Driving Offences in Poland - How Fast can you go without being arrested? ;)

I need to look it up some more, but I've heard that in the states, along the '3 strikes' rules that after been caught the 3rd time a breathalyzer is installed and during a journey will ask for random tests.

The aerosol thing sounds like a good workaround, I wonder how do they combat it?
Will certainly look it up.

Is there a transport minister in the current Polish govt, who is it and what do they actually do? Anything to fight road-deaths?

That happened to me so many times. People who didn't like me overtaking them, so they overtook me again and just stopped the car in front of me for me to hit them. Thanks I can see these Asshxxles and avoid them.

Twice we got nearly killed by cars overtaking without any visibility in front of us. If I didn't stopped the car on the side as hard as possible, I wouldn't be here to talk about it.

The worst thing is that when you tell these bloody outlaws on the road that they are wrong, they want to kick your ass. Because they have a big car, big muscles, and so all the right in the world to do whatever the feck they want.

Once, I even had to go to the police because one of these ******** took my plate number. I was "invited" by the police to explain myself. And nothing happened because I was right.

I need to buy a camera as well. Because nobody believe me when I say that every day I see this kind of behaviour.

It's weird, because in everyday life, people are just fine, no anger, not aggressive. But with a steering wheel in their hands, they become so stupid.

There seems to be a general will here among the public to defy rules, everyone against everyone.I heard a guy on Polish radio recently describe the present and ongoing madness on the roads here as trickling down of the neoliberalism mentality mixed with communist times. I'm not sure what to think.

In my village even the locals drive over a 100km per hour in their "own village" populated by their "own children". They just don't give a fock. Have you been to Ukraine(?) they ask.

At the same time, roads are not really made for overtaking. So there is a long line of angry drivers waiting for overtaking as soon as possible with the minimum safeness.


I hate when people do that. Saying that somewhere else it worse. We shouldn't care about that. We need to improve the security on our roads. It doesn't matter if in Ukraine, India, etc. they drive like crazy. Things has to improve in Poland.

It will be bordering on the impossible to stop the maniacs on little country roads etc. Big brother could never stretch that far; it's up to people to adopt a community attitude and show a bit of respect for humanity and stop acting like Neanderthals behind a wheel.

As for the cities and towns: Passengers need to report bus-drivers if they are driving like bandits. There needs to be much more cameras, much more police on the road, triple the fines. And incurable maniacs should be removed from the roads and even jailed. Severe measure will have to be taken if there is ever to be a visible improvement. jail the b******s

It seems they haven't caught this guy yet. You can see the idiots praising his recklessness in the comments.

Quite common attitude, almost proud sometimes; the best at being the worst.

Milky - I was once on a bus from Jastrebrie Zdroj to Katowice - a private service and the driver was driving like a madman, the bus swerving from side to side. I am always game for a laugh but that was outright dangerous, so I asked the driver if he could please slow down.

After a range of obscenities I called the Katowice police - who to be fair, did turn up and breathalyse him - but the story is of course that all the passengers on that bus thought I was obviously mental and/or on drugs because they were perfectly satisfied customers.

And Roger - I wasn't scoring points - apologies for that - but you are too liberal here IMO

In all my 30 years of living in England I had seen dead bodies in a smash just the once, akin to the Jim Morrison scenario. In Poland dead corpses are ten a penny - meaning I have personally in 22 years have come across a good ten incidents with spectactularly dismembered body parts - as well as three of my students being brown bread for just going about their business and getting wiped out, one notably a 24 year old who had been admitted for her Bar exams that very day and was happily walking along the pavement outside her middle class gated community.

It happens in Britain too, but the statistics are there for all to see. The Polish authorities clearly do not give a **** - the police do their best, but the legislation is too weak and these criminals deserve a ******* good hiding.

12 points - not 24 - and no exceptions, unlike this idiotic "retraining" cop-out. 4 points for a bust.

Bleeding simple.

In the meantime folks, treat a percentage of Poles behind the wheel as the potential maniacs that they are. And stand well clear.

I saw more dead bodies, accidents and road rage in 7 years in Poland than in 10 years in France and 6 years in Ireland.

In fact I saw 2 accidents in France. Without death. I Ireland I saw nothing (but there I lived in a very small village, so it's kinda normal). In Poland I see accidents every week. I saw dead bodies like I never saw before - the worst one being 4 dead bodies at once and a lot of blood.

Just why?

Why people park like ****, why driving like mad? Where is the fecking police?

Years ago, it wasn't that safe to drive in France. We had a very high death rate on the road. But one day the government decided to end that ****. Police were more present, fines higher, jail usual. People were complaining of course, as they still do because they don't look further like a government usually does. Death rate dropped drastically.

