News

15 May 2025

The Ombudsman Institution sent letters to the Minister of Interior Daniel Mitov and to the Director of the Regional Directorate of the Ministry of Interior in Pleven Zhivko Lambov to press for immediate measures to ensure road safety on the I-3 Pleven-Loukovit National Road, in the section between Telish and Radomirtsi.

The reason for the letter is another road accident in that section.

We recall that on 31 March 2025, 12-year old Siana lost her life in a car accident in the section between the villages Telish and Radomirtsi, on the I-3 National Road. The tragedy caused a strong public outcry and exposed major deficiencies in the performance of the institutions in charge to ensure the road safety of citizens. The circumstances that occurred should have been perceived as a clear and firm warning for taking immediate and coordinated measures by all government institutions in charge.

However, on 13 May 2025, again on the same spot, there was another accident – a heavy-duty truck turned upside down after the driver lost control of the wheel on wet pavement. The circumstances of this accident – wet asphalt, driving in the lane of the opposite direction and high speed, are almost identical with those of the accident in which Siana lost her life. The truck driver admitted that the speed at which he was driving was higher than 70 km/per hour although the speed limit in this area is 60 km/per hour.

“In this situation, I am approaching you with an official inquiry, how and by what technical and other means the speed at which drivers drive their vehicles (especially heavy-duty trucks) that go via the road section in question is monitored and controlled at present, and what is the overall set of preventive measures taken to prevent future accidents at the said location,” writes the Secretary General of the Ombudsman Dr. Aysun Avdjiev to the head of the Ministry of Interior.

The letter insists on immediate and long-term action related to:

Additional physical measures to reduce the speed, including, but not limited to, the putting in place of video surveillance and speed monitoring, as well as the appropriate road signs to indicate that this is a section with an increased concentration of road accidents and slippery, dangerous and uneven road surface.

Introduction of immediate control and increased police patrols in the area who must be there round the clock until the problem is fully resolved and the road section is thoroughly repaired.

Complete assessment of the road infrastructure in the place, including the road pavement, road markings, visibility and signaling, in order to identify flaws and the possibilities for improvement.

“According to data from public sources, last year alone 34 road accidents were recorded in this section where three individuals lost their life. These facts clearly demonstrate the serious risk to the lives of citizens and show the impotence of current measures. The accidents often are caused by heavy-duty trucks, which due to their corpus and size, are more difficult to drive and keep under control, and this further augments the existing threat to the life and health of all citizens who pass,” the Secretary General of the Ombudsman writes.

Further, he informed that a few days ago, an Ombudsman’s team found on site that: “The only concrete and visible measures taken so far in an attempt to limit the risk of accidents there and to prevent moves by drivers who break the Road Traffic Act are the new signs placed to limit the maximum permissible speed to 60 km/per hour and new road markings (a double continuous line to prohibit overtaking in the specific section). However, in the absence of an onsite controlling authority to monitor compliance, obviously they do not yield the desired result,” Dr. Avdjiev pointed.