Eye in the sky: Helicopter to assist in monitoring traffic to Bulgaria’s Black Sea
A special police operation to control traffic to Bulgaria’s Black Sea is being carried out on August 10, including the use of a Border Police helicopter to monitor motorways and other busy roads.
The operation is being held not only because of the August peak summer holiday season but also because it is the end of the working week.
The role of the helicopter, which is equipped with a camera capable of zooming into a vehicle’s registration number, will be to spot aggressive drivers and other violations such as using the emergency lane to overtake other traffic.
Unmarked police cars will also be on patrol. They will not intercept motorists but will inform other officers of breaches of road traffic laws.
Bulgaria has the second-highest road fatality rate in the European Union, and official statistics show that in the peak summer months, serious accidents in the country increase by 10 per cent.
The August 10 operation is scheduled to end at about 9pm, but Bulgaria’s Traffic Police said that it may be extended beyond that hour if necessary.
On the night of August 9, Traffic Police carried out a special operation along Bulgaria’s southern Black Sea coast, geared mainly to catch motorists drink-driving or driving under the influence of illegal narcotics.
(Photo: Bulgarian Interior Ministry)
