150 dead in traffic accidents in Serbia this summer

“Traffic police officers found 410 drivers who had very high alcohol levels in their blood in June and July alone,” Traffic Police senior officer Nebojsa Arsov said. The main causes of the accidents were speeding and drunk driving with injuries and deaths caused by failure to use safety belts as well as people driving without a permit.  

He said that August is the worst month in terms of traffic accidents but added that the police will continue its control of drivers in September and October.  

Some 22,000 traffic accidents have been registered in Serbia since the start of the year.   Drunk drivers face possible jail sentences of 30 to 60 days, fines of up to 150,000 Dinars (1 Euro – 118 Dinars) and a possible one-year ban but the police feel that is not enough and that the only way to lower the number of accidents is through awareness campaigns and drivers’ education.  

Insurance companies said that drunk drivers who cause traffic accidents which include injuries and deaths have to refund the damages to the insurer and cited the example of a 20 year old man who was sent to jail for causing an accident. The man’s family had to sell off its property to refund the 380,000 Euro in damages that the insurance company paid out.