The Ministry of Internal Affairs has launched a large-scale campaign on the roads throughout the country. The main emphasis is on limiting road injuries and increasing the safety of all road users. The campaign will last until Sunday.
During the checks, police teams will monitor the use of alcohol and narcotics, the use of seat belts, the presence of valid “Civil Liability“ insurance and the annual technical inspection of cars.
At a briefing in Plovdiv, the director of the Directorate of Internal Affairs, Senior Commissioner Vasil Kostadinov, announced that from August 1, a laboratory will be operational for testing blood samples of drivers, whether they gave a positive result in a field test for drugs. The results are expected to be ready within two to three days.
According to him, the police are also using new methods for traffic control. Among them is the monitoring of key road sections with drones, through which violations are identified, and drivers are subsequently sanctioned. The so-called linear control with civilian police cars continues, which signal violators via an electronic sign “Police - stop, follow me“. In this way, about 50 drivers have already been sanctioned.
The Ministry of Internal Affairs indicated that an analysis of the field tests used for narcotic substances is being carried out and work is being done on the implementation of more reliable means of verification.
As part of the action, law enforcement officers are also controlling the noise levels emitted by motor vehicles. Particular attention is paid to motorcycles, whose modified exhausts often create discomfort for citizens.
The head of the “Traffic Police“ sector in Plovdiv, Radoslav Nachev, announced that an international police operation has been launched across Europe since the beginning of the week, aimed at identifying drivers who have used alcohol or drugs. He specified that not all drivers will be tested for drugs, but only those in whom the police detect signs such as red eyes, sweating or a dry mouth.
“With the onset of the summer season, road control has been intensified. In just two days in Plovdiv, 11 motorcycles have been stopped from traffic because of removed noise-canceling devices,” said Nachev. The “Traffic Police“ added that the working hours of the officers have been changed so that road control continues into the later hours of the day.