The new measures to limit accidents will not lead to a significant result if they are not part of an overall strategy and a clearly defined system of responsibilities. Road safety experts Bogdan Milchev and Yonko Ivanov united around this thesis in the studio of "The Day Begins with Georgi Lyubenov".
Bogdan Milchev was categorical in his assessment of the announced actions:
"I hope for Prime Minister Radev, because he admitted that this is a very complex problem. And it really is complex. When something is complex, you have to seek help. If until now we lived in a model of shared irresponsibility, now we need to build a chain of responsibilities. There must be someone who is responsible for the state of road safety in the country, and not just for individual accidents."
According to him, the problem cannot be solved only through more control and sanctions:
"Penal repression has already been exhausted as a tool. It doesn't matter whether the police are on the road or in the offices. It doesn't matter whether you carry out another operation. This will not change the big picture. A completely different approach is needed."
The chairman of the Union of Driving Instructors Yonko Ivanov also insisted on a long-term vision instead of campaign measures:
"First, a road safety strategy must be built, in line with European directives and with a horizon of at least 10-15 years. Then, the person must be found to implement it through specific measures. We are currently acting piecemeal and the results show it."
He gave the example of the serious accident on "Chelopeshko Shose" a week ago and drew attention to the problems with the infrastructure and the lack of visibility at dangerous intersections:
"We are talking about speed, drugs and violations, but no one pays attention to the environment in which these accidents occur. There are places with limited visibility and unresolved infrastructure problems that have been known about for years."
According to Ivanov, a lasting improvement can only occur if society changes its attitude towards road traffic:
"We need to change the mentality in the family, in school and in society. We cannot give away 500 horsepower cars to young people and then wonder why serious accidents occur. Prevention begins long before the police check."
The two experts united around the thesis that the solution does not lie in single actions and campaigns, but in consistent state policy.