just read about the speeding fines being increased.

yes its always good if people are speeding in areas that have kids playing in the road, or the old horse and cart in the villages, but I got a speeding ticket for speeding on a duel carriage way which in the UK would have been 100kph I was doing 82kph but it turned out it was in a built up area.
found out that the speed limit was a sign that says welcome to whatever village, and then when it has a red line across it it is end of speed limit.
I watch my speed but still not sure what speed I am meant to do.
could someone in BG explain the rules on speed, like its motorways etc.
also the other question of taking the number plate of the car for 1 month, what's that all about.

looking forward to the reply's.

Motorways are pretty straightforward...120kph unless otherwise posted. There are sections on some m/ways where they allow 140kph, but I've not seen them yet. Normal open country roads, outside villages and towns are 90kph, unless posted otherwise. The village/town speed limits start and finish with the sign announcing the name of the place...sometimes there is also a flag. In all cases, obey all speed signs, just like the UK.

Removing the number plate is a cheaper version of impounding the car....huge fine for driving a vehicle without both plates affixed...if you look closely at the BG plates, you will see they are held on with a metal seal, so you can't just go home and put another plate on!!

Hope that clarifies things for you.

thanks Bazz,
does that mean the number plate is in affect a personal plate which the owner of the car has for say life?

thanks for the rest of the info always good to know these things, it is funny really, as when I am in the UK I am driving at 70mph and looking at the speed and thinking I should go faster, then when I am in BG I am quite happy traveling at 70kph its funny how numbers play on your mind.

I know what you mean about the numbers sticking in your mind. The official seal on the plate has to stay there while the plate is on the car and if you have to change plates, usually because you change addresses to another region, another seal will be put on. If you don't move, the plate will stay with the car forever...if you sell the vehicle to someone in the same region, the plate remains unchanged.

Living in the Plovdiv district (which is huge) our prefix is PB and I will only look at a car to buy which has that prefix...saves the hassle of having to go to KAT as it can often be an all day exercise, just to change plates. Slightly off topic, but during December and January, there was a severe shortage of new number plates in our region and possibly other places and people wanting or needing them were being warned of a 10 to 12 working day wait! Seems that someone forgot to renew the contract with the plate making company...so they just stopped producing any.

that's about right civil servants forgetting something, funny really why they are called servants as if they worked for me I would somewhat be upset. but thanks for the info always helpful.

Quote :

yes its always good if people are speeding in areas that have kids playing in the road, or the old horse and cart in the villages, but I got a speeding ticket for speeding on a duel carriage way which in the UK would have been 100kph I was doing 82kph but it turned out it was in a built up area.
found out that the speed limit was a sign that says welcome to whatever village, and then when it has a red line across it it is end of speed limit.
I watch my speed but still not sure what speed I am meant to do.
could someone in BG explain the rules on speed, like its motorways etc.
also the other question of taking the number plate of the car for 1 month, what's that all about.

The below might be of interest ?? not sure how many Bulgarians have read it though

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Section 2 Art 21 is the section you need, but the rest is worth a read!!!

Bill

That stuff may be somewhat out of date...it's last ammendment is Dec 2004!

Useful as a general guide though.

Hi Justbazz
Agreed, but BG very lax at updating things
so most things are hit & miss (especially when driving )

How up to date is this one ???

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Bill

Just to add a bit more info about speed limits.

I meant to include this in my initial answer regarding the limits...

...generally the max speed in a small town or village is 50kph, beginning at the sign which announces the name of the place and ending when you go past the corresponding sign on the other end of the village/town.

Having said that, I've noticed that many of the villages in my area have reduced limits within the built up areas...40, 30 and even down to 10kph...always be on the lookout for these reduction signs because they can often be obscured by roadside vegetation. Speedbumps can also catch the unwary driver as they are not always clearly marked!!

its nice to see people active in the morning, thanks to both of you, but as for Lax, the Isle Of Man is around 20 years behind the UK so if BG is only 10 that is a great start and reason to move.

bulgariabill wrote:

Hi Justbazz
Agreed, but BG very lax at updating things
so most things are hit & miss (especially when driving )

How up to date is this one ???

[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

Bill

Two years old, but contains the limits which I listed above....50, 90, 120 and 140KPH.

I would stick with that.

not too worried about speed bumps, when it rained a lot on one of my visits car drivers were stopping they were not bothered about speed bumps but they were bothered about pot holes that were craters, in fact when I was driving in the UK a few months ago I had seen a sticker on the back of a car that said " potholes don't scare me I've been on holiday to Bulgaria"

justbazz wrote:

Motorways are pretty straightforward...120kph unless otherwise posted. There are sections on some m/ways where they allow 140kph, but I've not seen them yet. Normal open country roads, outside villages and towns are 90kph, unless posted otherwise. The village/town speed limits start and finish with the sign announcing the name of the place...sometimes there is also a flag. In all cases, obey all speed signs, just like the UK.

Removing the number plate is a cheaper version of impounding the car....huge fine for driving a vehicle without both plates affixed...if you look closely at the BG plates, you will see they are held on with a metal seal, so you can't just go home and put another plate on!!

Hope that clarifies things for you.

Thanks for that Bazz we are never sure either
Golly gosh did not realise the speed limit was up to 120kph all our roads only display 90 never seen another over that and the villages depending on where start at 40kph max 50kph Dougie got caught twice now through the villages so no drumming it into him do 40ph and you can't go wrong.

Berni...all the roads I've seen up your way are 90kph...it's only the motorway which has the 120kph limit, so if you stick to the posted limit, you can't go wrong.

justbazz wrote:

Berni...all the roads I've seen up your way are 90kph...it's only the motorway which has the 120kph limit, so if you stick to the posted limit, you can't go wrong.

That's absolutely correct and if you do speed you can expect a fine and possibly more