Bulgaria has the highest road accident rate in the EU; other countries use stricter measures like license/car confiscation to curb speeding.
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Bulgaria is the most dangerous country in the EU regarding road accidents, with 82 deaths per million residents last year, the highest in the EU. Current trends suggest this may continue, with over a million traffic offenses and crimes recorded since January, and fatalities already exceeding last year’s equivalent period by 50 people, alongside 6,000 injured. Despite promises from various governments to tackle “road piracy,” progress is slow; tens of thousands have died on Bulgarian roads in the last decade. Main causes include speeding, traffic violations, lack of developed highway networks, aging vehicles, and corruption. Law enforcement rarely uses strict measures against violators, and specific provisions for “road piracy” are seldom applied due to societal tolerance for speeding and lenient court rulings, even though up to 20 years imprisonment is theoretically possible for fatal accidents. In contrast, Spain imposes license revocation for exceeding speed limits by 50 km/h in built-up areas or 70 km/h outside them, with severe penalties including potential jail time and license confiscation. While traffic fines are increasing in Spain, they are often viewed as a revenue source rather than a deterrent. Austria has implemented vehicle confiscation for speeding—60 km/h in urban areas or 70 km/h outside—with public auctions being used to sell seized cars. Despite these measures, road fatalities in Austria (44 per million) remain slightly below the EU average of 46. In Poland, vehicle confiscation is only possible for intoxicated drivers, and there are no restrictions on non-owners, though courts have issued numerous such rulings since the policy began.
