"Safe City" cameras, which will record traffic violations, have been put into use in North Macedonia since December 1. During the month of December, citizens who break traffic rules will only receive warnings, while starting from January 1, 2026, there will also be fines.
This project is conceived as a major technological transition in police patrolling and traffic control. The goal of the system, as stated by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is “more orderly and safer traffic, improving traffic culture, reducing accidents, damages and victims on the road.”
In the first 24 hours of the cameras' operation, a large number of violations were recorded. In the territory of Skopje alone, the cameras caught about 110 thousand violations, the majority of which were speeding.
"I'm not saying that 'Safe City' is perfect, of course there will be some elements that we will need to improve and we will see that it can be done even better. We are open to acting towards improving the system. 110,000 violations in Skopje were registered in 24 hours, 5,000 violations for running a red light, and 90% of the violations are speeding," said Toshkovski.
He added that in the coming period, it will be decided what the tolerance for speeding will be.
"There are places in Europe where there is no tolerance at all, there are places where the tolerance is 10% above the allowed speed. We will discuss in the coming period and decide," declared Toshkovski.
How does Safe City actually work?
The Safe City system automatically records traffic violations through a network of cameras, sensors and recording devices, which have initially been installed in Skopje, Tetovo, Kumanovo and on major highways. In the first phase, the system will monitor four categories of violations: speeding, running a red light, driving with an expired registration and improper parking, while other types of violations will be added in the next phase.
This requires amendments to the Law on Road Safety, as well as five or six other laws that are already in parliamentary procedure and whose amendments are necessary for the new system to function smoothly, in order to minimize human impact.
Once the camera detects a violation, the software automatically identifies the license plate and connects the vehicle to the owner, and then the Ministry of Internal Affairs sends an SMS and email with a report and payment order. Meanwhile, members of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who will play the role of controllers, will check the system and every message it sends to assess whether the violation recorded by the system is valid and technically correct.
After that, the owner has a period of eight days to pay half of the fine, after the expiration of this period, the full amount must be paid within the next eight days, before the forcible seizure procedure begins. For violations for which a driving ban is also foreseen, the Ministry of Internal Affairs also submits a request to the competent court.
Payment can be made electronically, and the system will immediately notify the Ministry of Internal Affairs that the fine has been paid. In the second phase of the project, it is planned to expand the range of criminal offenses that the system will record.
How will owners of foreign-registered vehicles be punished?
Foreign vehicles will not be spared from fines either. Minister of Internal Affairs, Pance Toshkovski, a day after the "Safe City" cameras were put into operation, said that the system of this project also recognizes vehicles with foreign registration and will fine the owners of those vehicles that commit violations.
Drivers of foreign-registered vehicles who commit violations in North Macedonia will not be banned from leaving the country as this is regulated by law, but they will be banned from entering the RMV if they have unpaid fines.
"Foreign vehicles will not be exempted from registering violations either. We have established rules and procedures on how violations will be determined. Foreign vehicles cannot be banned from leaving Macedonia, but they will be informed that they will not be able to re-enter Macedonia if they do not pay the fine. We have taken this into account and I think we have provided an appropriate response," said Toshkovski.
Internships in European countries
The idea of a "Safe City" is not new; in many European cities and countries, automatic traffic control systems (cameras, ANPR, software for recognizing violations) have long been part of the "smart infrastructure". For example, in countries such as Sweden and Belgium, numerous studies show that automatic sanctioning leads to a significant reduction in road accidents, especially those related to speeding and wrong maneuvering.
In Cyprus, the deployment of mobile license plate recognition cameras resulted in a 39% reduction in road accident deaths in 18 months from launch.
Research shows that systems such as Safe City, where cameras, analysis software and automatic sanctioning are integrated, can improve safety, reduce traffic uncertainty and incentivise drivers to drive responsibly, especially in places where knowledge from traditional enforcement was insufficient.
This means that Macedonia, with the launch of Safe City, is joining a broad European trend, but real success will depend on how the system is maintained, how transparent it will be, and how citizens will react.
