The Road Traffic Safety Act is a sacred letter, both for car drivers, buses, trucks and cyclists, and ignorance of the Act is by no means an excuse for not complying with its provisions.

 

However, cyclists are prone to violating certain provisions, which is often the target of police officers and curses of other road users. One of the most common sins of cyclists is walking the sidewalk, which the police warn, but also fines, although cyclists in some locations in the city choose to ride the sidewalk because driving is extremely dangerous. And while in some places cyclists choose to walk on the sidewalk, even at the cost of a possible penalty, scenes of cycling on the roads in the streets where there is a cycle path are incomprehensible. Also, a good number of cyclists, when driving on the road, ride along the middle of the road, which is extremely dangerous and also punishable.

 

In order to keep your bike safe and passable without inconvenient encounters with the traffic police, care should also be taken to equip the bike with white forward lights, rear reds, “cat eyes” on pedals and wheels, a brake on both wheels, and a sounder warnings, and in conditions of reduced visibility, the driver must have a reflective vest or reflective ribbons with reflective heat transfer vinyl.

 

Also, “hands-free” driving without hands can cost a cyclist expensive because the penalty for driving in a way that reduces the stability of the vehicle and/or impedes other road users is HRK 300. Cyclists will be fined HRK 700 for incomplete bicycle equipment, HRK 300 for lack of a reflective vest, and the same amount of punishment for cyclists under the age of 16 who do not have a helmet on. Cyclists, just like car drivers, should not be under the influence of alcohol, drugs or illicit drugs, and a fine of HRK 500 is prescribed for alcoholic drinks above 0.5 ppm. There is also room for punishment for cyclists when it comes to transporting more than one person on a bicycle. Namely, children are allowed to be transported, but only in appropriate seats and with the use of protective equipment, and the transport “on the bar” or the load bars are fined HRK 300.