ZAGREB, 17 July 2022 - The average age of vehicles in Croatia in the first half of 2022 was 14.74 years, and nearly 70% of the vehicles were 10 or more years old, the Croatian Centre for Vehicles reported earlier this week.

In the first six months of this year, there were 1,244,465 registered vehicles in Croatia.

As many as 68.14% of them were 10 or more years old, while 14.73% were between six and nine years old and 12.79% were between two and five years old.

Only 4.33% were up to one year old.

By comparison, the average vehicle age was 14.18 years in 2020 and 14.34 years in 2021.

"Although we hope that this number will fall by the end of the year, the increasing average age of vehicles in Croatia shows the importance of regular vehicle maintenance and technical inspection," said Tomislav Škreblin from the Centre for Vehicles.

Most of the newly-registered vehicles were passenger cars -- 54,429, of which 23,777 were new and 30,652 were used vehicles. 50% of them were powered by diesel and 35% by petrol, while 9.9% were hybrid vehicles.

Only 2.35% were fuelled by petrol and LPG, 1.32% were electric vehicles, 1.11% were hybrid vehicles with external charging, 0.02% were fuelled by petrol and natural gas, and 0.0018% only by natural gas.

Utility vehicles predominantly used diesel fuel as well.

There was a considerable increase in the number of new hybrid passenger cars, accounting for around 21% of the newly-registered vehicles in the first half of 2022. On the other hand, used hybrid passenger cars accounted for only 2.4% of the newly-registered vehicles.

A total of 5,419 hybrid vehicles, 605 hybrid vehicles with external charges and 721 electric vehicles were registered in the first half of the year.

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January 25, 2021 – Released images show falling snow is causing extremely difficult conditions on some Croatian roads, both motorways and state roads, with the mountainous regions of Lika and Gorski Kotar most affected

Any optimists living in Zagreb could be forgiven for thinking winter was over. Over a succession of two days last week they were basking in the relatively balmy daytime temperatures of 16 degrees. The sun shone brightly, the boots stayed indoors and lighter jackets were thrown on to visit the shops. Not everyone in Zagreb is an optimist, though. And those with an experience that is greater than their hope knew the reality of the situation; Croatia's winter can turn round at any moment to bite you in the ass.

Snow covering the Lika region

And that's exactly what happened this weekend, when falling snow produced treacherous driving conditions across a wide area of Croatia. On some motorways, a ban on trucks with trailers and tractors with semi-trailers is in place because of the continually falling snow. Another response to the falling snow has been to make winter vehicle equipment mandatory.

A thick layer of snow covers the road near Delnice at 19.14 on Sunday 24 January 2021 © HAK

While the Croatian capital was experiencing its warm spell, falling snow continued to descend on more mountainous regions of the country, Lika and Gorski Kotar in particular. And it is those that remain most affected by the treacherous driving conditions. Hrvatske Autoceste (Croatian Motorways) are responding to the continuing weather conditions. But, they released pictures of one motorway section near Delnice which, even after plowing, was 30 minutes later again covered by the falling snow.

A snowplow arrives at 19.15 to clear the snow © HAK

Thick falling snow and ice made it difficult to drive on the A6 Zagreb - Rijeka highway. The National Association of Drivers and Vehicle Owners (HAK) issued a series of warnings for the following routes: A1 Zagreb-Split-Ploče between the junctions of Bosiljevo II and Maslenica, A6 Rijeka-Zagreb between the junctions of Bosiljevo II and Kikovica, state road DC1 between Zagorje and Gračac and state road DC3 through Gorski Kotar between Zdihovo and Kikovica.

By 19.45 the road is in the same state as before the snowplow arrived, because of continually falling snow © HAK

HAK also reported that there is currently no passable road for trucks with trailers and tractors with semi-trailers from the direction of the continental interior towards Rijeka and Istria and Dalmatia and vice versa. The colder temperatures are expected to stick around for most of the early part of the week, although the skies may be clearer in some regions. Temperatures will rise again heading towards next weekend under an increasing cloud cover, but the chilly conditions might well bounce back towards the end of next weekend. Zagreb itself could even experience more snowfall at that time.

Driving in Croatia is by far the best way to see the beauty and the natural diversity of the interior of the country, as well as that of the coast, but many an accident occurs on some of Croatia's more dangerous roads, often resulting in serious injury and death. The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure aims to evaluate the situation in order to properly inform drivers of known hazardous areas, as well as work to make them safer.

As Josip Bohutinski/VL/Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 31st of January, 2019, the overall purpose of this project, as has since been explained by the competent ministry, is to improve Croatia's road infrastructure by repairing proven dangerous places on the country's public roads, ie, reducing the number of accidents which result in material damage and reducing the number of injured and fatally wounded on state roads.

The Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure provided a massive 55,433,982.80 kuna for the remediation of hazardous sites (black spot removal) on state roads project. Croatian roads (Hrvatske ceste), as a user of this project, will repair a total of 23 known hazardous sites throughout the Republic of Croatia. The aforementioned black road removal project on Croatian roads is being carried out as part of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, Transport and Infrastructure's investment in the development of transport infrastructure aimed at increasing road safety, Vecernji list writes.

The aforementioned ministry said that back in June of last year, they launched a call for the co-financing of the project which aims to bring further safety measures to driving in Croatia, for which Croatian roads was readily approved. The total value of the project stands at 68,596.132,80 kuna, with eligible financing costs amounting to 55,433,982.80 kuna, and 47,118,885.38 kuna will be financed from the European Regional Development Fund and 8,315,097.42 kuna from the state budget.

As previously mentioned, the competent ministry explained that the purpose of this project is to improve road infrastructure by repairing areas which are known to be dangerous on Croatia's public roads, with the aim of reducing the number of accidents, many of which are serious and even fatal. Croatian roads has therefore produced a document entitled ''a plan for the rehabilitation of dangerous areas on the state roads of the Republic of Croatia" based on the then valid methodology for the proper identification of such dangerous sites.

According to this methodology, on Croatia's state roads during the period up until the end of 2016, 32 hazardous sites were identified, nine of which have been remedied and the remaining 23 dangerous sites are the subject of this project. The 23 black spots were divided into 12 counties, in Zagreb (1), Karlovac (2), Varaždin (1), Bjelovar-Bilogora (1), Primorje-Gorski Kotar (7), Požega-Slavonia (2), Vukovar (1), Zadar (2), Lika-Senj (1), Šibenik-Knin (1) and Split-Dalmatia (2).

The ministry went on to explain that on the basis of the project documentation prepared in these hazardous places, the plan is to carry out works such as the modification of all types of traffic signaling and equipment, including better application and placement of traffic signalisation, the construction of sufficient widths for access roads and for pedestrian walkways, pedestrian crossings, the construction of roundabouts, pavement works, the installation of protective fences, the relocation and construction of bus stops, as well as the reconstruction of intersections.

Driving in Croatia should be a pleasure, and the correction of known dangerous sites, the ministry says, will improve traffic safety on the country's roads with an emphasis on safety placed on some of the most vulnerable traffic participants, including pedestrians and bikers. Croatia's roads should be built and corrected to ensure a better tolerance for potential driving mistakes, which will reduce the overall likelihood of an accident taking place.

Make sure to stay up to date with our dedicated lifestyle page for more information on driving in Croatia, and much more.

Click here for the original article by Josip Bohutinski/VL on Poslovni Dnevnik

Driving in Zagreb comes with both ease and difficulties, unlike the along the coast, the time of year rarely causes issues when it comes to traffic in Zagreb, but Mayor Milan Bandić's timing for major roadworks often does.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 14th of December, 2018, after having been delayed multiple times, the closing of the huge Zagreb roundabout has now been announced for this coming Sunday, December the 16th, 2018, as has another important event, a sporting one.

On Sunday, December the 16th, the Zagreb Advent Run will take place in the Croatian capital, and driving in Zagreb will become more problematic as the new traffic changes will come into force.

Isidor Kršnjavi street (Ulica Isidora Kršnjavog), where the start of the race will be, will be closed for all traffic from 08:00 to 12:30 on the aforementioned date.

The rest of the routes being used within the scope of the Zagreb Advent Run will begin being closed off by local police several minutes before the start of the race at 10:00 and will remain closed until 12:30.

Sunday will also bring problems owing to the Dinamo Zagreb - Hajduk Split match, which traditionally brings with it major traffic jams, at 15:00.

Make sure to follow our dedicated news page for more information on traffic and driving in Zagreb, as well as in the rest of the country. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, stay up to date with everything you need to know about what's going on in the Croatian capital city by following Total Zagreb.

Driving in Croatia is always a pleasure. From the famously smooth roads, even in the most rugged and mountainous areas, to taking in the truly diverse scenery the country has to offer from coast to continent, a road trip through Croatia is undoubtedly a must do when spending any length of time here.

Despite the joy of driving on such perfect roads and enjoying the incredible bio-diversity of the land, winter is well and truly on its way and along with freezing temperatures and snow, it intends to bring some hefty fines and a stronger police presence across the country.

The police have already announced a few new sets of high fines and multiple actions in which the ''hunt'' will be on for those not wearing seat belts or using their phones while driving, and the Zagreb police are upping their game once again as the cold begins to bite in continental Croatia.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 6th of December, 2018, in the area governed by the Zagreb police administration, a preventative action is set to take place. The Zagreb police announced that the action will be implemented this weekend.

