Travel / Driving to Zakopane from England [21]

Steveramsfan


So as you can see these are all motorways.
It's quite unlikely that there'll be snow on them.
Of course it's possible, but if I had to go though Germany only on motorways, I wouldn't bother buying winter tyres intentionally for it.

Travel / Driving to Zakopane from England [21]

jonni


Again I must disagree.
Third party compulsory insuances are regulated by Polish Insuarance Act, which sets exact rules for insurances. And there is not a single word about winter tyres. So you don't need to have winter tyres to make your insurance work.

Own car accident insurance (known usually in UK as Comprehensive) rules are up to the insurance company. But I never heard yet, about any insurance company in Poland, that would expect you to have winter tyres.

I had many cars in Poland, always studied my insurance terms and conditions, and never found anything about winter tyres

Steveramsfan


That's actually true.
But it's in Germany, and we were talking about Poland.

Travel / Driving to Zakopane from England [21]

I don't know where you found information that winter tyres are required by law, but that's not true though.

In few European countries winter tyres are strongly advised or required in mountain regions - but not in Poland.

Other thing is, that if you're going to Zakopane region in winter time, driving on snowy roads without winter tyres can be very difficult and dangerous. So if you can, try to get a set of good winter tyres. But it's just advice. They're not legal requirement.


To be honest, where abs/esp can help greatly on wet surface, on snow they are not very good thing.
On snow most likely you could stop the car without abs faster that one with abs.
ESP can do different upredictable things on snow.
Better prepare yourself to handle car on snow, f.e by training recovering from skids, and not trust your car electronics too much.


Tyre chains are banned on roads without snow.
Whenever there is snow on the road you can use them.
But to be honest, most roads you can easily travel with winter tyres, and you won't need chains. Maybe some few really steep local roads might get some use from chains, but i don't thing you'll need them.


I know there is many drivers like this, but don't say everybody behaves this way.
I'd say maybe 20% of drivers drive dangerously or very dangerously. Everyone else is fine.


That's not true.
Only legal requirement in Poland is warning triangle and fire extingusher. You don't need to have first aid kid, spare bulbs or high visibility vest.

Moreover it's only required from cars registered in Poland. According to Vienna Convention, in international traffic, cars are only expected to have equipment required in country of registration.

So you, as a driver from UK don't need to have anything from this list.
If Police will try to give you penalty for lack of one of there, just show them the part from Vienna convention of international traffic.

You can print the act before travel.