ANALIZA PROMETNIH NESREĆA MLADIH VOZAĈA ŠIBENSKO-KNINSKE ŢUPANIJE/ ANALYSIS OF TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS INVOLVING YOUNG DRIVERS IN THE ŠIBENIK-KNIN COUNTY

Abstract

Like all countries in the world, the Republic of Croatia also has to cope with an excessive number of road accidents. Therefore, alongside other world countries, it attempts to resolve this problem by implementing the provisions and guidelines of the 2009 Moscow Declaration, containing the call for the “Decade of Action for Road Safety“, as well as the 4th Action Programme of the European Commission, in its “National Road Safety Programme of the Republic of Croatia 2011-2020“. In order to improve this situation and traffic safety, in 2011, the Croatian Parliament adopted a new “Road Traffic Safety Act”. Young drivers are involved in a large share (around 20%) of traffic accidents in the Republic of Croatia. One of the key reasons for this is emotional immaturity, wherefore more attention should be paid to this driver group. This would improve general road safety and directly preserve young lives. This research aims to establish the share of young drivers in the Šibenik-Knin County involved in traffic accidents as compared to drivers who have not passed the driving exam, the cases where speed is not appropriate for the existing conditions and cases of alcohol intake, as well as how education, upbringing and specific measures may affect both present-day young drivers and future generations. Investing in the traffic culture of future generations is a painstaking job, with results becoming visible only in long-term future.