From the 7th to the 10th of December, Zagreb police officers will carry out a preventive action directed at enhanced vehicle and driver supervision, the general aim of which is to prevent and sanction the most serious violations, known commonly all over the world as the four major killers on the road.

These offenses are alcohol consumption while driving, speeding, not wearing a seat belt, and the improper use of mobile phones and similar devices, as well as an array of other offenses which frequently contribute to the occurrence and the often tragic consequences of most traffic accidents.

Make sure to stay up to date with our news page for more. If it's just Zagreb you're interested in, make sure to follow Total Zagreb for everything going on in the Croatian capital city.

The Croatian police have been upping their game recently when it comes to fining drivers, from offenses like using your phone while driving to not having your seatbelt buckled, we've now entered the colder months and drivers having left snow on their car roofs and car bonnets (hoods), are next in line for a hefty fine.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 28th of November, 2018, drivers who haven't cleaned bothered to clean the snow from their vehicle's roof or engine cover pose not only a major danger to themselves on the roads, as well as to others.

Avoiding the unwanted task of having to clean snow off your car in the morning can however be avoided entirely with the use of a simple piece of cardboard and two socks, according to 24sata.

If you put the piece of cardboard on the windshield in the morning, it won't freeze over, and a sock on each windscreen wiper blade will prevent them from freezing and sticking themselves to the glass. If you haven't or don't intend to do this, make sure to take other proper measures or be prepared to wake up that bit earlier as properly removing snow and ice is, as you'll likely be aware of, quite time consuming.

The Croatian police have warned that hefty fines will be given to those who drive their cars without having removed the snow and ice from the vehicle beforehand. Snow that flies off your car when in motion can cause a danger to other drivers, and you may be completely blinded when braking, which is one of many reasons why uncleaned snow and ice can easily cause an otherwise completely avoidable traffic accident.

If the Croatian police stop you on the road with snow and ice left on your car, you will receive a 1,000 kuna penalty.

Make sure to follow our news page for more info on the Croatian police and driving in Croatia.

German statisticians released data on their export of used diesel cars in recent days, and Croatia has taken second place, after the Ukrainians, according to a report from Jutarnji list's Autoklub. Despite warnings from environmentalists and eco-warriors, which many experts claim to be false, it appears that Croats love diesel engines regardless.

As Poslovni Dnevnik writes on the 16th of November, 2018, with the growth of diesel imports from Germany in 2018, from 89.6 percent in relation to the same period last year, Croatia continues to hold onto the second most respectable position on the entire chart, while first place continues to be reserved by the Ukrainians, a country for which an incredible increase of 136.8 has been recorded.

The fact that these aren't just some fantasy figures is supported by the data of the Promocija plus agency, and according to them, in the first nine months of this year, a never before seen number of used cars entered Croatia, a massive 57,067 of them, which is equal to 16,732, or 41.5 percent more than were recorded during the same period last year. A large contribution to such a jump, which can be read clearly from the provided figures, was given mainly by diesel engine vehicles.

These are mostly, of course, imported from Germany, and there are as many as 15,434 more diesel engine cars on Croatia's roads than were recorded last year. Their share in the total number of imported used cars this year has jumped from 88.2 percent to 88.7 percent, a clear indicator that Croats love diesel engines.

This is likely to unnerve eco-warriors and those who make conscious steps to put the environment first, generally by aiming to reduce their carbon footprint. Is the propagated idea that Croatia is becoming a "dumping ground for old diesel engines from Europe" a remotely truthful one? According to some experts, no, it isn't, and believe it or not, there are some rather strong arguments to support that fact.

For starters, we need to look at good old excise duty. As is already very well known, in recent years, exise duty is ''counted'' against a vehicle's CO2 emissions and value, and excise tax tables are arranged as such so that they do not fall ''into the hands'' of favour of older cars which typically produce higher and unwanted emissions of harmful gases.

According to the obtained information, these imported diesel engine cars don't pose a negative effect on the average age of the domestic Croatian car fleet as would be the case with the import of a large number of brand new cars, and the same applies to the emission of harmful gases. These imports are still newer and cause considerably less pollution than the existing ones do, and therefore ecologists and environmentalists need not be afraid. The increase in diesel car imports is not a problem because Croatia has no particular air quality problems, whereas Germany, for example, definitely does.

Make sure to stay up to date with our lifestyle page for more. If you're into all things eco, follow Total Eco Croatia for info on just how the environment is put first by various organisations across the country.

Contactless payments, more accurate mileage calculations and the ability to pay without needing to stop your vehicle are on the way to Croatia's motorways.

Unwelcome news for frequent drivers...

Drivers are advised to check the forecast and exercise caution on the road