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In Montenegro, the import of cars older than 15 years has been banned since July 1. What is the current state of the fleet? An expert in the field of traffic engineering told Radio Free Europe that the average age of vehicles in Montenegro is about 17 years. Vukasin Erakovic.
“This makes the issue of safety even more important… Based on research conducted on demand from the industry, the critical age limit for vehicles where the consequences of traffic accidents increase is 15 years.”
Almost two thirds of vehicles in Montenegro are over 15 years old.
In clarifying the ban on importing older cars, the Department for Transport told the RSE that used cars imported from July would have better safety and technology features that would make them safer.
In response to the ban, imports of used cars increased dramatically.
That is to say, in the first three months of this year, automobile imports increased by 35% compared with the same period last year. According to data provided by the General Administration of Customs to the RSE, compared with the same period in 2022, the import growth rate exceeded 100%.
How many cars are there in Montenegro?
By the way, according to data from the European Statistical Office EUROSTAT, Montenegro has the highest number of cars per capita among the countries in the region.
In this country of just over 630,000 people, there are about 285,000 registered vehicles, of which 242,000 are passenger cars.
In addition to two-thirds of the cars being over 15 years old, about one in ten were built between 1979 and 1999.
Two thirds of used cars come from the EU
According to the Customs Administration, Montenegro has imported about 51,500 used cars over the past three years.
Their value exceeds 270 million euros.
More than two-thirds, or about 35,000 people, come from EU countries, according to data provided to the RSE by EUROSTAT.
Montenegro is the country in the region that imports the most used cars from the EU in terms of the number of inhabitants.
Close to EU emission standards
In the 1990s, the European Union established European emission standards, which set legal limits on harmful emissions from vehicles.
Since the introduction of the first set of regulations, “EURO 1”, in 1992, the EU has gradually tightened its measures.
Last month, the European Council approved the latest set of “EURO 7” standards.
This year, the Montenegrin Ministry of Transport revised the rulebook on technical requirements for imported vehicles.
The regulation restricts the import of vehicles older than 15 years and introduces the “EURO 5” standard as the minimum standard for their import.
The RSE ministry said: “The goal is that the vehicles meet safety technical conditions and environmental protection conditions.”
These are conditions set out in UN and EU regulations.
What do the experts say?
Expert Eraković noted that the expansion and application of information technology has had an impact on the automotive industry, so more and more “smart” cars are being produced.
New technology helps minimize the likelihood of an accident and, if it does occur, provides maximum protection for participants.
Modern cars also electronically monitor nearly every system in the car, so drivers can always have information about the health of the vehicle.
“In many cases, these systems do not allow the vehicle to be used if a fault is identified, so they directly affect traffic safety”.
He points out that it is important to constantly check the technical condition of your vehicle, regardless of its age.
“The proportion of traffic accidents caused by vehicles themselves is relatively small, but the most common cause is human factors.”
The number of traffic accidents has increased by nearly 30% in the past five years.
In 2023 alone, it increased by nearly 16% compared to 2022.
The number of victims is also increasing. Therefore, by 2023, the number will increase by about 4.5% compared to the previous year.
Nearly half of the victims were under the age of 35.
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