PODGORICA – Fewer than half of passenger-car drivers observed on urban roads in Montenegro wore a seat belt, while only 16% of adult rear-seat passengers were buckled up. These findings from the Transport Community’s WESTBELT study underline the need for “A Moment for Life”, the regional road safety campaign launched today in Podgorica.
The campaign encourages everyone to take simple steps to protect themselves and others: fasten a seat belt, secure children in appropriate restraints and wear a properly fastened helmet when travelling by motorcycle, moped or bicycle. Its message is that these actions should become a habit on every journey, including short trips and journeys in the back seat.
Implemented jointly by the Transport Community and the ministries responsible for transport across the Western Balkans, the campaign brings research findings directly to road users through videos, public outreach and cooperation with national and local institutions.
The launch in Podgorica on 23 October brought together Director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community Tālis Linkaits, Montenegro’s Minister of Transport Radoš Zečević and EU Ambassador Johann Sattler, alongside representatives of the Police Administration, road safety institutions and the media.
“Through ‘A Moment for Life’, we want to help make protection a habit: a seat belt in every seat, an appropriate restraint for every child and a properly fastened helmet when riding. The Transport Community will continue working with Montenegro to turn road safety commitments into action that protects lives,” said Tālis Linkaits, Director of the Permanent Secretariat of the Transport Community.
Montenegro’s Minister of Transport Radoš Zečević said that fastening a seat belt takes a few seconds, securing a child in an appropriate seat takes a minute, and fastening a helmet takes even less. “Yet that brief moment, which many of us skip out of habit or haste, is what most often decides whether we survive a crash. Behind our road safety figures are real lives: one in three people killed was a passenger, not a driver, and it is passengers, especially in the back seat, who are least likely to buckle up. No other measure offers so much protection for so little effort. That is why the message of this campaign is simple: one moment is enough,” he underlined.
EU Ambassador Johann Sattler concluded that too many lives are lost in traffic accidents that could be prevented. “Fastening a seat belt, properly securing a child or putting away a mobile phone takes only a moment, but can save a life. Road safety is also part of Montenegro’s European integration process, and the EU is supporting concrete measures, such as this campaign, to make roads safer. I know how much Montenegrins like being first, so let us make 2027 the year when Montenegro achieves the biggest reduction in road traffic deaths in Europe. That would be a record truly worth celebrating,” he pointed out.
The WESTBELT study’s observations show that seat belt use among passenger-car drivers in Montenegro stood at 49.1% on urban roads, compared with 70.3% on rural roads and 68.5% on motorways. Among adult rear-seat passengers, use was substantially lower: 16% on urban roads, 32.8% on rural roads and 28.1% on motorways. The findings highlight the importance of reaching passengers as well as drivers, and making protection routine in every seat.
Preliminary Transport Community data indicate that 67 people died on Montenegro’s roads in 2025, compared with 75 in 2024, a reduction of approximately 11%. Despite this improvement, the fatality rate remained 107 deaths per million inhabitants, compared with 43 in the European Union. Sustained efforts are needed to prevent further loss of life.
The launch included screenings of campaign videos and the distribution of information materials together with the Police Administration and participating institutions. Broadcasters, schools, driving schools, municipalities and other partners are encouraged to help bring the messages to communities throughout Montenegro, supported by practical guidance and consistent enforcement.
The campaign builds on the Transport Community’s continuing cooperation with Montenegro on road safety, including support for institutional coordination, safer vehicles and better use of crash and road-user behaviour data. Through its Next Generation Road Safety Action Plan and the Western Balkans Road Safety Observatory, the Transport Community supports practical measures to reduce deaths and serious injuries and bring the region closer to EU road safety standards.
“A Moment for Life” asks every road user to act before setting off: buckle up, check that children are correctly secured and fasten your helmet when riding. A moment of care can help protect a lifetime.
