Electronic speeding tickets will be processed in thirty minutes, with a main focus on foreign drivers who transit through Bulgaria. The aim of the measure is for the sanctions to be handed to them as soon as they leave the country at border checkpoints. This was announced by the Minister of Interior Ivan Demerdzhiev during a roundtable on road safety in parliament on Tuesday.
The analysis of the Ministry of Interior (MI) shows that foreign drivers often create prerequisites for serious accidents. In recent days, four Ukrainian citizens died on the Ruse - Byala road, and three Iraqis lost their lives on the “Maritsa“ highway. Statistics show that trucks with foreign registrations regularly cause traffic accidents due to improper overtaking.
Due to the increased number of accidents involving heavy goods vehicles in recent weeks, the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Transport have launched mass inspections of the technical condition and serviceability of the tires of TIRs on domestic roads.
“The transport industry told me that as a result of the campaign, there will be no free hours for changing tires in the next few months. The condition of the tires of the TIRs is disgusting, their technical condition is also not satisfactory. Technically serviceable vehicles should be on the roads“, Ivan Demerdzhiev told MPs and representatives of industry organizations.
After the tragic accident on the “Trakia“ highway, the police began a massive inspection of the safety barriers. In several recent incidents in Sofia and the country, TIRs and buses broke through the metal fences and entered directly into oncoming traffic.
“There is no normal answer why there are two bolt holes on the guardrail, and there is only one on these stakes that are driven into the ground. The bolts that secure the guardrails must be very special, individually marked, meet specific conditions, this marking must guarantee their strength and durability, ability to withstand impact“, noted Demerdzhiev. He highlighted the major problem with road maintenance - poor grip pavement, neglected roadside areas and missing markings.
The Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works and the Ministry of Transport are discussing new legislative changes. These include administrative measures and restricting the movement of TIRs in the left lane of highways. More effective use of toll cameras is also planned, which, in addition to average speed, will record risky maneuvers and report them to the police in real time.
“Municipalities must participate in processes such as maintaining the infrastructure, providing cameras, including using funds from the Road Safety Fund“, added the Minister of the Interior, warning that he will report the inaction of local authorities and the road agency to the prosecutor's office.
The organizers of the discussion insist on better quality asphalt and stopping corrupt practices during repairs. It is proposed that the funds from fines be invested as a priority in infrastructure. One of the radical proposals envisages the construction of a public “wall of shame“ with a list of systematic violators, as well as the suspension of vehicles with unpaid penalties. A ban on driving in the dark for new drivers and cameras to detect mobile devices behind the wheel are being discussed.
“There are many institutions, ministries and municipalities that deal with a given part of the system, there is no integrated data that can be used as prevention. We focus mostly on penalties and do not talk about prevention“, commented Minister of Transport Georgi Peev.
Representatives of the transport sector expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of appropriate infrastructure for mass inspections. They pointed out that TIRs are stopped in the emergency lane, where temperatures in the cabins reach extreme values in the summer.
“I do not see why decent truck drivers should worry about inspections. The problem is unfair competition, overloading at certain times. This is what certain people do. None of us has allowed ourselves to condemn the transport industry. I am convinced that a large part of the problems are generated by the gray sector and that is why their trucks are in this condition“, replied Ivan Demerdzhiev.
The chairman of the Union of Automobile and Motorcycle Instructors, Yonko Ivanov, also expressed his position: “Many ministers and deputies have passed in thirty years. Only actions, fines and nothing positive. I heard that the drivers are again to blame, those who taught them and gave them licenses. The problem is the organization of traffic - where is the transport commission in the regional centers? We want to change something on streets where there are no signs.“
At the end of the debate, deputies noted that the data on deaths and injuries this year are significantly more alarming compared to 2024 and 2025.