Initiative details
According to the data from the European Commission, in 2023 Bulgaria is ranked first in casualties in the Road safety statistics in the EU. In previous years we were second after Romania, which shows that an already bad situation is getting worse.
Over the last 20 years, almost 20,000 people have died and more than 220,000 have been injured, which worsens the demographic problems facing Bulgaria, which ranks first also in the world in terms of population decline!
It is self-evident that road accidents can never be fully eliminated. As normal people and drivers, we accept them as inevitability when they happen due to unforeseeable factors such as infrastructure deficiencies, drivers’ sudden health issue, a person unexpectedly jumping out onto the road, etc.
However, we cannot accept that for decades Bulgarian children and young people have been brutally executed by drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, by ones driving over the speed limit and by such driving with blatant disregard for the law and the safety of self and others! Most of them are habitual offenders who have previously committed dozens or even hundreds of traffic violations and even accidents without being sanctioned at all! If they had been held accountable by the law, our children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters and cousins would not have been killed! Even after the road killings, such people often receive either suspended sentences or minimal actual imprisonment and then they continue with their criminal behaviour! These kind of sentences are pronounced for tragic accidents in which between 1 and 6 children and young people are killed!
Over the last 20 years, almost 20,000 people have died and more than 220,000 have been injured, which worsens the demographic problems facing Bulgaria, which ranks first also in the world in terms of population decline!
It is self-evident that road accidents can never be fully eliminated. As normal people and drivers, we accept them as inevitability when they happen due to unforeseeable factors such as infrastructure deficiencies, drivers’ sudden health issue, a person unexpectedly jumping out onto the road, etc.
However, we cannot accept that for decades Bulgarian children and young people have been brutally executed by drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs, by ones driving over the speed limit and by such driving with blatant disregard for the law and the safety of self and others! Most of them are habitual offenders who have previously committed dozens or even hundreds of traffic violations and even accidents without being sanctioned at all! If they had been held accountable by the law, our children, grandchildren, brothers, sisters and cousins would not have been killed! Even after the road killings, such people often receive either suspended sentences or minimal actual imprisonment and then they continue with their criminal behaviour! These kind of sentences are pronounced for tragic accidents in which between 1 and 6 children and young people are killed!
Initiative date
Who was/is your target audience?
Policy makers
Public authorities
Young adults 17-25
Adults
Parents
Seniors
Company employees
Fleet operators
Car drivers
Car drivers – professional
Educational staff
Emergency services
Public transport
Van drivers
Lorry/truck drivers
Cyclists
Micromobility riders
Powered two wheeler riders (excluding micromobility)
Pedestrians
Others
Topic
Create awareness
Education in school or in community organizations
Knowledge building and sharing
Training
Organisation details
ANGELS ON THE ROAD ASSOCIATION
Association
Bulgaria
Sofia
Contact name
Ninella Varbanova
Telephone number
0877720912
ninella@abv.bg
Website link
Project activities
If you work together with external partners, list the most important partners and briefly describe their role.
We worked together with:
Тhe Road Transport Control (in Bulgarian KAT) – they printed and sent out all 36,000 letters to traffic violators, along with their fines, gave a press conference and interviews on the topic for different media.
Gutts&Brains DDB Creative Agency, who wrote the script, did everything necessary, shot the video and prepared all other materials for the campaign.
Мany people gave us feedback and said that they were extremely moved by what they read and saw, and some of them shared that in the future they will think much more carefully before committing a traffic violation or traffic crime.
Тhe Road Transport Control (in Bulgarian KAT) – they printed and sent out all 36,000 letters to traffic violators, along with their fines, gave a press conference and interviews on the topic for different media.
Gutts&Brains DDB Creative Agency, who wrote the script, did everything necessary, shot the video and prepared all other materials for the campaign.
Мany people gave us feedback and said that they were extremely moved by what they read and saw, and some of them shared that in the future they will think much more carefully before committing a traffic violation or traffic crime.
Please describe the project activities you carried/are carrying out and the time period over which these were implemented.
The national campaign "I Wrote You a Letter", in which letters written personally by the families of children and young people who died on the road, were sent along with electronic speeding tickets to violators throughout the country.
The initiative started with 36,000 copies of the manuscripts, which will be attached to fines that the state sends out by mail. In those letters, written for the campaign, relatives of the victims reach out to both the people they miss the most and those who may cause similar loss to other families.
