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Driving in Poland, are there any rules at all? [149]
Could you give me some tips for driving in Poland?
Actually driving in Poland can be quite fun. Sometimes maddening, but the general "wildness" of it still keeps Poland interesting. Some of the roads are quite demanding.
Driving in Poland requires always paying attention to your surroundings, to be always on edge and react at a moments notice. Do not expect to "cruise" on the highway or "calmly pass through" a city center. Every second you need to be aware of what is going on. Every second. People can and will stumble onto the road. Dogs. A bus will suddenly pull into your lane. You'll have drivers overtaking you on the left and right and see near misses of head-on collisions.
If you dont know what youre doing just drive in the right lane. Driving slowly in the left lane is asking for trouble.
Drive with the flow, not against it. Driving in Poland is a race.
If you are the first one at the lights and it turns green it's expected for you to floor it, even if the next light 100m down the road is still red. Starting slowly or stopping slowly enrages many drivers.
What others said about the pedestrian situation and it's not a joke. Do not suddenly come to a stop to let them cross the street, you will probably get rear-ended.
Many roads are now in great shape in PL. However, many cities, still have certain sections have potholes big enough to seriously damage your suspension.
Many roads are quite illogical. Many signs are illogical. If you have GPS, always use it (never leave it in the car though).
A yellow diamond means you have the right of way at an intersection. If its crossed out by a black line, it means you dont. An upside down triangle means you don't have the right of way. If its crossed out with a black line, it means you do.
Trams always have the right of way.
If there is an intersection and there are no signs, the person on the right has the right of way. However, do not expect people to slowly approach an intersection. If they have the right of way they will roar through it.
Not all roundabouts give the right of way to those already on it.
Be aware of two lane roundabouts, sometimes the inner lane can also exit the roundabout.
Expect people to overtake you, dangerously, no matter how fast you are driving.
The speed limit in towns/cities or any "populated area" is 50kmh. However, no one drives that slow. If youre driving on a "national road" and you enter a populated area (marked by a white sign with a black outline of a city) you should slow down to 60kmh or so, be aware of cops using radar guns.
Tailgating, or sitting one meter behind somesone bumper is considered normal. Dont get annoyed at that.
