site.btaUPDATED Procession in Memory of Children Killed in Traffic Accidents Held in Sofia on Eve of New School Year

A procession in memory of the children who have died in traffic accidents was held in downtown Sofia on Saturday. The event was organized by the Angels on the Road Association and was initiated by the parents of 15-year-old Filip Arsov, who was hit by a drunk driver on a pedestrian crossing in Sofia in September 2023. 

Parents who lost their children in traffic accidents again demanded justice, tougher punishments and to stop the war on the roads.

Caretaker Minister of Interior Atanas Ilkov came to talk to the participants in the procession. He said that the Ministry of Interior will spare no resources to improve road safety and reduce road traumatism. 

Ilkov also said that the Interior Ministry officials will have zero tolerance for any driver who dares to violate the Road Traffic Act and with this violation creates conditions for endangering the lives and health of citizens. "I am here today to express my civic responsibility and as Interior Minister to express my sympathy for the pain and suffering of all the relatives of those who have lost their lives due to traffic accidents," he said. 

Ilkov added that they have had a series of meetings with the parents of the deceased children and together they are implementing a number of road safety initiatives. "Our main task is the increased control and strengthening of the administrative punishment of offenders so that we can achieve the effect we all expect," the Minister said. He noted that at the beginning of the year, the Ministry of Interior reported by 54 fewer deaths compared to 2013. According to him, this is an indicator that all the measures the Ministry of Interior has planned are bearing fruit. 

"We want the whole society to wake up from apathy and be intransigent towards people who drive drunk, drugged and aggressively driving their cars, said Nikolina Petkova, mother of Filip Arsov. "This war on the roads must stop. We are losing an awful lot of people, we are losing children, we are losing future doctors, engineers. This war really crosses all lines," she pointed out. Petkova called for adequate changes in legislation.