Another serious accident near Sofia has once again put on the agenda the issue of control over the acquisition of driver's licenses and the quality of driver training. What are the schemes with Czech licenses, how does the so-called “exam tourism“ work in Bulgaria and the role of the institutions that have been unable to deal with the problems in the sector for years. Eng. Angel Popov from the European Center for Transport Policies, former Deputy Minister of Transport, spoke to FACTS.
- Mr. Popov, we have once again witnessed a serious accident near Sofia. There are dead, there are injured, but the whole thing came to the fore with the case of how licenses are obtained in the Czech Republic. Let's start like this. What is the scheme?
- The case with the Czech licenses is very interesting. It concerns about 2000 Bulgarians who have Czech licenses. Probably the majority of them have legally and correctly acquired driver's licenses because they work or live in the Czech Republic, but there are also a number of people who have obtained their Czech licenses in some way. These people do not have the necessary education in our country - 10th grade to get a license, and that is why they go to the Czech Republic. They use an interpreter during the exam and most likely for a corresponding fee, things happen.
- How long has this scheme been operating?
- I could say many things, but for the moment I will remain silent, because all this is under investigation. But I want to say that this can be prevented. Because this was known and such an inspection could have been done a year or two ago.
- And why hasn't anything been done?
- I can't say for sure, the control authorities should have said it, but, believe me, it's not from yesterday. We're talking about a few years ago.
- For example, since the changes came into effect in our country that you have to have 10th grade in order to enroll in a course for a license...
- Yes, that might have been the reason for looking for a loophole.
- And why did we decide to have 10th grade in our country?
- It's simple - that's how it's assumed that people who get driver's licenses in Bulgaria know how to read and write. That was the idea of requiring 10th grade education. But when you don't have such a completed education, you look for options. When you acquire a Czech driver's license, there is something else. A subtle and very specific case. When you have a driver's license from the Czech Republic, and you are fined during a check in Bulgaria, the ticket goes to the address. So the driver with the Czech license will probably never receive it, because the address at which he is registered in the Czech Republic, he does not visit, does not reside there, does not exist there. That is why this whole scheme had to be developed preventively. In our country we have the State Agency "Road Traffic Safety", we have the Executive Agency "Automobile Administration". What do they do? That is what I am asking. The same people work in both, and as you can see, there is no improvement in road safety. So we have structures that are not effective. And why do we keep them, since they are not effective?
- How could the State Agency intervene in this case with the Czech license plates?
- The State Agency has unique rights. It can control and demand cooperation from all ministries that are related to road safety. It can propose, it can oblige, it can demand. But no one in this agency did anything. I would also intervene here in the Automobile Administration, because it is an important agency. It is simply that both structures are managed by people who have proven that they cannot deal with this problem. They do not want to, are not competent or are corrupt - we do not know. The fact is that these people are still in key positions. It is simply that in these structures it must be cut to the bone so that not a single ounce of rottenness is left. Because the things that arise from this are reduced to one word - corruption.
- Let's get back to how these gentlemen got their driver's licenses in the Czech Republic. What do you know?
- To put it simply - in some unregulated way. But believe me, it's no different in Bulgaria. Because in our country, corruption in training and obtaining driver's licenses is no less than in the Czech Republic. But I'm going back to the fact that everything depends on the people who manage the various agencies related to road safety.
- In FAKTI we wrote on the topic that somehow it has become fashionable for many candidate drivers who take the course in Sofia to take a practical exam in Pernik, Kyustendil and Vratsa. Why is it done?
- This is what we are talking about - – “exam tourism“. And here I will return to the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration“, because it is the umbrella for all the areas that deal with driving courses in Bulgaria. Did you know that in some areas the employee turnover is 80%? It is huge. Did you know that there is a practice for a candidate driver to train in Sofia, and at the end of the course to transfer to a driving school in Kyustendil or Vratsa, where he takes the exam?
- Why is it done?
- First of all, we must say that this is not illegal, it is not prohibited. It is simply necessary to make very serious reforms and change several regulations in order to stop this - 37th, 38th, 32nd and 41st regulations.
- But let's explain it - what is the purpose?
- You take a course in Sofia and go to an exam in Kyustendil. You study in Sofia all the time, then at the very end of the course you go to Kyustendil, where there are three traffic lights and the exam is easier there. There are already many nuances here that we can talk about, but I will give such an example. When you go to another city to take the final exam, it may happen that you appear before a certain chairman of an examination committee. Of course, this is agreed in advance. And this may eventually cost some money. That is why I have already asked several times in my interviews why this is allowed, why it is allowed and why state institutions do not react to this vicious practice. I want to raise the alarm about these problems. I hope that when I talk about the topic, someone will turn on their light and pay attention. And one more thing - there are statistics that are made at the end of the year, where how many driving tests have been successfully passed. If this information is requested, it will be very clear how in Sofia, for example, 75% of those who take the test take it, and in other cities near Sofia the success rate is 95%. You can figure out for yourself why more people there pass the test more easily. And when taking the tests themselves, there are also vicious practices. Then we see what this leads to - to accidents, to injuries, to the disability of many people, which then weighs on the budget.
- Let's go back to the topic of the tests for a moment. Don't we have video surveillance in our country too?
- Video surveillance works, but let me explain to you what the method of work is. This week I am an examiner, and my colleague is responsible for video surveillance. Next week is the opposite. Where is the control?
- Isn't there a third instance that can control?
- There is none. Do you think that this is not how "services" are done? The control of training and technical inspections cannot be done by people who are not legally qualified to do it. This should be done by people with qualifications and experience. An ordinary citizen has no way of understanding the mistakes.
- Is the practice the same in other areas?
- Of course. We are speaking symbolically about Sofia, Pernik, Kyustendil and Vratsa. This is the case everywhere. Statistics are the key. This "exam tourism" can be checked very easily. We have good statistics, but they are not used.
- Tell me about another interesting case with the driving license exam?
- I ask a question: “Are there any examiners in the State Traffic Safety Administration who are directly related to driving schools?“ I am not doing it by chance, because in the coming days we may witness another scandal. This way of working has not stopped. Are there driving schools in which 30 training cars are registered, rented in a very “special way“, and two or three employment contracts are presented during an inspection? I hope that the authorities will listen to the industry. In everything related to obtaining driving licenses, there is a huge gray sector that needs to be brought to light. Currently, the gray sector is financially stronger than the bright one. And one begins to ask oneself why work in the bright one. There is a lot of work to be done on the topic of road safety and the sooner we organize, the better, because tragedies on the roads are already an everyday occurrence. And believe me, it is very easy to change all this. You just have to have the will and character to work. If someone expresses a desire to make serious reforms, it is very easy, because everything is known. The legacy is very heavy on the topic of road safety - in road control, training, road infrastructure, etc.