Croatia raises fines: parking 300 euros, seat belt 200
Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic presented amendments to the road traffic safety law. The rules apply to every driver in Croatia, including those with Serbian plates.
Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic on October 14 presented a proposal to amend the Road Traffic Safety Act: the fine for parking that endangers safety rises to 300 euros, and the fine for driving without a seat belt rises to 200 euros. The amounts would apply to every driver on Croatian roads, including those with Serbian plates who travel to the Adriatic.
Which fines go up, and by how much?
The law has not been adopted yet. Bozinovic said the draft will go to public consultation, and this is what the ministry announced:
- parking that endangers safety or seriously obstructs traffic: 300 euros (according to Index, the current fine is 30 euros)
- not wearing a seat belt and improperly transporting children: from 130 to 200 euros
- ignoring a police order to stop the vehicle: from 390 to 920 euros up to 1,320 to 2,650 euros, with possible prison of up to 60 days
- illegal races and so-called car meets: 2,000 to 5,000 euros, prison of up to 60 days, vehicle confiscation and a driving ban
- filming and posting your own violations on social media: 800 to 2,000 euros
On seat belts and children, the minister kept it short:
“That is why we are raising the fines for not wearing a seat belt and improperly transporting children from 130 to 200 euros.”
The announcement also cited figures for 2024: 98 people died in passenger cars, and 47 of them were not wearing a seat belt.
Why are street races and social media targeted?
The highest amounts, up to 5,000 euros, are set for organizers and participants of street races. Bozinovic said the Interior Ministry has nothing against gatherings of car enthusiasts, only against those who endanger other road users.
“Public roads are not racetracks, and the safety of citizens is not a stage for anyone to prove themselves.”
He also mentioned the videos drivers post on social networks:
“Popularity on social media cannot be an excuse for endangering someone’s life on the roads.”
What changes for electric scooters?
Parents and guardians who let a child under 14 ride a scooter would pay from 1,000 to 3,000 euros, the same as the owner of a scooter more powerful than allowed. Riding without a helmet goes up from 30 to 100 euros, and the fine for improper scooter use from 60 to 100 euros.
Under the ministry’s proposal, scooters would be entered in the ministry’s official register and go through a technical inspection, where they would receive a mark confirming that they meet the legal requirements for power and speed. On parents, Bozinovic said:
“Parental responsibility does not end with buying a scooter, it begins right then.”
Do the fines apply to foreign drivers too?
They do. The proposal does not introduce special rules for foreign plates, but expands cross-border exchange of data on traffic violations between the police of different countries. Bozinovic described it this way:
“The rules must apply equally to everyone, regardless of whose license plates are on the vehicle. The fact that you have crossed the border will not be a circumstance that prevents another country’s police from seeing whether you have been issued a fine.”
The numbers behind the proposal
Last year 261 people died on Croatian roads, 22 more than in 2024. This year the number of deaths is 22 lower than in the same period last year, but eight children have died, compared with five last year. According to Interior Ministry data, 55.8 percent of the children killed were passengers in vehicles.
Among the smaller changes is a proposal from the Ministry of the Sea, Transport and Infrastructure on special plates for taxis. Electric vehicles would get a green field instead of a blue one on their plates. The minister closed by saying the fines are not an end in themselves:
“Our goal is not to collect more fines, but to have fewer traffic accidents and fewer injured people.”
