Another serious accident on the “Chelopeshko shosse“ near Sofia has once again put the issue of uncontrolled races on the roads and the efficiency of institutions on the agenda. In the brutal incident, in which a car crashed into a bus with workers, four people died and many others were injured. The tragedy is not just the result of reckless driving, but shows serious problems in the road control system and lack of managerial responsibility. Tencho Tenev, former director of the Sofia Traffic Police, spoke to FACTI.
– Mr. Tanev, we witnessed another serious accident, as during a race, according to the information provided, a car crashed into a bus, there are now 4 victims and many injured. Is there a solution to the problem of road racing, let's start with that?
– At this stage, as I see it, there is no solution to the problem of road racing, after so many people died in a ridiculous way. We also remember the case of the incident in which a young driver crashed his car into a public transport bus in the center of Sofia, also traveling at over 150 km/h. So far, the leadership of the Traffic Police has done absolutely nothing about this issue. For me, the fault lies mainly with the Traffic Police, because it has not implemented effective control over these bandits on the road.
– But can a police officer be placed next to everyone who decides to drive at 150 km/h?
– It is not a question of having a police officer next to everyone. The question is to have prevention. It should be seen that there are police teams that pass through specific sections during a certain period of time, especially where there are signals of racing. These places are well-known. This is where the role of the Traffic Police leadership is – to properly analyze the risk and direct resources where they are needed. But the Traffic Police is currently depersonalized. I will tell you why. A former Traffic Police chief, who was later appointed Deputy Traffic Police Chief at the General Directorate of the “National Police” – Mr. Krusharski, managed to decapitate the structure. About 40 Traffic Police officers were laid off and transferred to other units.
No matter how few officers the Traffic Police had on the road, they became even fewer afterwards. It took a whole year after this purge for it to become clear that serious traffic accidents were increasing. Only then was a competition announced for 40 new police officers who are still being trained, are yet to complete their training, and are yet to be introduced to the job.
– What does this show in your opinion? A different vision for management?
– I wouldn't call it a vision for management. People with 20 years of experience in the Traffic Police were removed - proven professionals. They simply had to be removed. Only after the effect of this decision was seen - lack of people, lack of resources and inability to exercise sufficient control on the roads, the management began to organize competitions and hire new employees. In my opinion, this is an extremely wrong management approach and the people who made such decisions have no place in leadership positions in the Traffic Police.
– What do you think the reaction of the institutions should be after this tragedy?
– Once again, I call for urgent measures to be taken. Just as the prime minister comes out and stands behind certain decisions with his name, just as commitments are made on topics such as pensions or maternity, so in such a serious traffic accident with so many victims, everyone must take responsibility. I watched the reports on the night of the accident, and later I visited the scene itself. The mayor of Sofia, the mayor of the Kremikovtsi district, Mrs. Lilia Donkova, the deputy city prosecutor, the head of the department for serious traffic accidents were there. Only the head of the traffic police was not there... Instead, an employee who had been the head of a group for only three months was sent to provide explanations on the case. The next day, during the briefing at the SDVR, the deputy prosecutor general explained in detail what had been done in the investigation. The traffic police again sent a young inspector with less than half a year of experience in this position. And I ask: where is the head of the traffic police?
When I was in charge of the traffic police, the entire leadership was on the spot when serious traffic accidents occurred. It was the leaders who were the first to appear before the media and provide information to the public. Now I don't see either the head or the two deputy heads. We see a newly appointed head of a group who is left alone to explain what happened. And when it comes to such a serious tragedy, the public has the right to hear the position of the people who bear the greatest responsibility.
I am very sad about what happened, because innocent people died. Workers who came from the other side of the world to earn a living for their families. They died because of the recklessness of people who turn the roads into a place for races and demonstrations of force.
This is a tragedy that cannot be explained by just one human error. Institutional responsibility must also be sought here. And a group of "Kalashnikovs" who are what they are, bandits who cannot get a license, go all the way to the Czech Republic according to an old scheme.
– You opened a very interesting topic. In which countries of the European Union can a driver's license be issued to a person without a completed secondary education?
