This year's Christmas holiday in our Lower Silesian Voivodeship passed relatively peacefully. Over the three holiday days, officers intervened 1,350 fewer times than in the previous year, while, as we all know, traffic on the roads was quite heavy. Officers dealt with 14 crashes and 123 collisions, a number of incidents that is not infrequently recorded over the course of working days.
Nevertheless, a lack of caution and recklessness on the roads, as well as excessive speed, remain the main causes of incidents with tragic consequences—and such incidents also occurred in Lower Silesia, including in Jawor County and Jelenia Góra County.
One of the crashes took place in Sady Dolne on Monday, 26 December, at 11:15 a.m. Preliminary findings indicate that a 67-year-old resident of Jawor County, driving a Toyota, left the road for reasons not yet established and fell into a river. Despite resuscitation efforts, the man died. An 84-year-old passenger travelling in the car, who sustained injuries, was transported to a hospital in Świdnica. The investigation is being conducted by the Kamienna Góra prosecutor's office.
In Jelenia Góra, meanwhile, a 49-year-old driver of an Alfa Romeo, travelling from the direction of Szklarska Poręba towards the city centre, struck a 30-year-old man who lost his balance while walking along the pavement and entered the road in front of the approaching vehicle. The man died as a result of his injuries.
Police operations carried out effectively led to 74 people being removed from the roads. Despite repeated appeals to remain sober, they had decided to get behind the wheels of their vehicles after consuming alcohol. Officers also prevented 11 drivers who were driving under the influence of intoxicating substances from continuing their journeys.
The holiday period is not only a time of increased work for traffic police. Over the past three days, officers carried out 2,570 interventions of various kinds and arrested 140 people caught committing offences. Police also apprehended 54 wanted people.
