Upping the speed limit in Poland

Is this a wise move for Poland as a country and drivers? The move will mean that the motorway speed limits will increase from 130 to 140 km/h (87 mph), with limits on expressways to increase from 110 to 120 km/h (75 mph).

Fine for the motorways everybody speeds on them anyway not the rest though

There are speed limits?

The people that want to drive fast do so anyway. Might as well put the emphasis on driving fast safely.

It took me 3 1/2 hours to get to the Warsaw Airport from Stalowa Wola where i used to live, distance of 230.95 km.

And they have to pay for it.

I had to pay 200 zl for speeding last week. But if you drive too fast, you must be prepared to pay.

Anybody who gets caught speeding on a hand held Police camera is a bit of an idiot really, you just hit the brakes when you see it pointing at you.

I got busted a few months ago by an unmarked Police car, only cost a 100 PLN though, bargain. It was on the A1 heading north out of Katowice, they really need a decent Police presence on that road its full of nutters.

I'd go further and go up to 150km/h on toll motorways - the traffic is usually so light that it's not a problem.

Equally so, there needs to be a huge crackdown on speeding in the cities. The fact that (so far) - over 900 people have been caught drink driving this weekend says it all about the mentality of Polish drivers!

Right that has made my mind up, been looking a for a solid investment for a while and Funeral Directors it is, should see a good return on this one :)

Last thing Poland needs is an increase on the speed limit! Polish drivers find it hard enough to keep to the current limits let alone put them higher.

The speed limit should be lowered in Poland. There are too many hot-headed, irresponsible nervous drivers causing too many accidents.

And that can be solved with proper policing. Speed isn't the problem, but bad driving is.

It doesn't matter what the speed limit is - Polish drivers will ignore the limits regardless.

I mean, I've been out and about this weekend - where the hell is the policing? Why haven't they been stopping people near the graveyards to breath test them?

A lower limit won't achieve anything, and speed limits in Poland are quite sensibly set at the minute - they just need to be much more enforced. Likewise with red lights - if the punishment was like in Germany (instant 2 month ban for jumping a red light), you'd see much less idiotic behaviour.

Poland doesn't have "traffic police". what do you expect?


A lower limit will achieve one thing, more prosecutions.


They may be sensible, but not to the Polish driver who ignores them straight out.

A firmer hand is needed.

In terms of what I expect - I expect them to put a hell of a lot more effort into it. The thing that confuses me - they would easily make their money back from sending out unmarked cars - so why the hell don't they?


Only if they're there to enforce it - which they aren't :(


Yup. Leave the speed limits alone, but deal with the endless ****** driving.

And deal with the ******* morons who cycle on the road rather than on the special bike path available to them. I nearly took one guy out yesterday, when he was cycling on a 90km/h dual carriageway up a steep hill!

They wont work, you need a presence that can be seen.


Cant enforce anything unless they do the leg work.

Speed on brothers, hell ain't half full yet!

I think you'll find that will increase road fatalities, more over taking = more accidents, especially in the country.

Absolutely right. That's the dangerous part of driving here, not the driving fast, but having a drunk (or not) idiot passing around a blind corner...Or passing without looking and trying to murder people on motorcycles....

1. The operator of the camera usually hide somewhere.
2. Most police lasers use infrared emission, so it's invisible.

doesn't matter what band the lasers operate in, the laser detector will pick them up :) $49 at Walmart will do the job here in Polska...

Once your machine has detected the laser, you've already been nicked. The only way to get round the laser detectors is with your own laser that fires back and coincidentally does so on precisely the same wavelength as the police's laser. Problem is that to have one of those you need an active laser lock system on your home security system (which again co-incidentally uses police wavelength). Frankly it's easier and cheaper to just pay your fines.

my wife has just done berlin - zielona gora- berlin... and saw one police car... 500 meters after seeing a police radar warning sign.

wifey also mentioned that the road back to berlin was packed with traffic because there is no holiday in germany tomorrow and everyone has to get back for work.

Speed limit increase in poland?? Wow what a mistake. This will only encourage people to driver faster and more recklessly (if this is even possible) on the ****** polish road system.

They used to sneakily hide in all kinds of funny places, but new legislation was brought in and they cant pull that trick any more. I mean they will still evade obvious exposure but nothing like the shite they used to pull.

Yes, I all for harsh treatment of speeders, but only after all the ridicules speed limits are re-evaluated. All thesse 50km/h limits on "dwupasmówkach" (cannot think of right translation right now) in fact encourage speeding - if it was something reasonable, like 90 km/h, I'd at least consider it. Right now I'll just snort "they got to be kidding" and floor it. Be hanged for a lamb...

There seems to be a bit of recurring sentiment of "Oh speed isn't the problem - bad driving is".

Is anyone actually suggesting that people who speed excessively and regularly are not more likely to cause or be in an accident?

Quite the contrary. As long as everyone is driving the same speed, regardless of speed limit, there is low probability of an accident. But if there is just one law abiding moron, so called "zawalidroga", one that have to be overtaken by everyone else in the traffic, while they are watching out for oncomig cars and cursing under theirs breathses a sunday driver, the danger of head on collision raises exponentially.

Maybe, but everyone driving at the same speed is not a realistic scenario.


But these people will still exist regardless - increasing the speed limit will not mean that sunday drivers will drive faster. Anyway, annoying as they may be, it is their right to drive cautiously and it is more the case that it is the frustration of other drivers with them, frustration leading to impetuous actions, that causes accidents - not the sunday drivers themselves.

Other drivers just need to deal with this more rationally and sensibly.

It is entirely possible that they are not more likely to cause an accident: it depends completely how, where and when they speed.

But also on conditions and other random circumstances - hazards exist and can occur at any time. The faster you drive the less chance you have of avoiding them.

Speed most certainly is a factor. But to say that a person who drives faster than the legal limit is more likely to cause an accident than a person who does not is very simply wrong.