What is the emergency corridor about?
The obligation to create an emergency corridor applies to drivers traveling on roads with at least two lanes in one direction. When an emergency corridor needs to be created, drivers should enable rescue-service vehicles to pass freely by positioning their vehicles appropriately.
Under the adopted rule, drivers traveling in the left lane will have to move toward the left edge of the lane, while the others must move toward the right edge. Efficiently creating an emergency corridor will be particularly important on multilane roads, because every second matters to rescue services. The sooner drivers make room for them, the greater the chance of saving a life.
It is extremely important that the location of the emergency corridor has been specified: when there are several lanes, it will always be on the left side—that is, between the left lane and the lane next to it. As a result, drivers will not have to wonder from which side an emergency vehicle will approach.
The new regulations also prohibit vehicles other than authorized emergency vehicles from using the emergency corridor that has been created. The exception is road-management or roadside-assistance vehicles taking part in a rescue operation.
What is zipper merging?
The regulations on “zipper merging” specify how drivers should behave when traffic is congested and a lane is simultaneously ending or blocked by an obstacle.
Under the new regulations (Article 22(4a) and (4b) of the Road Traffic Act), when speed is significantly reduced on a roadway with several lanes traveling in the same direction, and it is impossible to continue in a lane because of an obstacle in that lane or because the lane is ending, the driver traveling in that lane will no longer—as was previously the case—be required to yield to a vehicle traveling in the lane with continuing access that the driver intends to enter.
Article 22(4a) of the Act states that in such an exceptional road situation, the driver traveling in the adjacent lane with continuing access is required, immediately before the obstacle or the point where the lane ends, to allow one vehicle or one combination of vehicles in that lane to change into the adjacent lane where continuing is possible.
The provision cited above should be understood in accordance with the legislature’s intention, which was primarily to ensure greater traffic flow across the entire roadway. Thus, a driver in a lane where continuing is impossible for various reasons—because the lane is ending or there is an obstacle—is in a privileged position and should be let in by the driver traveling in the adjacent lane where continuing is possible. At the same time, it should be noted that two conditions must occur simultaneously for the new rule (Article 22(4a) and (4b) of the Road Traffic Act) to apply:
- first, there must be a significant reduction in speed, which will generally mean traffic slowing because of a congestion in which vehicles are stationary or moving at low speed. A traffic jam may be caused by heavy traffic as well as a collision, vehicle breakdown, or similar event. (It is worth emphasizing that the zipper-merging rule does not apply when the significant reduction in vehicle speed relative to the speed limit still leaves traffic moving faster than in a traffic jam—for example, slowing from 90 km/h to 40 km/h. Importantly, the zipper-merging rule also does not apply when approaching the end of an acceleration lane, for example on a motorway, if there is no traffic jam)
- second, the entry point must be clearly defined as the section of the lane directly before the obstacle or the point where the lane ends. The aim is to avoid several drivers attempting to change lanes simultaneously at several locations, which clearly does not promote smooth traffic flow.
National Police Headquarters:
Through the new regulation—provided that the above conditions are met—the legislature effectively guarantees that a driver in a lane that is ending does not have to look for an opportunity to change lanes earlier, because when reaching the very end, the driver will be smoothly allowed into the adjacent lane. Applying the alternating rule will ensure that drivers from two or three lanes can continue moving evenly.
It should be clearly emphasized that the provision is not a recommendation but directly regulates the obligations of vehicle drivers.
The officers add:
Despite the new regulations, it must not be forgotten that a driver changing lanes in such a situation has not been released from the obligation to exercise particular caution (Article 22(1) of the Act). Therefore, taking different circumstances into account, the lane-change maneuver should be performed while maintaining safety conditions.
When will the new regulations come into force?
The new regulations will come into force on December 6.
Let us recall. We have written repeatedly about the campaign Emergency Corridor—Think Ahead, initiated, among others, by the firefighters from Czerna. The initiative has also often been covered by the largest nationwide media outlets.
Unfortunately, we have also repeatedly reported that there are still many “road idiots” who, through their arrogance, recklessness, and often even stupidity, hindered the work of services saving the lives of people injured in accidents.
Will the new regulations change this? We invite you to discuss.