an educational effect, but only a short-term stressful result that quickly fades.