site.btaAt Emergency Meeting, PM, Government Officials Map Out Measures to Reduce Road Traffic Accidents

Sofia, November 19 (BTA) - Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov called an extraordinary meeting on Sunday with Interior Minister Valentin Radev, Transport Minister Ivaylo Moskovski, Regional Development and Public Works Minister Nikolai Nankov, senior officials of the Interior Ministry, the National Police, the State Automobile Inspectorate and the Road Infrastructure Agency, the Government Information Service said.

The idea was to consider measures for decreasing the number of severe road traffic accidents whose frequency has increased dramatically in recent days.

A total of 10 people were killed and another 24 were injured in two head-on collisions within 24 hours in a 10 km stretch of the Sofia-Varna road between the villages of Mikre, Sopot and Bulgarski Izvor (Central Bulgaria).

Until the construction of the Yablanitsa-Lovech part of the Hemus Motorway, which is the only way to do away with this "death stretch", Borissov insisted on more speed cameras and traffic police patrols.

Moskovski said that video recorders will be installed on board public transport buses, which will help the Interior Ministry investigate crashes. Seat belts will become mandatory for public transport passengers. The vehicles will also have to conform to a particular European standard for technical specifications.

The entire driver training system will be reviewed shortly. Registration requirements may be introduced for vehicle service stations and scrapyards so as to guarantee the quality of services, the Transport Minister said.

Nankov said that the stretch of the Sofia-Varna road near Mikre was repaired two years ago and is one of the best roads in the country. He added that the toll system will help control light- and heavy-duty truck traffic.

Radev commented that recent legislative amendments and stiffer sanctions for offenders will produce results at the end of this year. He called on all road users to obey traffic rules and said that the extra measures will increase pressure on reckless motorists.

"If you want to reach your destination on time, don't break the rules," Interior Ministry Chief Secretary Mladen Marinov said for his part.