Police officers detained a 25-year-old woman from Lwówek County who had fled from the police. The incident occurred during the night of May 31 to June 1 in Gryfów Śląski. The officers noticed a Volkswagen Golf. When she saw the police car, the driver accelerated sharply. The officers decided to stop her for a traffic check.

Despite clear visual and audible signals, the 25-year-old did not stop and fled toward Jelenia Góra. The officers gave chase.

While fleeing, the woman committed a series of traffic violations. When the driver entered Jelenia Góra County and turned toward Jeżów Sudecki, police officers from Jelenia Góra joined the operation and set up a roadblock along the route. The vehicle was stopped.

It turned out that the woman was traveling with a 39-year-old passenger who had another person’s documents, which may have been stolen. It also became clear why the woman had fled from the police. She did not have... a driving licence.

Another driver who failed to stop for a check and will face criminal charges under the new regulations was apprehended by officers on June 1 in Jelenia Góra. While fleeing from the officers in an Opel, he lost control of the car and veered onto the roadside. The 22-year-old attempted to escape because... he did not have third-party liability insurance, a valid vehicle inspection or the vehicle registration certificate.

Both the 25-year-old woman and the 22-year-old man now face up to five years in prison.

The police remind drivers:

  • a driver who knowingly forces the police to give chase and, in an attempt to escape, fails to stop despite the visual and audible signals from the pursuing police car commits an offence punishable by up to five years in prison. The court will be required to impose a driving ban lasting from one to 15 years
  • when ruling in cases involving traffic offences, courts will be mandatorily informed about the defendant’s previous penalties for traffic violations and whether the defendant’s driving licence had previously been confiscated. They will receive information on the matter, including fines and penalty points, from the central driver register
  • a person who causes a fatal accident or one resulting in serious bodily injury while drunk or under the influence of drugs will go to prison for at least two years. The sentence may not be suspended
  • the limitation period for traffic violations has been extended. If proceedings concerning a traffic violation are initiated, it will become time-barred three years after the date of the offence
  • anyone who drives a car despite having had their driving licence revoked by an administrative decision will face not only up to two years in prison; a driving ban lasting from one to 15 years will also be imposed mandatorily
  • anyone who violates a court-imposed driving ban will be sentenced to up to five years in prison. The court will also be required to impose a driving ban lasting from one to 15 years
  • the Road Traffic Act now contains a detailed provision on subjecting vehicle drivers—or other people where there is reasonable suspicion that they may have been driving a vehicle—to routine testing to determine the amount of alcohol in their system or the presence of a substance acting similarly to alcohol, such as drugs or psychoactive substances.