The problem with public transport of passengers and goods is much deeper and more serious than what society sees on the surface. The latest serious accident, which occurred early this morning on the “Hemus“ motorway, is another illustrative example of the systemic deficits in the sector and the lack of effective control.
This is stated in the position of the European Center for Transport Policies regarding the serious road accident that occurred on the “Hemus” motorway between a bus and a heavy truck that night.
According to unconfirmed information, the bus driver fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into the back of a heavy truck on the Hemus Highway in front of Yana Station. This same driver, again according to unofficial data, has dozens of violations (45), as well as a revoked driver's license for driving after drinking alcohol. This raises extremely serious questions about the mechanisms for control, tracking and allowing such drivers to operate public passenger transport.
According to information sent to the ECTP, the other driver (of the truck), who has twenty-nine registered violations, tested positive for the use of amphetamines. Additional concern is the information that the company - the owner of the heavy truck - is in an unstable financial situation. All this paints a disturbing picture of a sector in which control often seems formal, and prevention - practically absent.
In just less than a week on the "Hemus" motorway, three serious accidents involving vehicles subject to control by the specialized state body - the "Automobile Administration" Executive Agency. Unfortunately, over the years, this institution has repeatedly been associated with corruption scandals, suspicions of dependencies and decisions serving private interests at the expense of the public.
If these incidents are not enough to make it clear that the public passenger and freight transport sector needs deep reform, serious restructuring and, above all, real, not formal, control, then obviously the number of victims is no longer a factor capable of shaking the institutions. Neither the tragedy near Svoge, in which 20 people died, nor the accident near the village of Bosnek/Studena, which claimed the lives of 46 people, managed to become a real catalyst for systemic change.
It is not enough for the Ministry of Internal Affairs to report a “reduction“ of victims through controversial internal rules and administrative tricks in processing statistics. When the real picture of road traffic injuries is blurred in numbers and formal reports, society is left with the false feeling that the system is working, while serious accidents continue to occur with alarming frequency.
The existence of a State Agency “Road Traffic Safety“ is also not enough if it does not lead to real, measurable results and fails to impose effective policies, control and coordination between institutions. In practice, society does not see any significant change, but only another administrative structure that absorbs public resources without any visible effect on safety.
We hereby propose the closure of the State Agency “Road Traffic Safety“, the repeal of the controversial internal rules for registration, reporting and analysis of road accidents of the Ministry of Interior and the implementation of a comprehensive reform of the system for the control of public passenger and freight transport, which is managed by the EA “AA“.
Real, independent and effective control is needed, based on professional capacity, transparency and personal responsibility, and not formal administration of statistics and transfer of responsibility between institutions.
In the end, we again end up with the same scenario - we count the victims, listen to short statements after another tragedy and move on until the next serious incident.
For how long?