Worrying increase in the number of fatalities on Croatian roads

(Patria) - With the start of the new school year, Croatian police traditionally launch a series of activities as part of the "Respect Our Signs" campaign, aiming to increase children's safety in traffic at a time when statistics indicate a rise in road fatalities.

Data for the first eight months of 2025 show an increase in the number of traffic accidents with fatalities and the number of deaths. The number of fatalities is up by 17.6 percent.

While the number of accidents with slightly and seriously injured persons has decreased, the number of fatalities has increased compared to the first eight months of 2024.

The increase is linked to more intensive traffic, especially during the tourist season, and a higher number of registered vehicles.

In the last ten years, 69 children have died on Croatian roads, and 8,582 have been injured.

It is particularly worrying that children are now much more likely to be injured as passengers in vehicles than as pedestrians.

Parents often transport them unrestrained, in the front seat, or in inadequate car seats, and sometimes on motorcycles or quad bikes, which is prohibited by law.

Also concerning are the data showing that by the end of August this year, the number of child fatalities was 60 percent higher than last year – eight compared to five.

107 children were seriously injured, which is 9.2 percent more than in 2024, while the number of slightly injured children increased by 0.9 percent.

More than half of the children are injured as passengers in cars, specifically in their parents' cars.

To improve the situation, police, in cooperation with local authorities, have already inspected roads and signage near schools and removed identified deficiencies.

All this was done ahead of the week in which 40,000 new first-graders will participate in traffic as pedestrians on their way to school or as passengers in their parents' cars.

Throughout September, approaches to schools will be monitored daily, speed and parking will be controlled, and police officers will ensure children can cross the road safely.

They will also conduct traffic safety education sessions in classrooms and distribute reflective materials, and convey key messages to parents at meetings about the proper transport of children.

Traffic youth units and school traffic units will also join the campaign, while police, together with the road traffic inspectorate, will supervise buses used for organized student transport.

Police emphasize that children are particularly vulnerable due to their shorter stature, limited field of vision, underdeveloped sense of danger assessment, and impulsive behavior.

This is precisely why children's safety must not depend solely on police enforcement measures, but primarily on the responsibility of parents and drivers, the police stated.