Bulgarian children stage road safety protest in village of Balvan

A children's protest against the rising number of road fatalities in Bulgaria marked the opening of the Summer Safety Academy in the village of Balvan, near Veliko Tarnovo. Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev also took part in the event.

Two children from youth football academy die in road accident at Trakia Highway

Children from schools in the Veliko Tarnovo region stood in the center of the village holding protest signs and stopped passing vehicles with the message:

"Drivers, slow down and stop using alcohol and drugs. Drive carefully, we want children to stay alive."

Balvan is home to Bulgaria's first specialized children's training grounds for road and fire safety. More than 400 children are taking part in hands-on activities led by police officers and firefighters, learning about road safety, first aid, disaster prevention, and emergency response through games and demonstrations.

Galina Balkandzhieva, one of the coordinators of the Summer Safety Academy, called on politicians to introduce tougher measures to reduce road deaths.

"We need stricter laws, because appeals alone are clearly not enough. Those who have a conscience drive carefully, but those who don't can only be stopped by the law."

Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev urged all state institutions to work more effectively together to improve road safety and help prevent further tragedies.

Edited by R. Petkova