What Is Polish Road Traffic Law About?

Every day, or almost every day, the media bombard us with information about tragic events on Polish roads. I have spoken many times about our situation on Polish roads. As a retired police officer, a police driver, a Fire Service driver, and now a truck driver in international transport, I observe and form an impression and conclusions regarding solutions—both in the regulations themselves and in road traffic engineering.

Instead of prevention, there is populism

For years I have observed amendments to road traffic law, and they do not always seem right to me. The concept of “prevention in road traffic” has gone out of fashion. Amendments contribute nothing apart from worsening and disorganizing traffic and deteriorating safety on the roads.

The legislator does not see, or does not want to see, the real problems connected with the volume of road traffic and the solutions necessary in this area. It does not act to solve the real problem, relying solely on populism. While populism is harmful in other fields, albeit to a lesser extent, in road traffic it poses a deadly threat—as we are currently observing.

Driving under the influence: impunity and the production of criminals

We will not improve road safety by currying favor with voters through amendments to the regulations. And certainly not by expanding road infrastructure. I remember when the rules concerning driving under the influence of alcohol, after consuming it, or under the influence of a similarly acting substance were relaxed. As long as dealing with this problem remained within the Code of Petty Offenses, the phenomenon was more or less under control.
When someone came up with the idea of transferring this provision to the Criminal Code, it became a paradise for drunk drivers. When the Code of Petty Offenses handled the problem, judgments were issued quickly and accompanied by severe penalties, without room for maneuvering or lawyers showing off. Today, the legal turns provided for in the Code of Criminal Procedure allow trials to be prolonged, and the conditions for reoffending are commonplace. Apart from producing criminals, the sense of impunity has paradoxically increased as well.

Pedestrians and cyclists in conflict with cars

Another incomprehensible move by the legislator is the poorly worded regulations for pedestrians and cyclists. The conflict between these two groups of road users and car drivers has been clear for years. Appealing to cyclists and pedestrians (the fashion for a healthy lifestyle) results in an increase in incidents, including serious ones.
What logic did the lawmaker follow in assuming that a driver is an automaton and a car is made of sponge? From the window of a truck, I can see that both car drivers and the others cannot cope with these enigmatic solutions. Traffic volume is increasing, but neither roads nor lanes are being added; instead, there are further restrictions that have nothing to do with road safety solutions. Fines themselves only mean higher revenues for the state treasury—that is the only effect I can see.

Repression and limits are not the solution

The legislator’s actions fail to take into account what it itself provoked: the development of business initiatives, regulation in this field, and consequently the timeliness of all deliveries and the strict requirements connected with delays.
The legislator set about slowing traffic, but only through repression and limits. There is a lack of citizen-friendly, comprehensive solutions. Prevention in road traffic has been abandoned completely; instead, fast unmarked police cars have appeared, hunting rather than disciplining people into driving correctly.
While in Western Europe a marked police car on the road is the norm, in Poland it appears only occasionally and only as another road user. Convincing society that taking away driving licences is a solution is simply propaganda fraud.

It no longer matters that someone was taking a dying person to hospital—there is only a table and a measurement result. There are also “saving” average-speed camera sections, standing in contradiction to Polish law and its principles.
Who came up with introducing electric scooters into road traffic?
Legal chaos in Poland is a fact, and in road traffic it reaches the Himalayas of absurdity. Who thought of introducing electric scooters, unidentifiable cyclists, cars combined with lawnmowers, and other oddities into road traffic? Who verifies their eligibility to participate in road traffic? Continuous lines through small towns and villages are fashionable—but how does that work for vehicles that have to deliver goods somewhere on time?

Why can the West solve these problems, while here nothing happens beyond penalties? In Western Europe there are section-specific and time-limited bans on trucks overtaking one another, while here there is a total ban—even at night, when the roads are almost empty. This is another populist regulation. If the legislator slows heavy transport, the number of parking spaces must be increased, because that is the consequence of this foolishness—but what do we have? Drones, fines, and anti-truck propaganda.

Major shortcomings slow us down

I wonder who advises the legislator. There is a lack of markings at pedestrian crossings and a failure to designate new ones; housing estates are being built, but new intersections are not marked. Speed bumps are being installed on county and voivodeship roads passing through towns.

Now put yourself in the position of someone waiting for the Fire Service or Emergency Medical Service, which has to slow almost to a stop at a speed bump. I know what I am talking about, because I drove emergency vehicles for years. Excessive restrictions are a sign of a weak system and a lack of ideas for solving problems. Penalties will not solve problems; on the contrary, their severity causes desperation in the offender. As a participant in pursuits, I sometimes called them off when I saw that continuing could pose a deadly threat to the people in the pursued car.

Sensible prevention and sensible regulations are the recipe for road traffic safety, not campaigns and populism.

Of course, everything can be mocked and criticized, but it can also be considered thoughtfully. I do not want to save the world; I merely want those whom we have trusted to be worthy of that trust. Building or expanding roads is neither a success nor a politician’s act of grace—it is his duty, because he is paid for it, and previously swore an oath to us to do so.