The Road Traffic Act precisely defines the places and situations in which leaving a vehicle or parking is prohibited. Parking in a prohibited place means that drivers face not only the financial penalties set out in the penalty schedule, but also penalty points. Those who fail to comply with parking regulations must also take into account the costs associated with having their vehicle towed.

Two drivers found this out after parking in spaces designated for people with disabilities.

We remind you that so-called Blue Badge spaces may be used by people who hold a parking card, or by those transporting such people—but only when the cardholder is travelling with them.

Under the Road Traffic Act, “The parking card shall be placed behind the windscreen of a motor vehicle, and if the vehicle does not have a windscreen—in a visible place at the front of the vehicle, in a manner that displays the card’s visible security features and enables its number and expiry date to be read.” As it turned out, a Volkswagen and a Hyundai parked in a car park at one of the stores did not display such cards. The drivers only appeared after seeing the tow truck. Both were fined, penalty points were imposed on them, and they had to bear the costs associated with calling roadside assistance.

A reminder of the Road Traffic Act regulations

Parking is prohibited:

  1. in a place obstructing entry or exit, particularly to or from a gate, garage, car park or parking bay;
  2. in a place obstructing access to another correctly parked vehicle or the exit of that vehicle;
  3. before and after a railway crossing, on both sides of the road, along the section from the railway crossing to the warning post with one stripe;
  4. in a residential zone anywhere other than a place designated for that purpose;
  5. in a built-up area, by a vehicle or combination of vehicles with a permissible maximum gross weight exceeding 16 tonnes or a length exceeding 12 metres, outside car parks designated for that purpose.

In addition, stopping or parking a vehicle on a motorway or expressway is prohibited anywhere other than a place designated for that purpose. However, if the vehicle becomes immobilised for technical reasons, the driver is obliged to remove it from the carriageway and warn other road users.

It should also be remembered that when parking, we must comply with road signs prohibiting parking and stopping in a given place. The most common are sign B-35, “No parking”—a diagonal red line on a blue background—and sign B-36, “No stopping”—two intersecting red lines on a blue background.

We remind you that:

  • a fine for improper parking may range from PLN 100 to PLN 800, depending on the type of offence,
  • a vehicle is removed from the road at the owner’s expense if the driver leaves it in a prohibited place and obstructs traffic or otherwise endangers safety. In addition, a car may be towed if you park it in a space designated for people with disabilities without holding the appropriate parking card, or if you park it in a place marked with information that a vehicle left there may be removed at the owner’s expense,
  • hazard warning lights do not justify parking in a prohibited place. Such conduct may result in a fine both for improper parking and for misuse of hazard warning lights,
  • parking in a space for people with disabilities costs PLN 800 and five penalty points. Using someone else’s parking card carries a fine of PLN 1,200.