Police Drones Catch 15 Illegal Overtakes Near Nova Varos

Traffic police officers from the Prijepolje Police Department patrolled the highway near Nova Varos, at Borova Glava, today, and within a few hours recorded 15 illegal overtakes across a solid line. The check was carried out using drones, in cooperation with the Border Police. Misdemeanor charges have been filed against all 15 drivers.

The stretch leads toward Montenegro. The check was set up on a day when traffic toward the coast was heavier than usual because of the weekly turnover of tourists.

A Recording Instead of a Witness

Every overtake across the unbroken center line was caught on camera by the drone. That footage now serves as evidence attached to each misdemeanor charge.

This changes the usual picture of this kind of enforcement. Until now, this type of violation was most often established by an officer who witnessed it from the road, leaving the driver’s word against the official report. The aerial footage shows the entire maneuver, from the moment the car crosses into the oncoming lane to the moment it returns.

What Drivers Are Facing

According to the Ministry of Interior (MUP), drivers face fines, penalty points and the protective measure of a driving ban. Each case will be decided by a misdemeanor court.

None of the 15 drivers has been named. Until the court rules, they remain listed only as charged, not convicted.

Why Are Police Targeting Overtaking?

MUP cites illegal overtaking as one of the most common causes of fatal traffic accidents. It is also a violation that is difficult to prove from a patrol car, since it lasts only a few seconds and usually happens on a curve, out of an officer’s line of sight.

Traffic police have a message for drivers: “Don’t risk it for a few seconds. Follow the rules, arrive safely!”

Same Stretch, Same Day, Two Statements

The first report on drones covering this stretch came in that morning. Police said at the time that drones were monitoring the road from Borova Glava, past Tavnik, toward Kokin Brod, tracking from the air the spots where crossing the solid line happens most often. The results of that same check were released later the same afternoon.

The action follows the intensified traffic checks MUP carried out over four days earlier this summer. The difference is in the method. Back then, police measured speed and pulled vehicles over. This time, they filmed the maneuver.

MUP announced that drone checks will continue across Serbia.

What This Means for the Rest of August

The first half of August is the period of heaviest traffic on the routes toward the Adriatic coast. On narrow highway stretches, columns of cars move slowly, backups form behind slower vehicles, and that is exactly where drivers feel pressure to overtake even where it is forbidden.

The Nova Varos, Borova Glava stretch has demanding curves and limited visibility. A driver who pulls into the oncoming lane on one of those curves has no way of knowing what is coming the other way. Now a drone sees them even when an officer on the road does not.