site.btaInstitute for Road Safety Urges Probe into Similar Fatal Trakia Motorway Crashes

The Institute for Road Safety (IRT), Bulgaria's leading non-governmental road safety organization, has called in a position, released on Sunday, for an urgent investigation into what it says are striking similarities between two fatal crashes involving heavy trucks on the Trakia Motorway, accusing state institutions of failing to examine possible common causes.

The latest crash occurred on July 10 near the village of Zheleznik near the southeastern town of Karnobat, when a TIR truck travelling from Sofia to Burgas broke through the central crash barrier and entered the opposite carriageway, colliding with two cars travelling towards Sofia. One person was killed and two others were injured. The truck driver tested negative for alcohol and drugs and initially told investigators that a front tyre blowout had caused him to lose control. Prosecutors have said that claim will be verified through a forensic technical examination.

The institute compared the accident with another fatal crash on the Trakia Motorway on June 25 near Yambol, in which a truck crossed the central reservation and collided with a passenger car, killing three people, including two nine-year-old football players from Slavia Football Academy and the father of one of the boys.

In its analysis and statement, the IRT challenged Regional Development and Public Works Minister Ivan Shishkov's description of the recent crashes as "atypical", calling it "a dangerous attempt to evade responsibility."

According to the institute, the two crashes share multiple key characteristics: they occurred within the same 10-km stretch of the Trakia Motorway, at roughly the same time of day, under similar high-temperature conditions, involved empty grain trucks travelling in the same direction that breached the central crash barrier, and both resulted in fatalities.

IRT also noted that, according to the drivers' own accounts, both crashes were preceded by front tyre blowouts. However, it stressed that investigators have yet to produce expert evidence confirming that explanation in either case, making a thorough technical investigation all the more necessary.

The Institute criticized what it described as the failure of the Ministries of Regional Development, of Interior and of Transport to investigate the similarities between the two crashes. It argued that possible contributing factors, including the condition of the motorway surface during periods of extreme heat, the performance of the crash barriers and the technical condition of the grain trucks, should all be examined.

"If the circumstances are identical, then the hidden problem that caused the crashes is also the same," the statement said.

IRT warned that treating the crashes as isolated incidents without carrying out a detailed analysis and safety audit could lead to further tragedies. It also called on the prosecution service to examine whether public officials should bear criminal responsibility for failing to address potential systemic road safety risks.
 
The Institute for Road Safety is the leading Bulgarian non-governmental organization engaged in reducing the consequences of road traffic injuries. The organization was established in December 2017 and today unites over 10,000 volunteers and road experts. IRT is the representative for Bulgaria of the European association for training and education on road safety "MOVING", as well as the main representative of the European network "European Road Safety Charter" to the European Commission.