The Institute for Road Safety (IPB) has engaged an international road safety auditor to carry out safety inspections on the highways in Bulgaria. Today, the ministry presented a report on the Hemus Motorway, which stated that the safety equipment is high risk and unable to perform the necessary work according to the requirements of crash tests. These devices are dangerous and can cause ruptures or amputations of limbs of passengers in vehicles and motorcyclists. The report said:
„The road surface does not meet the minimum regulatory requirements for safety. There is a risk of losing control of the vehicle due to aggressive deformations and water retention on the pavement. It is possible to involve other nearby vehicles in traffic accidents. Due to the high speeds that are typical and desirable for the highway, serious or fatal injuries are possible. The signaling and marking do not meet the accepted standards. This makes it confusing and dangerous.“
The tunnels also do not meet safety requirements, the institute said. Nd also added:
„There are prerequisites for accidents with serious or fatal injuries due to wrong decisions and as a result of misinformation. It is caused by the quality and condition of the communication through the current sign system. Unfortunately, these causes are „masked“ in the database after the accident, and the accident is classified as a consequence of „speeding“.“
The conclusion of the study shows that the Hemus Motorway is at high risk of serious traffic accidents. Immediate action is needed to secure the highway by the road owner, the Institute called. From there, they addressed the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Grozdan Karadzhov with the statement that the Road Infrastructure Agency is specialized in the regional minister. The Institute for Road Safety concluded:
„The Minister is directly responsible for the actions and inactions of the agency, as well as criminal. RIA has received dozens of signals of danger on the Hemus Motorway in the last month, but no reaction has followed. We expect to be informed about the specific actions you will order and their deadlines for implementation. The need to secure the Hemus Motorway is immediate given the high risk of serious traffic accidents due to the identified dangers in the Report of Eng. Stelianov.“
