Bulgarian Traffic Police to carry out annual ‘Operation Winter’ in November
Motorists should prepare their vehicles for the winter to ensure their safety and the safety of other road users, a news conference on the Bulgarian Traffic Police’s “Operation Winter”, being carried out throughout November, was told.
National police Commissioner Zvezdelin Kolev said that the campaign would run in three phases.
The first, from November 1 to 10, will focus on cyclists and riders of carts, with a primary focus on ensuring that they are equipped with the necessary equipment and use reflective vests when visibility is low, when it is dark, and when travelling on intercity roads.
The second, from November 11 to 20, will focus on pedestrians, including safe crossing of roads and ensuring that motorists give way to pedestrians.
The third, from November 21 to 30, will focus on the roadworthiness of vehicles, including their headlights.
Bulgarian law requires motorists to have their vehicles fitted with tyres suitable for winter conditions as of November 15. Tyre tread must be more or no less than 4mm. The penalty for inadequate tyre tread is 50 leva (about 25 euro). The fine for inadequate condition of a vehicle’s braking system or its headlights is 500 leva.
The head of the Motor Vehicle Administration agency, Boiko Ranovski, said that from November 1, there would be checks of the roadworthiness of lorries and buses. The main focus would be on their tyres, headlights and windscreen wipers.
The deputy head of the Bulgarian Red Cross, Dr Nadezhda Todorovska, urged motorists to ensure that there were properly-equipped first aid kits in their cars.
Ivan Dosev, a member of the board of the Road Infrastructure Agency, said that more than 3000 snowblowers and more than 35 000 tons of salt have been provided for road maintenance in the winter.
(Photo: Morton Bech/sxc.hu)
