Changes to the Road Traffic Act from 1 June
– The Act introduces a number of solutions aimed at improving the safety of road users, especially pedestrians, who have no chance in a collision with a speeding vehicle. Safety on our roads, including that of vulnerable road users, must increase – this is a priority for the Polish government – said Minister of Infrastructure Andrzej Adamczyk.
What will change?
Greater pedestrian protection near pedestrian crossings
Expanding pedestrian protection near pedestrian crossings is planned by imposing additional duties on vehicle drivers. They will be required to carefully observe not only the pedestrian crossing but also its surroundings, and to create an opportunity for pedestrians on the crossing and those entering it to cross the roadway safely.
At present, the Road Traffic Act requires a driver approaching a pedestrian crossing to exercise special caution and yield to a pedestrian on it. However, the obligation for a driver to reduce speed so as not to endanger pedestrians on or entering the crossing follows from the regulations on road signs and signals.
The new solution will require a driver approaching a pedestrian crossing, in addition to exercising special caution and yielding to a pedestrian on the crossing, to reduce speed so as not to endanger a pedestrian. The driver will also be required to yield to a pedestrian entering or already on the crossing. The extension of the pedestrian right of way to pedestrians entering a crossing in the planned amendments does not apply to trams.
The pedestrian’s obligation to exercise special caution when crossing a roadway or track will also be extended to pedestrians entering a roadway or track. A pedestrian entering a pedestrian crossing will be required to exercise special caution, meaning increased attention and adapting their behaviour to changing road conditions and circumstances to a degree that enables sufficiently quick reactions.
Do not use phones while crossing the roadway
The Act introduces regulations prohibiting pedestrians from using mobile phones and other devices that impair proper perception, especially visual perception, while entering or crossing a roadway or track, including at pedestrian crossings located there, and consequently their ability to assess whether it is safe to enter and cross the roadway or track. This solution will affect the safety of vulnerable road users. It will be achieved by supplementing Article 14 of the Road Traffic Act, which sets out prohibitions for pedestrians in road traffic.
No more tailgating
According to police statistics, failing to maintain a safe distance between vehicles on expressways and motorways is one of the main causes of accidents, alongside speed inappropriate to traffic conditions, improper overtaking, fatigue and improper lane changes.
Driving too close to another vehicle is often the cause of dangerous road incidents. So-called tailgating, driving a short distance behind the vehicle ahead, is commonplace on Polish roads. It is an extremely risky practice, especially on high-speed roads such as motorways and expressways. In an emergency requiring immediate action, the driver has no chance of reacting quickly. When an appropriate distance is not maintained, the field of vision is also restricted, making it impossible to identify an obstacle in front of the vehicle ahead. Sudden braking by the vehicle in front forces those behind to brake sharply, often resulting in a pile-up.
The safe distance between vehicles on high-speed roads (motorways and expressways) will be half the current speed: a driver travelling at 100 km/h must drive 50 m behind the vehicle ahead, at 120 km/h – 60 m, and at 140 km/h – 70 m. Similar solutions have been adopted in many European countries, including Germany.
The exception to the obligation to maintain a safe distance between vehicles on expressways and motorways will apply when the driver is overtaking.
A uniform built-up-area speed limit of 50 km/h during the day and at night
Reducing the speed of vehicles in built-up areas at night to 50 km/h is primarily intended to improve the safety of pedestrians as vulnerable road users. Research shows that the difference between 50 and 60 km/h has a significant effect on a vehicle’s braking distance and the potential consequences of road incidents. More than 95% of pedestrians have a chance of surviving an accident when the vehicle’s impact speed is below 30 km/h, but those chances fall sharply when the speed of the vehicle hitting the pedestrian exceeds 50 km/h.
Poland is currently the only EU country that still permits driving at 60 km/h in built-up areas.
– Improving road safety is a priority for the Ministry of Infrastructure. Our activities consist of three pillars. The first is education. We have prepared a public campaign to reach every driver and every pedestrian. The second is investment – in addition to expanding the road network to divert traffic from city centres, the General Directorate for National Roads and Motorways is preparing a list of pedestrian crossings that should be illuminated to ensure good visibility of pedestrians. The third pillar is legislative changes entering into force next Tuesday. Thanks to these actions, we will soon be able to see a decline in the number of road accidents, especially those involving the least protected road users – said Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Rafał Weber.