My wife is telling me that I'm not lucky because every time I drive alone, crazy stuff is happening to me. And when we drive together she tells me that I should have been a cop. Because I see everything (I was nearly one in fact)

When you ride a bike you need to anticipate everything, I don't have a bike any longer, but I still behave the same way. Cars can do anything. Be aware of that. Like turning without warning. That's just deadly. My family has the experience of that.

I think governments need to be stricter when giving out driving license as well as tighten up traffic rules. For example. In Poland vehicles may or may not choose to stop for pedestrian crossing. Sometimes the drivers in Poland start speeding at the sight of pedestrian crossing. However in another Asian country, the moment the driver sees a pedestrian starting to cross the street, the driver will have to stop. It happens in this particular country because the rules are very strict.

Of course it is subjective Darth - we both know Poles who are more careful and technically better drivers than we are. It's not rocket science after all.

But getting Poles (the establishment) to admit they have a problem and to impose (sensible and logical) penalties like we have in the UK?

No - that would be an infringement of their new found liberties.

They prefer to kill 24 year olds who had their whole world before them. They have to drive their idiotic 4 wheel drives with impunity and flaunt it. The family in question recovered and bore no ill will to the morning drunk driver who killed their daughter.

In their shoes, I would have dragged him from the bail house and hung him from the nearest tree.

PS THat case is well documented - and I should amend it. I "believe they bore no ill will" - I never saw the mother again but the father was and is a very brave man, and has carried on I believe.

Somebody has to do something to get these criminals off our streets.

Quite simple - cameras on every street - 90 km on a city street. means prison and/or 1 year ban.

INSTEAD THEY IMPRISONED PEOPLE FOR CYCLING AND BEERING.

Lol ******* lol.

Scum.

In Poland, I always stop at crosswalk. And people are looking at me waiting. That means a lot about what's going on here.

I don't know how many time I was on a crossroad and a car didn't stop. I got angry few times, punched few cars, got some fight. The worst being few weeks ago, when I was in the middle of the crosswalk with my baby son. Instead of slowing down, the car that was really far away enough not to stop just decided to accelerate. That was a close one.

It's a nightmare here to cross a street.

And I got a fine on an empty road because I was crossing at a red light? WTF is that?

Oh yeah, it's easier to stop a pedestrian than a car that don't stop or over speed or race.

I finish my work late at night. And during the week end, it's racing time between sopot and gdansk on the main street. Crazy and dangerous. Like in the video above.

This country would be perfect without its drivers. ;-)


Thanks there is more better drivers than crazy ones. But it's because of the crazy ones that there is so many death.

I don't say that I'm a perfect driver. I drive fast and I know it. But I think I drive safe, that I respect the other, and that I drive within the law - beside this over speeding sometimes of course.

If everybody was that mad, it would be a carnage :-(

Absolutely Nos - pedestrian crossings are a nightmare.

It's easy to spot the drivers here in Tri-City who have been to the UK ( a lot). They have adapted to the RIGHT way and follow the Highway Code.

The idiots in Warsaw ( our government) have failed time and again to legislate for the Highway Code and are causing confusion and unnecessary injury and deaths.

The legislation should be for:

1. Pedestrian foot on the road on the pedestrian crossing - drivers in BOTH directions must stop - when safe to do so ( accepted braking distances according to the conditions.

2. Cameras at every crossing record same.

3. Reduction in number of crossings in cities on certain roads - we don't need crossings every 50 metres "for war veterans" as is the case now. This leads to driver frustation and impatience.

4. A years' ban for any driver infringing Rule 1.


I often think that Darth. You are a nice geezer and I am awaiting the home response.

It's your home people. Darth and me are only your guests.

What do you say?

Are you going to do anything about it - or not?

This summer I am going to start by meeting the President of Gdynia and demanding action on his millionaire racers down the Boulevard. Before they kill anybody.

If he doesn't want to take action then there are other (legal) means open to the citizen.

I remember few days ago. Here close to Leclerc. My wife stopped at a crosswalk. So the pedestrians started to cross. And an axxholes just overtook us and drove away. even my wife was ******.

If you meet that mayor, tell him that a lot of people think the same way. Too many crazy drivers.

And please start to fine cars parking on cycling roads. This is so ennoying. Last time I told some drivers that he was parked badly on a cycling road, he got angry at me ;-) So usual...

Okay, i'll stop now complaining about drivers. Bad for my heart ;-)

That's very unusual behaviour for the Polish police


That must have been comedy, wish I was there

I mentioned to a an old Polish mate the other day, that the drivers here are still as much maniacs as ever. His reaction was that I should have got use to it by now. Different culture he told me. I changed the topic, as the anger was starting to come out my ears. Use to it WTF!!

