The crash site between Otočac and Perušić has been cleared and the A1 has reopened in both directions. The tailback has not yet dispersed: at 17:34, HAK reported long queues in both directions.
Current situation: open does not yet mean clear
At 17:34 on 22 August, HAK reported that the A1 between the Otočac and Perušić junctions had reopened in both directions after the crash investigation was completed. The earlier diversion over state roads is therefore no longer the regular route for through traffic.
Reopening does not instantly dissolve queues that have already formed. HAK still reports roughly 21 kilometres of traffic towards Zagreb. At the Otočac junction, vehicles towards Dubrovnik are queued for about five kilometres. Anyone setting off now should check not only whether the road is open, but also the delay that remains.
What happened during the afternoon
At 14:36, the situation was markedly more serious: after a road accident, the A1 towards Dubrovnik was closed between Otočac and Perušić. HAK then reported about 16 kilometres of southbound tailback and 26 kilometres towards Zagreb. Northbound traffic was moving slowly in a single lane.
For traffic towards Dubrovnik, the official diversion ran from the Otočac junction over state roads to Perušić. The Grič tunnel was additionally closed in that direction to prevent the queue from building inside it. HAK's traffic report gave no cause, number of injured people or expected duration; Golden Beach therefore does not fill those gaps with speculation.
Closure lifted, tailbacks remain
Timeline of the A1 situation between Otočac and Perušić: closure at 14:36, reopening at 17:34 and remaining queues in both directions
Why older reports may now send drivers the wrong way
Traffic reports spread quickly through map apps, groups and news sites, but often remain visible longer than the closure itself. Advice to leave the motorway at Otočac was correct in the early afternoon. After the reopening, it may unnecessarily divert additional vehicles onto state roads.
The timestamp is therefore decisive. This article documents the sequence, but leads with HAK's 17:34 update: the A1 is open again, the old diversion has ended and the queue remains. If the situation changes again, the newer official traffic report always takes precedence.
Keep the Zagreb and Dubrovnik directions distinct
On this section, HAK describes the northbound carriageway as towards Zagreb and the southbound carriageway as towards Dubrovnik. Travellers driving north from Dalmatia, Zadar or Split therefore meet the longer reported queue towards Zagreb. Those arriving from the north follow the Dubrovnik direction and reach the tailback at Otočac junction.
The city names alone can be confusing because the actual destination need not be Zagreb or Dubrovnik. The direction of travel on the A1 is what matters. In navigation, check not only the arrival time but also which side of the section contains the delay.
Continue now or take a break?
Anyone already stationary on the A1 should keep an emergency corridor and adequate spacing even though the crash investigation has ended. Stop-and-go traffic, secondary collisions and overheated vehicles can worsen a situation that is beginning to clear. Water, medication and the phone's charge should be within reach, not buried deep in luggage.
Anyone still before Karlovac, Zadar or a more distant starting point may use a break more sensibly than improvising a country-road route. Map apps work with delayed data, and small roads cannot absorb unlimited motorway traffic. An alternative is worthwhile only if based on the current HAK update and realistic for the vehicle's size, fuel level and available daylight.
What travellers should do if the road closes again
If HAK closes the section again, the official diversion named at that time is the one that applies. An earlier route cannot automatically be transferred to a new crash site. Reopening individual lanes, closing a tunnel or imposing a measure for only one direction can change within minutes.
Check HAK before departure and once more at the last safe stopping place. While travelling, a passenger does this; the driver does not operate a phone. Call 112 for immediate danger, not routine journey planning.
A dated situation report, not a permanent forecast
This text promises neither a specific journey time nor that the queue will have fully disappeared by evening. It records two verified states: the closure and diversion in the early afternoon, and the reopening with long queues still present at 17:34.
Its value lies precisely in that distinction. Anyone reading only the first report may leave the motorway unnecessarily. Anyone seeing only the word ‘open’ may underestimate the remaining wait. For the actual departure, nothing replaces the current live update.
Evidence
Sources & date
Sources support the facts. Planning notes and recommendations are Golden Beach editorial assessments.
- Road conditions reportCroatian Automobile Club (HAK) · 22 August 2026, updates at 14:36 and 17:34closure and earlier diversion, reopening in both directions and timestamped queue lengths
- A1 between Jastrebarsko and KarlovacSuradnik13 / Wikimedia Commons · licence checked 22 August 2026lead and social image, CC BY-SA 4.0; general A1 archive image, not the current traffic situation
