272 Killed on Serbia's Roads So Far in 2026
Serbia's Road Traffic Safety Agency reports an eight percent drop in road deaths this year, but the data show where crashes turn fatal most often, and why.
The death of a five-year-old girl in a traffic accident in Kraljevo has reopened the question of road safety in Serbia. In response, the Road Traffic Safety Agency published an overview of this year’s figures.
According to the Agency, 272 people have died on Serbia’s roads since the start of 2026, roughly eight percent fewer than in the same period last year. Over the course of 2025, 488 people were killed in traffic accidents in Serbia.
Jelena Mijatovic of the Road Traffic Safety Agency says the statistics show which groups are most at risk.
“In 2025, people over the age of 65 were the most represented group among those killed in traffic accidents,” Mijatovic said. According to the figures she presented, when all consequences of traffic accidents are taken into account, young people between 15 and 30 are the most vulnerable.
Speed Behind Nearly Half of Fatal Crashes
Inappropriate speed has been a factor in 43 percent of fatal accidents over the past five years. Alcohol appears in 14 percent of fatal crashes, roughly one in seven, while driver inexperience is cited as a factor in 8 percent of cases.
“That means almost every second fatal traffic accident is linked to inappropriate speed,” Mijatovic said.
The Agency’s data also show where deaths occur most often. Fifty-six percent of those killed died outside built-up areas, and 44 percent within them.
“In built-up areas, 44 percent of the total number of deaths occurred,” Mijatovic specified.
Alcohol a Factor in 1,738 Accidents
Serbia’s Interior Ministry (MUP) has given media its figures on drunk driving so far this year. The number of accidents in which alcohol was a factor is far higher than the number of those with a fatal outcome.
This year, driving under the influence of alcohol was a factor in 1,738 traffic accidents, 25 of which involved fatalities, Serbia’s Interior Ministry said.
The figures show that the large majority of alcohol related accidents did not end in death, but that the danger remains present on every stretch of road where checks are carried out.
Three Stretches of Road Flagged as Highest Risk
The Interior Ministry singled out three state roads as the highest risk, where stepped up checks are now underway: state road 1B no. 21, between Irig and Ruma; state road 1B no. 13, from the border of Vojvodina to the Kovilovo interchange; and state road 1B no. 14, between Pancevo and Kovin.
Two Wheelers the Only Group on the Rise
While the overall death toll is falling, the same is not true for all road users. Tanjug reported on August 19 that in the first seven months of this year, 50 riders and five passengers were killed on two wheeled vehicles, a fifth more than in the same period of 2025.
Following one such accident, in which a motorcycle passenger was killed at night on a secondary state road near Aleksinac, the Novi Pazar police department warned that two wheelers are harder to spot in traffic, especially at night and when not properly marked. The department said riding these vehicles requires additional skills and knowledge, and that protective gear and helmets are essential because they save the lives of both riders and passengers.
The rise in deaths among two wheelers, even as the overall statistics show a decline, shows that improvement on Serbia’s roads has not been shared equally across all groups of road users.
