During the year 2025, a total of 42,762 traffic accidents occurred on the roads in Bosnia and Herzegovina, of which 8,124 resulted in deaths and injuries and 34,638 accidents with material damage. On average, 117 traffic accidents were recorded every day.
Traffic experts warn that safety in BiH. on the roads cannot be improved only by stricter penalties or individual legal changes, but that comprehensive reforms of the traffic safety system and better education of drivers are needed.
Professor Drago Ezgeta from the University of Sarajevo believes that the existing system needs to be thoroughly reformed and harmonized with European standards.
- In order for drivers to be better prepared for safer and more responsible participation in traffic, it is also necessary to find new channels of education for existing drivers who, by improving their knowledge and skills, could improve traffic safety, new vehicle functionalities, a new approach to traffic risks and new comprehensive views on traffic safety – Ezgeta pointed out.
On the other hand, Professor Ivana Lasić from the Secondary Traffic School in Mostar warns that the problem is not only in the laws, but also in their implementation on the ground.
- Penalties for the most serious traffic offenses such as driving under the influence of alcohol, speeding and using mobile phones while driving should be tightened, but more should be invested in preventive education, campaigns and modernization of transport infrastructure – she states.
Speaking about young drivers, Ezgeta believes that it is necessary to improve access to training for driver candidates and expand the education program in order to better prepare drivers for safer participation in traffic.
According to statistics, it is young drivers who are more likely to be involved in traffic accidents due to lack of experience, while night driving, improper speed and the use of mobile phones while driving are additional risks.
- The problem is often not age, but bad traffic culture and weak enforcement of the law in force. Stricter rules without regular and high-quality control by the traffic police often do not produce great results. In my opinion, the focus should be on safe and real gaining of experience, and not only on stricter punishments – Lasić believes.
As one of the possible solutions, he cites the introduction of trial driving licenses, such as exist in some countries of the European Union.
- Examples from Germany, Austria and France show that the combination of a trial license, education and stricter supervision can reduce the number of traffic accidents among young drivers – she states.
Ezgeta also warns of the need to introduce a comprehensive system for monitoring the health of drivers of all categories.
- It is necessary to define in the Law the responsibility of health institutions that, when determining diagnoses that affect the ability to drive, deliver such information to competent authorities, as well as to drivers. The law should also define the responsibility of drivers who, in the event of a change in health condition, temporary or permanent, which reduces the ability to drive, in such situations may not drive a motor vehicle – emphasizes Ezgeta.
The interlocutors agree that fines alone are not enough without better traffic culture, education and more effective law enforcement.
- The last amendment to the law that regulates drunken driving here in Bosnia and Herzegovina still treats it as a misdemeanor, while in the EU drunken driving is a criminal offense – warns Ezgeta.
Lasić adds that the use of mobile phones while driving today is one of the main causes of driver distraction and a serious safety problem on the roads.
Both interlocutors believe that a long-term reduction in the number of traffic accidents requires a different approach to traffic safety through education, prevention, better supervision and modernization of the traffic system.
