Yesterday, 12 people died and 48 were injured on the Trakia Motorway as a result of a crash involving 50 vehicles.
This was commented on Facebook by Historian Alexander Stoyanov, who was named the nation’s Person of the Year.
I have been driving in Bulgaria for 14 years, and I would like to make the following observations regarding why this crash happened:
The infrastructure in our country is beyond criticism — there is no system for providing drivers with early warnings about deteriorating weather conditions; road surfaces turn into a “mirror” with even the slightest drop in temperatures and accumulation of moisture; the asphalt itself has been laid poorly, and is full of potholes, bumps and uneven sections; the guardrails on both sides of the motorway seem to exist primarily so that activity can be reported, rather than to perform their actual functions.
Criminal negligence — this is my definition of the attitude of the state administration and the responsible authorities toward the condition of the roads in our country. BUT:
The second key factor is the criminal negligence of some drivers in our country. “Bulgarians are bad drivers” is an incorrect and overly simplistic interpretation. Most drivers here are good, conscientious people who follow the rules and comply with restrictions. The problem lies with the sizable group who do not, and who consider themselves omnipresent, all-knowing and all-powerful on the road.
It is precisely this group of irresponsible drivers that is to blame for the constant tragedies on the roads. Every one of us has witnessed such behavior — all it takes is half an hour in traffic and you will notice that at least 1 in every 100 cars is being driven in violation of the rules. With 4.42 million vehicles in our country, 1 in 100 would mean at least 44,200 drivers — not many compared with a population of 6,000,000, but enough to ruin human lives.
It is necessary and imperative to hold the institutions accountable — those responsible for the condition of the infrastructure in our country must face the consequences. But we must also hold ourselves accountable. Every one of us who gets behind the wheel must think about everyone else on the road. We are individuals who make up a community — both in life and on the road. If each of us does our very best, we will all live more peacefully, better and longer.