March 13, 2022 - Croatian drivers were responsible for more than 1 billion kuna in fines for traffic violations in just 12 months last year. Although there is a decrease in the total number of drivers cited, there is an increase in those who violate the rules for driving under the influence.

More precisely, if we managed to collect all these fines, we would receive 1,133,906,000 kuna for the state budget only from violations caught by police cameras and radars, or from cases in which traffic police officers found drivers violating traffic rules, reports Večernji List.

This amount does not include offenses that preceded traffic accidents. When we state the amount that should be poured into the state budget, we say “should”, because it is likely that about 70 percent of printed misdemeanor warrants will be collected, given that our legal system allows for various manipulation options.

Procrastination and the possibility of intentional "storage in the drawer" have recently been addressed by the Ministry of the Interior by centralizing the sending of notifications of violations, but dragging through the courts is still a pain in our system.

A total of 280,531 Croatian drivers were caught speeding last year, according to the records of the Ministry of the Interior. Depending on the speed achieved, their sins are differently "severe" and, accordingly, the penalties. However, if these fines were actually collected from speeding drivers, they would bring together as much as HRK 386,598,200. There were 5.4 percent fewer of them last year than the year before, but there are still far more of them than drunk and drugged behind the wheel, and the penalties for speeding offenses are in line with the seriousness of the crime itself. Thus, for example, for driving at a speed that is more than 50 km/h higher than allowed, you can earn a fine of up to 20,000 kuna, and the same awaits drivers who have tested the speed limit of cars in public transport.

These two categories of drivers, in addition to drunk and drugged, should - due to the way they endanger themselves and other road users - be subjected to psychiatric expertise, and together based on last year's violations, only the fastest drivers in city traffic (more than 50 km/h above the limit) and those caught at the vehicle limit should have paid HRK 32,145,000 into the budget.

With a total amount of HRK 250,601,700, DUI drivers follow the footsteps of speeding drivers. We are of the opinion that in this category - as well as in the highest categories of speeding - there should be no possibility of evasion from paying the fine, writes Sandra Mikulčić.

Driving under the influence of alcohol, or under the influence of drugs, is considered one of the greatest driving sins, for which even the most severe punishment is not severe enough. For a driver who consciously sits behind the wheel in a state in which he can neither perceive the situation on the road nor control the car he is driving, it is believed that he is not counted, so as such - with a high fine - as the police department should take his driver's license for a long time.

Seriously fast and drunk drivers are followed by those who believe that they can drive without passing the driving test. They should also be deprived of all HRK 98,595,000, down to the last coin, as well as those who drive a vehicle while their driver's license has been revoked (a total of HRK 52,065,000), who do not respect the red light (a total of HRK 19,130,000) or drive in the opposite direction HRK 14,161,000). Thanks to the number of offenses (46,251 drivers), the total amount of fines for using mobile phones while driving is serious, since last year they have accumulated HRK 46,251,000 in fines.

Just a little above the limit

On the other side of the scale are Croatian drivers who did not earn a misdemeanor report by arrogant and reckless violation of regulations, but simply - they were unlucky. For example, it was too late to change lanes. They did not correctly assess whether they were allowed to park somewhere or not. Somewhere we classify the most numerous category of speed offenders - those who are caught driving in the settlement at a speed of 10-20 km/h above the limit. However, a total of 101,865 of them earned HRK 50,932,500 in fines. While this may not seem like much to many, not wearing a seat belt (and such a report was written by police officers 77,833 times last year) is a serious threat to safety. To explain, in this category are Croatian drivers who have not tied themselves up and gambled with their own lives, but also those who have not transported children safely.

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September the 18th, 2020 - You only need to say the word ''MUP'' to send a shiver down the spine of anyone who has spent hours sitting on a (probably broken) plastic chair in an airless room clutching a number, awaiting their fate dealt at the hands of a friendly clerk. It seems, however, that the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced Croatia to abandon several draconian practices and move more quickly towards the digitalisation the rest of the EU enjoys when it comes to handling administrative problems, and a brand new process when it comes to the issuing of Croatian driving licenses has now been announced.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 16th of September, 2020, as of September the 24th, 2020, when issuing a Croatian driving license for the first time, citizens will no longer have to enclose their certificate of having passed their driving exam issued by the Croatian Auto Club, instead, MUP (the Ministry of the Interior) will obtain the certificate electronically. A bold move indeed for an institution which is very well known for its somewhat bizarre love of paperwork and stamps.

The Ministry of the Interior recently published this more than welcome news which will certainly delight new drivers in the Official Gazette as an amendment to the ordinance on Croatian driving licenses. The new ordinance on Croatian driving licenses will, as stated, enter into force on the 24th of September, 2020.

By amending the regulations and drafting a technical solution, it is possible for the Croatian Auto Club, as an authorised professional organisation that issues certificates which attest to a person having passed their driving exam, to keep records of passed driving exams in an electronic form, and police administrations or police stations that issue Croatian driving licenses will be able to access and obtain that certificate electronically, without the need for individuals to bring yet another piece of paper with them when making their application for the license.

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