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Interview by Focus Agency with the Chief Inspector Jordan Milushevhead of sector “Traffic Police” at ODMVR – Plovdiv, about whether the Plovdiv region still holds the championship in the number of accidents, as well as what are the most frequent reasons for this.
Mr. Milushev, it’s time for an evaluation at the end of the year. What is it: is crime on the streets increasing or decreasing?
Does Plovdiv region still hold the championship in these stats? What do the numbers say?
For the period 01.01.-30.11.2022, 719 serious road accidents occurred in the territory of the Plovdiv region, in which 38 road users died and 901 were injured. Compared to the same period in 2021, there has been an increase in the number of serious road accidents by 60, deaths by 10 and injuries by 54.
Despite the increase compared to 2021, compared to the average data for the last 5 years, we report a decrease in all three main indicators – the number of road accidents is 17 less, the number of deaths – 8 less and the number of the wounded – with 36 less.
In 2022, the national average of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants is 7.0%
For the territory of Plovdiv and the district, this coefficient is lower than the country average – 5.7 per 100 thousand people. It turns out that there are 17 districts in the country with a worse coefficient than the Plovdiv district. And at the same time, without taking into account a number of other indicators influencing traumatism – for example, the lengths of the republican road network, the municipal network and the road network in populated areas, the load on this road network, the presence of transit, the variety of vehicle flows, the number of registered vehicles, the number of drivers and other indicators.
50% of the accidents /355/ occurred on the territory of the city of Plovdiv, 2 dead, 411 injured. Compared to the same period in 2021, there has been an increase in traffic accidents of 44 and injuries of 53, the fatalities remain at the same level.
20% of serious accidents /146/ occurred in the territory of minor settlements of the district, 5 died and 178 road users were injured. Compared to 2021, we have an increase in road accidents of 11, deaths of 1 and injuries of 9.
30% of road accidents /218/ occur on traffic roads in the territory of district and municipal roads. They killed 31 road users and injured 312. Compared to 2021, road accidents increased by 5, deaths by 9 and injuries decreased by 8.
It is constantly said that every day more Bulgarians die on Bulgarian roads than during the war. Why is this so, because in countries where there are much harsher conditions on the roads, fewer people die? Where should we look for the blame? What are the most common causes of accidents and why do we allow them? Who do you think are the biggest offenders and why?
In 97% of accidents /694/, the cause is a violation committed by the driver. In these accidents, 37 people died and 872 were injured. Compared to the same period in 2021, accidents have increased by 52, deaths by 10, injuries by 42.
The most common violations are precedence. In similar cases, 4 people died and 324 were injured during the year, and 260 accidents occurred for this reason.
Another reason is inappropriate speed. During the year, 13 people died from this and 191 were injured, there were 151 accidents.
104 accidents occurred due to non-compliance with safety distances, with 4 dead and 129 injured.
Loss of control over vehicles resulted in 2 deaths, 49 injuries and 43 accidents.
The next cause of accidents is entering oncoming traffic. For this reason, a total of 27 injuries occurred during the year, with 2 deaths and 50 injuries.
Another reason is incorrect overtaking. During the year, 8 accidents occurred for this reason, with 3 dead and 17 injured.
Although with a smaller share (2% of the total), violations committed by pedestrians were also the cause of 16 road accidents with 1 dead and 16 injured during the year. Very often they suddenly go off the road, cross incorrectly in an unspecified place or at a red light. Compared to the same period in 2021, accidents for this reason increased by 4, the number of injured in them was 5, the number of deaths remained at the same level.
Does road infrastructure have anything to do with frequent accidents? And what are the riskiest points? Can we name them? Where do accidents occur most often? How can it be prevented?
Particular attention should be paid to the II-64 Plovdiv-Karlovo road. From the beginning of the year to the end of November, a total of 51 road accidents occurred. 28 of them were serious, in which 8 died and 33 participants were injured.
This two-way street is extremely busy, with a diverse flow of traffic: cars, light trucks and trucks. The high intensity and nature of the road itself – mostly two-way traffic with one lane in each direction, the combination of long straights with sections with a large number of bends, is a factor in the occurrence of serious traffic accidents.
It is encouraging from this year that API is aware of the problem and has launched a public tender for the reconstruction of the road and its one-way designation.
