Macedonia's 'Safe City' system reduces traffic fatalities by 40%

The government led by VMRO‑DPMNE has rolled out the "Safe City" traffic‑monitoring system across several Macedonian towns, including Skopje, Tetovo, Kumanovo, the 8 and 10 corridors and Veles, with cameras later added near Novo Selo (Debarca) and a phased deployment in Ohrid. The trial phase began on 1 December, recording about 110 000 violations in the first 24 hours, most for speeding. Within two days the daily violations fell by roughly 50 %, and by the planned full rollout on 1 February 2026 daily violations are expected to stabilize at 500–600, a drop of more than 99 % from the test start.

In the first five months of operation, total road‑death toll fell from 55 the previous year to 33 this year, a 40 % decrease. Officials cite the system’s preventive effect and alignment with EU standards as key to improving public safety and advancing the country's modernization and digitisation agenda.