Bulgaria's Traffic Police Proposes Criminalization of Speeding

The Traffic Police department of the Sofia police directorate will propose changes to the Penal Code and the Road Traffic Act aimed at strengthening sanctions for violations.

The proposal envisages the criminalization of speeding, drink-driving, and driving without a license.

Boyko Ranovski, head of the Traffic Police unit at the Chief Directorate National Police, made clear in an interview for bTV that the legal amendments introduced a serious penalty for exceeding the speed limit by 60 km/h or more.

Ranovski, as cited by dnevnik.bg, said that the changes to both the Penal Code and the Road Traffic Act were radical enough, adding that it was yet to be decided whether all of the measures would make it into the Penal Code or they would remain part of the Road Traffic Act.

He was adamant that the Penal Code would be amended to include a penalty for speeding and drink-driving.

Ranovski also informed that the Road Traffic Act would allow the possibility for the cancelation of a vehicle's registration plate for drunk drivers or drivers lacking a license and the people who gave them their vehicles.

He also noted that the provisions envisaged including street racing into the Penal Code's chapter on hooliganism.

Last week Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov insisted that the Interior Ministry take steps by October 5, 2015 to curb the spike in traffic accidents.

Since the beginning of 2015, the total number of people injured and killed in traffic accidents exceeds the total number for 2014, according to statistics of the Interior Ministry.

A total of 526 people died in traffic accidents since the beginning of 2015, up by 20 from 2014, and a total of 6814 were injured, up by 214 from 2014.