Ljubljana - A 6am-6pm ban on overtaking for lorries on the A1 motorway between Šentilj and Koper entered into force on Friday. Police controls will be beefed up.

The new regime will be in place for lorries weighing more than 7.5 tonnes. Overtaking will still be allowed for these vehicles during the day in three-lane sections, and on the entire motorway in night time.

A ban on overtaking for lorries is already in place during the morning and afternoon rush hours in some motorway sections, in tunnels, at intersections and on some ring roads.

The sections where overtaking is banned during rush hours are marked and a fine for violations amounts to EUR 300.

Last year, more than 1,500 violations were recorded, up from 1,100 in 2019, 775 in 2008 and little more than 1,000 in 2017.

The ban on the A1 motorway, which has the most heavy traffic, was announced by Infrastructure Minister Jernej Vrtovec in early November 2020.

He said this would make traffic run more smoothly and improve safety. The government also plans to introduce motorway police as another way to boost safety.

In the first phase, one unit will be set up in the Ljubljana area, presumably in the first months of this year.

A total of 15 patrol cars are to monitor the motorway network eventually.