The "I Wrote You a Letter" campaign was launched on the eve of the busiest road traffic season and just before the summer vacation for students, when the risk of accidents is highest.
The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness and reduce aggression on the road.
The initiative started with 36,000 copies of the manuscripts, which will be attached to fines that the state sends out by mail. In those letters, written for the campaign, relatives of the victims reach out to both the people they miss the most and those who may cause similar loss to other families.
The "I Wrote You a Letter" campaign was launched on the eve of the busiest road traffic season and just before the summer vacation for students, when the risk of accidents is highest.
The aim of the campaign is to raise public awareness and reduce aggression on the road.
In terms of implementation, what worked well and what challenges did you need to overcome?
What went well was that the campaign was widely covered in the media and was received extremely positively in society.
The reason for that is that thousands of families are already severely affected by this problem and those who have not lost a loved one do not want to understand how this tragedy feels from personal experience. They realize that if soon the situation does not radically change, they are not safe either.
There were two main challenges:
Тo overcome our uneasiness about writing these extremely personal letters to our murdered children and loved ones, to read them publicly, and to tell on camera what and why happened, how we feel, and how it affected the lives of our families.
То accept the negativity of a small number of people, who were angry by the sincerity of what was written, who did not want to disturb their peace of mind and read what their irresponsibility could lead to.
The reason for that is that thousands of families are already severely affected by this problem and those who have not lost a loved one do not want to understand how this tragedy feels from personal experience. They realize that if soon the situation does not radically change, they are not safe either.
There were two main challenges:
Тo overcome our uneasiness about writing these extremely personal letters to our murdered children and loved ones, to read them publicly, and to tell on camera what and why happened, how we feel, and how it affected the lives of our families.
То accept the negativity of a small number of people, who were angry by the sincerity of what was written, who did not want to disturb their peace of mind and read what their irresponsibility could lead to.
Evaluation
Please summarise how you have evaluated the initiative’s impact (e.g. social media reach, survey, feedback forms, statistics).
According to the Road Transport Control (KAT) there were:
12 % reduction in fatal injuries
148 fewer injuries
33 fewer deaths
According to Gutts&Brains DDB Creative agency the campaign:
was covered by more than 100 media outlets for free.
became the most shared viral content of 2024 in Bulgaria.
12 % reduction in fatal injuries
148 fewer injuries
33 fewer deaths
According to Gutts&Brains DDB Creative agency the campaign:
was covered by more than 100 media outlets for free.
became the most shared viral content of 2024 in Bulgaria.
What has been the effect of the activities?
We hope and believe that campaigns like this have significant impact for the society in two main directions:
Saving human lives - something priceless and invaluable
Saving billions in financial losses for the state, i.e. for all who pay taxes.
Why do we claim this?
According to the State Traffic Safety Agency, each person killed on the road costs 2.2 million euros and annual losses from road traffic injuries in Bulgaria amount to several billion euros!
Saving human lives - something priceless and invaluable
Saving billions in financial losses for the state, i.e. for all who pay taxes.
Why do we claim this?
According to the State Traffic Safety Agency, each person killed on the road costs 2.2 million euros and annual losses from road traffic injuries in Bulgaria amount to several billion euros!
Please briefly explain why your initiative is a good example of improving road safety.
We believe that our initiative is a good example that will improve the road situation, because a large part of Bulgarian society still does not realize what happens after the murder of an innocent person, killed by someone who has deliberately taken guilty actions!
It enables people, and especially undisciplined drivers, to understand how tragic it is to take a human life, especially when it is a child's life!
They should understand that every repeated mistake is a decision and that one of their wrong decisions can ruin the life not only of the person killed, but also of his entire family!
And last but not least, they must realize that tomorrow they themselves may be in the place of the victims.
It enables people, and especially undisciplined drivers, to understand how tragic it is to take a human life, especially when it is a child's life!
They should understand that every repeated mistake is a decision and that one of their wrong decisions can ruin the life not only of the person killed, but also of his entire family!
And last but not least, they must realize that tomorrow they themselves may be in the place of the victims.
How have you shared information about your project and its results?
Мembers of the association spread information about the campaign on their personal social media profiles.
The association shared on its Facebook page.
Gutts&Brains DDB Creative agency through a variety of media channels used in their business.
Road Transport Control (KAT) did it through all well-known TV channels and other media.
The association shared on its Facebook page.
Gutts&Brains DDB Creative agency through a variety of media channels used in their business.
Road Transport Control (KAT) did it through all well-known TV channels and other media.
Supporting materials
