From beginning of the year, 588 serious road accidents occurred on the territory of Sofia - 11 fewer than in the same period last year. This was stated by Commissioner Nikolay Krusharski, head of the "Traffic Police" department. in SDVR, quoted by BGNES.
"The injured in these incidents are 693 or 2 more. There have been 25 deaths on the territory of Sofia since the beginning of the year, or 14 less compared to the same period in 2023," Nikolay Krusharski also said.
These good results are due to the increased control of all services in the SDVR, not only the traffic police, but also the Security Police and several legal changes that were made last year.
"The most frequent violations in the territory of Sofia are the violations committed by drivers who drive at an excessive speed. Since the beginning of the year, 302,949 speeding violations have been registered in the capital. This is more than 32,000 more than the same period last year," Commissioner Krusharski explained, adding that this is one of the main violations.
The non-use of seat belts and other safety systems not only by drivers, but also by passengers in a given vehicle is a problem.
"Those punished since the beginning of the year are 1000 more compared to the previous period. In numbers, this means 6,273 drivers, passengers and people who transport their children incorrectly in the car", he specified.
Over 40 drivers have been fined for improperly driving electric vehicles, better known as scooters.
"They are growing. For last year, they were about 15", added Commissioner Krusharski. He emphasized that two children should not ride on a scooter, as is very often the case.
"The law requires persons under the age of 18 to use safety helmets when operating these scooters. This is also a common violation. We are identifying the parents of these children and sanctioning them for allowing the minor to get in this way and break the law," said Krusharski, answering a question about the most common violations with this type of vehicle. The fine is BGN 50.
Drivers allow themselves to exceed the speed limit most often on "Cherni vrah" blvd., the southern arc of the ring road, "Bulgaria" blvd. and other major thoroughfares.
"The highest speed violation was found on the Ring Road. The driver was traveling at over 260 km/h," he said.
Since the beginning of the year, 1,098 drivers have been identified who sat behind the wheel and consumed alcohol, and those who used narcotic substances are 635. "There is an increase in these cases. This is due to the fact that since the beginning of the year colleagues from the Regional Offices have been equipped with the relevant technical means – drug dealers who detect alcohol and drugs," said Commissioner Krusharski.