Road safety expert Diana Rusinova has notified the leadership of the Ministry of Interior of gross violations of the Road Traffic Act (RTA) by Traffic Police officers. On her social media profile, she reports on night checks in Sofia, in which patrols endanger the lives of drivers by deliberately blinding them with flashlights and positioning themselves in explicitly prohibited areas.
According to the expert, the actions of the uniformed officers create direct prerequisites for road accidents. The practice of shining a flashlight directly into the eyes of approaching drivers is not only a violation, but also a serious risk for both those being checked and the police officers themselves.
„The night check begins like this – with a flashlight that shines directly into the driver's eyes, blinding the stopped driver. I don't understand what the purpose of blinding the person you want to stop is," Rusinova commented on the situation.
She pointed out that the police car was parked on the M15 road marking (slanted parallel lines), which according to Regulation No. 2 prohibits the movement of vehicles. In this way, the police officers forced the stopped drivers to also commit a violation by entering the prohibited area.
The checks were carried out at the intersection of the “Botevgradsko Shose“ boulevard, the “Europe“ highway and the Sofia Ring Road. According to the Traffic Act, this is an intersection, and the law categorically prohibits staying and parking in such areas, as well as within 5 meters of them.
Rusinova emphasizes that the patrol car did not have its lights and sound signal on, which means that it was not following a special traffic regime that would justify such positioning.
In addition to the factual violations on the road, the expert sharply criticized the appearance of the inspectors, describing their uniforms as torn and faded.
“I will not ignore the fact that they clearly did not know the law, as well as the fact that with their actions they endangered the general safety of all road users. You cannot control traffic and represent the law without knowing the law“, Diana Rusinova is categorical.
She insists that the General Directorate of the “National Police“ and the Sofia Metropolitan Police to immediately investigate the case and determine why their officers are not complying with the current legislation. A report will also be sent directly to the Minister of Internal Affairs.