42 dead in road accidents in Bulgaria in first month of 2018
A total of 42 people died in road accidents in the first month of 2018 in Bulgaria, the EU country with the bloc’s worst road fatality rate.
According to Interior Ministry statistics released on February 1, there were 474 accidents on Bulgaria’s roads in January 2018. Apart from the fatalities, a total of 588 people were injured.
Bulgaria’s Parliament amended various laws in 2017, as the government pledged a crackdown on the country’s bad driving.
For several years, Bulgaria either has had the highest, or jointly top, road fatality rate in the EU. Speeding, reckless driving and drink-driving have been identified as contributory factors.
In 2017, there were 6846 road accidents in Bulgaria, leaving 678 people dead and 8630 injured.
This was lower than in 2016, when there were 7355 accidents on Bulgaria’s roads, leaving 703 dead and 9306 people injured.
In all, in the years from 2007 to 2016 inclusive, a total of 7674 people died in road accidents in Bulgaria.
(Photo: Ivan Freaner)