– I am mainly talking about Greece and the Czech Republic. These are the two countries in the European Union where you can get a driver's license when you only have a primary education. In Bulgaria, the requirement is different, but in these countries the regime is more liberal.
The scheme is especially in the Czech Republic as follows. If you want to get a license, they record a fictitious address. For 185 days, you are recorded as living and working there. Then they schedule an exam for you. During the exam, you can be helped by a translator - Czech or Bulgarian - who stands next to you, reads the leaflets and can practically assist you in solving them.
It is about between 4 and 5 thousand euros. With that much you can buy a driving license in the Czech Republic. However, I think that the Czech authorities will pay attention to this problem, because it is not just about the specific case that has now aroused public interest in Bulgaria. I believe that there will be stricter measures when it comes to foreign citizens. Bulgarians and Romanians benefit the most from this scheme.
– How long has this scheme been in effect?
– We are talking about a period of about three or four years. After the requirement for applicants for a driver's license to have completed the 10th grade came into force in Bulgaria, many people began to look for loopholes in other European Union countries where there is no such requirement. This is how the easier option was found in the Czech Republic. There, the regime is more liberal. A large part of these people in our country, and not only, have been driving cars for years without licenses anyway. They have no problem driving a car, but they do not have the necessary education to meet the Bulgarian requirements.
I will give you an example from the time when I was a young traffic policeman on the Dimitrovgrad - Haskovo road. I stopped a "Moskvich" car that was moving suspiciously. We asked for the driver's documents, then I handed him a sheet of paper and a pen and asked him to write his three names. He answered me: “I can't write.“
Imagine – the man couldn't write, but he had a driver's license. Even then, serious questions arose about how such documents are issued. No matter how far we go back in time, we will always find similar cases. This shows that the problem is not from yesterday. We are talking about people who cannot read and write, and yet, in one way or another, they have been granted the right to drive a car.
– After every serious accident, analyses and promises of measures begin, but it seems that nothing changes. Don't we learn lessons from road tragedies?
– We always have to learn lessons, but somehow everything passes in three days and then is forgotten. I am confident that at the moment the state, represented by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Internal Affairs, will do everything possible to bring prevention to the forefront. But here I want to raise another question. We have the State Agency "Road Traffic Safety". Have you ever seen a person from this agency at the scene of a serious accident? Have you heard of any specific plans and measures for road safety from this agency?
This agency is directly subordinate to the Prime Minister and coordinates the work between the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Transport, the Ministry of Regional Development, the Ministry of Health and a number of other institutions. This is the state unit that should set the direction when we talk about road safety. And what do we hear from this agency? Nothing. The agency does not exist. The people who work there have never set foot on the road and do not know what a serious road accident is. How come we have never seen them at the scene of a serious accident? In my opinion, this agency should also be turned inside out and competent people who understand the matter should start working there.
I also think that the leadership of the Traffic Police should be changed.
Employees who were subject to disciplinary checks in my time have now been appointed there.
People who caused damage to the state later became heads of the Traffic Police, and then deputy heads of the Traffic Police for the entire country. In the end, what does it turn out like? People who do not do their job and who, with their decisions, removed dozens of employees from the system, are now leading the Traffic Police. And the results are there. That is why I call on the Minister of Internal Affairs to take urgent measures and demand the resignations of the leaders who are responsible. That is where the key to the problem lies. These people sit in their offices and we do not see them when they should be in the field. Where was the head of the Traffic Police after the last tragedy? We did not see him. Instead, young employees who are still learning and have to give explanations to the public are coming out.
At the same time, I was very impressed by the work of the fire department. We saw how people reacted immediately, how they controlled the situation and prevented an even greater tragedy. If the fire had not been extinguished so quickly, the consequences could have been even more severe. I express my personal admiration for the former director of the fire department, Nikolay Nikolov. Let everyone see how the firefighters act - stretched out in uniform, prepared, calm, speaking clearly and professionally. They came out and explained to the public what happened. And what do we see with some of the police officers on the roads? I was recently stopped by a colleague with gold chains, tattoos on his arms and a beard like a Taliban. One wonders if he is a police officer or a bandit. This is not the image that an institution should project. This is not the discipline that society expects from the police.