I hope that the procedure will be completed quickly and in the coming years we will see a road similar to the Plovdiv – Asenovgrad road. This road is very indicative of the impact of infrastructure on road injuries. The data show that from July 2019 to the present there have been two deaths and, for the same duration as in the previous period, eight deaths. This is a 4-fold decrease in the number of dead, and the number of wounded almost doubled.
Can anything be changed in the legislation to avoid these frequent road accidents in our country? In general, what are the police doing to reduce traffic accidents?
To control traffic accidents, police officers have their powers and duties, but these efforts of ours would give the results expected by society only if a complex approach is applied by all the institutions and organizations involved in dealing with the problem. The efforts of parents and institutions should be directed from early childhood on children’s perception of the basics of safe movement as pedestrians, as passengers in cars, for safe play on the street. A great deal of effort should be put into the training of driving candidates by their respective instructors. An uncompromising check of the technical condition of the vehicle fleet at GTP stations must be carried out. The condition of the road and road accessories should be continuously monitored, a secure infrastructure should be built to compensate for the errors of motorists. And of course – to improve the effectiveness of the legal and statutory regulatory framework governing road traffic, the speed and efficiency of the administrative-criminal process, the speed and efficiency of investigations into offenders until the entry into force of the convictions, etc.
The powers of the police in this sense are different: control, prevention and alert.
Control is on all participants in the movement for compliance with the rules of the movement and carrying out a rapid administrative-criminal process for the imposition of sanctions on established violators.
Preventive – this is a series of activities aimed at forming lasting knowledge and skills for safe behavior on the road. We pay special attention to work with children. The range is for all ages – from kindergarten children, whom we help in an understandable and accessible way to learn the basic traffic rules such as pedestrians, safe play near the road. We also use the safety playgrounds built in most children’s and educational institutions, and especially the sector has a mobile children’s playground for traffic safety: a vinyl canvas with painted pedestrian paths, traffic lights, road signs .
Part of our prevention and reporting activity is also aimed at road owners. In their daily activities, police officers monitor the condition of the road and road equipment, and when a malfunction is detected, we inform the relevant officials responsible for the maintenance of the specific road section in order to take the necessary measures and create conditions for a movement quick and secure.
One form of preventive impact is the demonstrative presence of the police in vulnerable areas to prevent violations or to regulate and support road traffic.
The police have a resource for rapid response by directing and concentrating police forces and technical means of control in a specific area when that area is identified as risky. In order to definitively regulate motorists, we are starting to apply an approach where control is daily, constant, at all times of the day, to cover vast territories and routes, both on the road network of inhabited centers and on the roads of the road network republican and municipal.
In this regard, with a provision by the Minister of the Interior, some specific provisions are being implemented in the month of August aimed at controlling the situation of the road network.
Control includes all uniformed personnel with ZDvP powers, not just those in traffic police units
Linear control is also in demand as a method of influencing and controlling road users. Control over truckers has been increased.
Particular attention is paid to small settlements for driving incapable people, since, in addition to overt control, agents of the judicial police departments carry out surveillance of people known to drive without the right to drive, or after having used alcohol or narcotics
Work on pending court cases has been activated for their rapid completion. The local mass media continuously receive updated information on the traffic situation and on the control activity in progress. Control by management has been increased, not only directly, but also through the use of cameras and tracking devices specially installed on company cars.
All these measures are fully implemented by the police authorities, but once again I want to emphasize that in the cause of reducing road accidents, all authorities, organizations and institutions should make their significant contribution. Only then will the results be guaranteed.
What should we tell motorists now that another risk has appeared on the road: almost daily rides with migrant smugglers. What shall we call them?
In any case, when they become aware of risky behavior or suspect illegal transport, citizens must report to the single number 112. The police authorities are daily gaining experience, training and are ready to react quickly to any report of this type and remove the vehicle in question from road traffic to ensure the safety of other road users. The necessary follow-up actions are then taken towards the drivers and passengers.
And I want to pay attention to one more thing:
In view of the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, motorists are invited to scrupulously observe the rules of the road, not to drive after consuming alcohol or drugs, to prepare their cars for driving in winter conditions, to monitor the road situation and to choose suitable routes, not to overestimate one’s abilities and the capabilities of one’s means, to rest in safe places when signs of tiredness appear.
