What Happened to Traffic Safety Education?

Every year, as the new school year begins, state institutions and media repeat familiar warnings to drivers, parents and children: look around, take care when walking or driving, and respect other road users. Those reminders are necessary, but they should apply throughout the year, not just on the first day of school.

The article argues that Croatia also needs more concrete guidance. General appeals to look, take care and show consideration offer little help when measured against the country’s road-safety record.

Croatia has improved road safety over the past decade, but the gap becomes much clearer when its results are compared with the rest of Europe. According to the latest report from the European Transport Safety Council, 261 people died in Croatian traffic in 2025. That equals 67 deaths per million residents, compared with an European Union average of 43.

Norway and Sweden, identified as Europe’s safest countries by this measure, recorded 19 deaths per million residents. Denmark recorded 23. Croatia is therefore still among the countries where the risk of dying in road traffic remains substantially higher than the European average. The article says Croatia is not at the very bottom, but remains close to it.