Traffic Rules and Road Signs in Bulgaria
Bulgarian traffic law rests on a hierarchy that candidates must be able to state: police instructions override traffic signals, signals override road markings, and markings override signs, with the general rules of the road filling any gap. Learn the sign families by shape and colour, because exam questions often show only a silhouette. Red triangles warn, red circles prohibit, blue circles command, blue squares and rectangles inform, and yellow diamonds mark priority roads. A red circle with a white bar is no entry, while a red circle with a white horizontal bar on a blue background means no parking. Stop and give-way signs require a full stop only at the stop line and only for the stop sign; the give-way sign demands yielding but not necessarily stopping.
Speed limits are a frequent trap. Built-up areas default to 50 km/h, outside built-up areas to 90 km/h, and motorways to 140 km/h; motorway limits drop in rain or when towing. Novice drivers face lower limits for the first year after passing. Right of way at unmarked junctions follows the right-hand rule, but trams have priority over other vehicles. Roundabouts give priority to traffic already circulating unless signs say otherwise.
A useful rule of thumb: when two rules seem to conflict, ask which is higher in the hierarchy. If a traffic officer waves you through a red light, you go; if a sign contradicts a marking, the sign wins.
Worked example: you approach a crossroads with no signs. A tram arrives from the left and a car from the right. The tram goes first, then the car on your right, then you.