The lack of real control, deep dependencies and corruption at the highest levels of power are the main reasons for the serious accidents and victims on Bulgarian roads. This was stated by the former Deputy Minister of Transport Angel Popov and the Chairman of the Association of Driving Schools Krasimir Georgiev on the air of the TV “Eurocom“.
The two experts revealed shocking schemes with fictitious technical inspections, deliberately poor training of young drivers and a total lack of control over overloaded TIRs.
According to the former Deputy Minister Angel Popov, corruption in the “Automobile Administration“ sector has reached unprecedented proportions, with high-ranking state officials unofficially owning technical inspection points and driving schools. These sites enjoy a full administrative “umbrella“ and guaranteed clientele, while their competitors on the market are subjected to constant harassment and targeted inspections.
“There are points with manipulated devices all over Bulgaria, the management knows about them very well“, Popov was categorical. He also revealed the existence of “mailbox“ companies – hundreds of transport companies that register at the same address in completely depopulated villages in the country, solely in order to escape effective control by the inspection authorities.
Krassimir Georgiev warns that for years the same problems have been talked about, but instead of real reforms, the state apparatus remains passive. According to him, key structures such as the State Agency “Road Traffic Safety“ and the Executive Agency “Automobile Administration“ are managed by a narrow circle of people who simply change their positions in a carousel of power.
“It is not possible for some people who are subscribed to be executive directors, deputy ministers, ministers“, commented Angel Popov in turn, comparing the current situation with the old nomenclature, but adding that today's personnel are distinguished by an exceptional “greed for money“ and a total lack of professional competence.
Experts add that the poor-quality training of new drivers is deliberately maintained in order to generate bribes during the exams. They insist that an immediate inspection of the video recordings of the practical exams of all drivers who have caused serious road accidents in the country should begin.
The state of heavy goods transport is particularly alarming. Experts point out that a widespread practice in our country is the use of dangerous "retread" tires on the front axle of TIRs, which is absolutely prohibited by law. In addition, nearly half of the heavy-duty trucks and TIRs in some regions are driven drastically overloaded - sometimes by over 20 tons above the permissible limit. This not only destroys the asphalt pavement, but also makes the vehicles completely unmanageable when braking.
The black statistics for Bulgaria remain tragic - in 2024 alone, 479 people died on the roads, and over 9,000 were injured. The risk of a fatal accident in our country is 42% higher than the average for the European Union. At the same time, neighboring Greece has managed to reduce its victims by half through strict state policies and uncompromising road control.
As a rare example of a positive sign and courage, experts have identified the actions of the police officers who recently stopped and sanctioned the daughter of a former municipal councilor driving a luxury car. According to them, law enforcement officers have finally “overcome the fear“ of political pressure.