Yea, the look on his fat skinhead face was priceless.

Crossing a pedestrian crossing this morning with the hound, 3 cops strolling along the opposite street. Tried to cross as a car was coming, a$$hole didn't stop. When I did get over I stopped the cops and asked them were they going to do anything about the car not stopping. One of them asked me did I get his number, I said no, it's not my job to stop people breaking the law. They weren't impressed. Tossbags.

Roundheads, I call them

Different culture of causing death and ruining people's lives. Not sure if that comes under the definition of culture. I'd have been as mad as you were.


News> Poland > Police

MSW : increase the number of traffic police officers

Number of traffic police officers is expected to grow in 2014 . To nearly 9.1 thousand . people. There are also increasing the number of control include sobriety of drivers as part of the sober mornings - announced in Sejm deputy interior minister Marcin Jablonski .

There are enough traffic cops to make a difference - 9100 now. They should bring in no-tolerance to any minor infraction to road laws and this would make a change to people's attitudes. But I guess they'll leave things are they are.

No. I had your Polish on my mind and his face must have been priceless too.


Yes it does. Culture does not always mean a good thing.

Maybe the attitude behind the problem is cultural. Mass car ownership is a recent phenomena.

Holy S**t... it seems that most of you posting here are promoting a George Orwell '1984' way of life! More Police, more camera's, more penalties. more fines, more laws!!! Yeah, there are idiots on many roads throughout the world (including one's that cause accidents by driving too slowly on motorways or hogging the middle and outside lanes or simply through lack of attention - and these types of drivers never get into accidents but VERY often cause them). Allowing governments to keep increasing laws and taking away even more liberties is a sure fire way of creating a self-imposed prison-planet! But you guys aren't just 'allowing' governments to do that... you're freaking demanding it! Unbelievable. Life itself is a risk and if you want to minimize all risk, fine... then adapt yourself to that mentality... PERMANENTLY. Drive within the speed limit, never overtake, always keep a big distance from the car in front and stop getting angry. In my 42 years of driving ALL over Europe (including Poland) and the U.S., I learned that it is usually the people that complain most, who are the one's that actually ****-off other drivers on the road through being inconsiderate or a pain in the ar$e in some fashion... but THEY always think they know best, are in the right, and of course never make any mistakes. My uncle was like that. He always complained about other drivers and contributed to road-rage' but I lost count the amount of times he obliviously cut up other cars causing very near accidents, but he was completely blind to his own errors. He thought that everyone else was the problem but never him. So maybe look in the mirror first guys... perhaps YOUR driving needs some attention! Btw, my four decades of driving (including racing cars) has provided me with 'many' horror stories I could share, including almost being killed several times, but I tend not to complain. If you want to live in (or visit) a certain country then accept the good with the bad, and adapt. If you're not willing to do that, then don't go there, or move. Simple! But if you're not prepared to do either, then at least... STOP complaining.

Damn right. When someone's propelling a ton of metal through public space, the rest of the public have a right to be absolutely sure they're doing it safely.


So there you go - there's a reason for road traffic laws and for enforcing them without exception.


A bit like saying that murder shouldn't be on the statute book because you yourself don't go around strangling people.


I only see one rant, and that's from you.

This happened to me in Bedford, England yesterday. I said to the wife "******* Eastern Europeans.." A British driver would never contemplate doing that. A sure fire one year ban for overtaking on or near a pedestrian crossing, and possible dangerous driving court action.

Suddenly in the UK driving is not safe anymore. Eastern European drivers are obviously to blame.
Research is needed, but I reckon the falling standards of driving in the UK are down to the above. Ban them.

I have a cure for that if the pavement is dry and clean in the public space.
I have done it several times and the look on the rude drivers face is priceless.
When the idiot's car passes SLAP the side of the car with your hand and fall down.
Even if the idiot doesn't stop to see if he hit you it sure puts the fear of God in him.
And if they do stop I get up slowly and play it for all it is worth holding my knee calling him/her an idiot.

A great idea. If it makes one person drive more carefully it's worth it.

The guy who was complaining about people who drive too slowly and safely reminds me of something. I was driving from Warsaw to Kielce (before EU accession funded road improvements and new routes in PL) and a guy in a sports car came up fast behind me. I was driving well under the speed limit, on a dangerous road with bends, slopes and poor visibility. Even driving just under the limit would be too fast for that road. He was honking his horn, gesticulating angrily and overtook as soon as he could at high speed. 40 minutes later I saw him for a second time. This time he was lying dead next to his car.

At least he only killed himself with his driving and not anyone else.