Just a day after a serious traffic accident on highway Šabac-Ruma, where four people died, five more cases of driving in the opposite direction were recorded. Three occurred in the territory Belgrade, one in Novi Sad, and one on the Danube Corridor, on the Požarevac-Golubac section.
On Sunday, a "Golf" car was also driving in the opposite lane on the Belgrade-Novi Sad highway.
The driver was identified and stopped by the Novi Sad police after the video was published on social networks. Members of the MUP have determined that the driver had a probationary license and that he was driving a car whose power exceeds that allowed for drivers with a probationary driver's license.
For violent driving, he was sentenced to 30 days in prison, a fine of 20.000 dinars, 15 penalty points and a nine-month driving ban, and his probationary license will be revoked after the verdict becomes final.
The last incident that dawned on the networks happened on Monday evening when the driver from the roundabout on New Belgrade headed towards I will enter. in the opposite direction.
500 people die in traffic every year
According to the data provided by the Ministry of Interior to RTS, during the year 2025, 450 violations due to driving in the opposite direction were recorded, mostly in populated areas, while 170 such violations were recorded since the beginning of this year. On average, 18 traffic accidents occur per year due to such driving, some of which are fatal.
The Ministry of the Interior announced at the end of April that since the beginning of 2026, 120 people have died on the roads in Serbia. The MUP website also states that 500 people die in traffic accidents in our country every year, and the fact that ten children die in traffic every year is particularly worrying.
Footage on the networks - a black chronicle in real time
It is particularly worrisome that parallel to the increase in these cases, the number of recordings published on social networks is also increasing. Instagram i TikTok have become a kind of informal record for driving in the opposite direction.
Drivers record cars that come to meet them, warn other road users, but also show how visible and frequent the danger has become. It was even recorded that the tow truck was driving in the opposite direction on the highway near Dobanovci.
On the one hand, these recordings can help the police to identify drivers, and on the other hand, there is a danger that the most serious forms of traffic behavior will turn into viral content on the Internet.
What happens when the driver realizes that he has entered the opposite direction
Retired professor of the Faculty of Traffic Milan Vujanić previously explained to "Danas" that a driver who realizes that he is moving in the opposite direction must not continue driving in that lane. As he stated, the driver should stop in the stop lane, wait for the moment when there is no vehicle and only then turn in the right direction or call the service of the Serbian Automobile Association to help him.
The Traffic Police Administration also warned that it is most dangerous to continue moving, especially on the highway where you drive at high speed.
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The punishment depends on the consequence.
According to current regulations, driving in the opposite direction without consequences is treated as violent driving. The Law on Traffic Safety stipulates that driving in the opposite direction without consequences is punishable by a prison sentence of 30 to 60 days, a fine of 120 to 140 thousand dinars and the revocation of a license for a certain period.
However, if injury, death or significant material damage occurs, lawyer Slavko Todorović tells N1 that the punishment depends on the severity of the consequences. In the case of the death of one or more persons, the sanction can be from five to 15 years in prison, for serious bodily injury from two to ten years, and for minor bodily injury up to three years in prison.
Todorović also explains that if there are no consequences, the driver cannot be held criminally responsible just because he drove in the opposite lane, regardless of the motive.
Photo: Tanjug/Miloš MilivojevićThe Traffic Police Administration warns that it is most dangerous to continue moving, especially on the highway where you drive at high speed.
Signaling, cameras, barriers - what can prevent the next collision
At the beginning of May, the Ministry of Transport asked "Roads of Serbia" to check the signage at highway and expressway junctions, however, cases of driving in the opposite direction also occurred on parts of the road where there were clearly marked signs indicating that the direction of travel was wrong.
Attorney Todorović told N1 that the state authorities can influence this problem with clearer signage, as well as recording with cameras and even physical barriers.
Sources: N1, RTS, Vreme
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