Authorities Crack Down on Traffic Violations

Diana Dukovska

The Council of Ministers holds a meeting, Sofia, July 9, 2025 (BTA Photo/Minko Chernev)

Sofia,

09.07.2025 11:52

(BTA)

Traffic police conducted 40,000 inspections, issued 11,600 traffic tickets and drew up 2,300 statements of violations on July 4-6. In addition, 29 drivers were fined BGN 1,000 for driving in the emergency lane and had their licences suspended for three months. There were also 300 cases of dangerous overtaking and 18,000 cases of speeding, Prime Minister Rosen Zhelyazkov said at the beginning of Wednesday's government meeting.

He has asked the Ministries of Interior and of Regional Development to ensure that driving in the emergency lane on motorways detected by toll cameras will be finable. This is technically feasible and will be implemented, Zhelyazkov added.

The goal is to ensure normal traffic for people during the summer months. Transit traffic between Europe and Turkiye will continue to increase steadily, said the Prime Minister.

In the first half of the year, serious road accidents were 218 fewer than a year earlier. The number of fatalities in the first half of the year is 177, down by 15 a year ago, and the number of those injured decreased by 225, said Interior Minister Daniel Mitov.

He emphasized that the problem of driving with blood alcohol levels over 1.2 per mille and under the influence of drugs is systemic. According to Mitov, the law does not impose sufficient penalties to permanently remove such irresponsible drivers from the roads. He will push for a legislative solution. "At present, those drivers have their licences suspended only for a while. But driving under the influence also leads to speeding, dangerous overtaking and constantly putting the lives and health of others at risk," said Mitov.

/MR/