The Ministry of the Interior has presented a draft amendment to the Road Traffic Safety Act, which introduces significantly higher penalties for failure to wear seatbelts, illegal parking, and illegal races, as well as new regulations for electric scooters. The draft was presented to the public prior to being sent for public consultation, with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, Davor Božinović, speaking at a press conference on Wednesday.
Božinović highlighted that 261 people lost their lives on Croatian roads in 2025. Despite a slight improvement in statistics in 2026, he warned that increased mobility and infrastructure development must be matched by a high standard of road safety culture.
The fine for not wearing a seatbelt and for the improper transport of children in a car will rise from 130 to 200 euros. The basic fine for illegal parking will be 60 euros, up from the previous 30 euros, while a fine of 150 euros is proposed for parking in areas designated for people with disabilities. Parking on squares and in historic urban areas will be penalised with a fine of 60 euros. If a vehicle parked illegally directly endangers traffic safety or blocks the passage of emergency services, the fine can reach 300 euros.
For organisers and participants in illegal car races, drifts, and speed demonstrations on public roads, monetary penalties ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 euros are stipulated, or a prison sentence of up to 60 days. Additionally, there is a six-month ban on driving. The legal text for the first time includes sanctions for recording and publishing illegal conduct on social media, for which fines of up to 2,000 euros are provided. Failure to comply with the order of a police officer will be punishable by a fine of up to 2,650 euros or imprisonment of up to 60 days.
The new Act introduces an obligation to register and mark scooters at the MUP. Registration will be carried out via a sticker from the technical inspection, confirming their legality. The sticker must be visible to police officers and will be issued upon control, without a standard registration procedure. Parents or guardians who allow children under the age of 14 to operate an electric scooter, or who permit the operation of a scooter whose power exceeds legally permitted limits, face a fine of 1,000 to 3,000 euros. The fine for not wearing a protective helmet and for improper scooter operation will be 100 euros.
The proposal brings legal solutions aimed at new dangerous phenomena, such as the uncontrolled use of electric scooters and illegal street races, and will impose stricter penalties for other offences such as dangerous parking, recording reckless driving, and publishing videos on social media. Electric vehicles will receive registration plates with a green field, and special plates are being introduced for taxi vehicles. The Croatian Mountain Rescue Service (Hrvatska gorska služba spašavanja (HGSS)) is formally included in the emergency services system, alongside the police, firefighters, and ambulance services. Cross-border exchange of data on traffic offences is also being expanded to ensure equal punishment for drivers regardless of the vehicle's country of registration.
