Road traffic injuries in the country remain at an unacceptably high level, despite the strategic efforts undertaken and partial positive trends reported. This is the conclusion of the institutions that adopted the annual report on the state of road safety in Bulgaria for 2024.
The report emphasizes that by 2024, although some indicators are improving, the weak implementation of measures and the insufficient commitment of institutions to prevention lead to severe human and social consequences.
Road traffic continues to grow - 14.4% growth in mileage compared to 2019, which increases the pressure on the road system and the risk of accidents. Although the number of deaths has decreased by 9% compared to 2023 and by 23.9% compared to 2019, there has been an increase in serious accidents with victims and seriously injured persons – a trend that places additional emphasis on the need for systematic prevention.
The report also outlines the main recommendations that should find a place in the actions of the responsible institutions in implementing the national policy, namely:
► Ensuring the necessary resources for consistent and systematic prevention of the identified risks, based on data from the annual reports and the analysis of the implementation of the GDP Strategy 2021-2030.
► Implementation of the Work Program to the Operational Plan for 2025, approved by the Council of Ministers, which contains specific measures, deadlines and responsibilities of all involved administrations.
► Achieving institutional mobilization and political will, corresponding to the scale and seriousness of the road transport crisis.
► Financial guarantee for the implementation of the Strategy 2021-2030 through sustainable budgeting and program financing mechanisms.
► Acceleration of planned legislative changes to increase the effectiveness of control.
► Creation of a centralized and modern information system for road accidents and BDP, for analytical management and informed decision-making.
► Prioritization of safety in road infrastructure management, including structural changes, risk analysis and safety needs.
► Financial support to municipalities for building local capacity and implementing safety measures.
► Building a new culture of behavior on the road through educational policies, family education, public campaigns and a strong institutional presence in the media.
The meeting was attended by representatives of the non-governmental sector, who posed numerous questions and proposals to the institutions. The emphasis was on the need to strengthen the powers of the State Agency for Road Safety and Traffic Safety, so that its recommendations do not remain wishful. All proposals will be summarized and considered by the competent institutions, and the response to the raised issues will be sent to all members and observers in the State Agency for Road Safety.
In addition, the issue of personnel changes in the administrations and, more specifically, in the State Agency for Road Safety was raised in connection with a declaration requesting the resignation of the Chairman submitted to the Prime Minister by several non-governmental organizations. In this regard, the majority of the representatives of the non-governmental organizations present expressed the opinion that road safety is not a task that can be solved only by one agency or ministry or only by the civil sector, but is a cause around which we must all unite. In this sense, personnel changes are not a working tool with which to achieve good results. They called on the institutions to consistently implement the identified measures, to be dialogical and to improve their synchronisation in the name of road safety in the country. The institutions, in turn, expressed their gratitude for the coordinating role of the Agency for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in this process and emphasized the leading role of the agency in ensuring the coherence of the actions of the various departments among themselves and with the goals of the National Strategy.