Learning Driving In Poland - rules?

Hello there,
Is there driving school in Krakow, which can help me get familiar with driving rules in poland. I already know driving just need a bi of know how about rules in Poland. A little bit of hands-on experience would be helpful too.

Rules ?

hahaha!

think that always throws me is that wee green arrow to turn left/right, ya gotta be careful coz some auld biddy has the green man on the street you're turning onto. I've nearly hit so many people. Poland's the only country I know of that has this...err.. feature at traffic lights.

I learn rules in word.bielsko.pl and
twoworlds.pl

Have you ever driven in Europe? Because the signs are almost identical.

A driving school will teach you exactly how you shouldn't drive in Poland.

Use the search feature and read this thread: Driving in Poland, are there any rules at all?

If you see a car coming towards you even if you are on a zebra crossing..... R U N!

On a B-road (minor road or residential street) in Poland, where there's a crossroads with white lines at each of the 4 roads meeting, who has right of way? I turned left tonight into a street and although nothing happened, I've a feeling I should've waited for the car opposite to go first (it wanted to turn left).

I really don't understand Polish roads in this respect, and need advice before I become a statistic.

any drawing or pict?
skrzyżowanie równorzędne?

Hi Peter, No drawing or pic sorry. It is just a normal + junction on a minor Polish road. Opposite me was a car signalling to turn left. To my left was a car wanting to go straight. To my right no traffic (I would have stopped if there was a car on my right as I've been told I must give way to vehicles on my right unless there's a yellow diamond meaning I can go on with priority). I don't want to cause an accident but nobody as yet has explained to me how the priority system works in this sort of situation. I often see cars nearly crash at that junction when I'm a pedestrian, I don't want to actually be the one who does prang into someone.

If you two want turn left at the same time your trajectories don't cross. You see indicators each other when approaching.


He should give you way and wait. If guy in opposite car is quick enough he can take advantage and turn left without giving him a way.

I was standing in the Aldi parking lot here in Zywiec on Saturday and had a good laugh at the drivers. A couple of examples...

Guy comes flying into the lot doing about 50mph talking on his phone.

Woman comes in with a parking ticket under her wiper.

Another fellow drives around the lot while holding a mobile in one hand and a cigarette in the other. He had one or two fingers on the wheel at most.

The thing that puzzles me is I keep hearing how difficult the Polish driving test is, but then how do all these people pass and then drive like lunatics? Even in Los Angeles people drove better than they do in Poland and if anyone has been to LA well you know how bad the drivers are there.

If no signs, on both your road and the cross one, everything works identically as with this sign:



Sometimes there are no signs on the main road, but there are signs to give priority on the minor road.

I see almost every other driver on the phone sometimes when I'm in a bus and get the chance to look. Appalling really. I've seen people texting (SMSing) too, quite a few times.


Being a small and slightly staggered junction, passing behind me (as is usually the required Highway Code case in the UK unless lane markings indicate otherwise) was not possible. What actually happened was as I turned left, the car opposite did the right turn passing on my right, in exactly the way you suggested above. My main concern was the worry that I should've waited for the car opposite to turn to his left and my right, because someone told me if the other vehicle is going to go to my right then I must stop. I find it all confusing, here, and that's why I seldom drive.

Peter, your summary about turning left is really very clear, but at a small junction (ie narrow, short distances between the cars opposite each other) it seems easy to mistakenly enter the junction and smack into the car opposite who was turning left at the same time but not as clear from my path as should have been the case (either due to my own error of his). At this particular junction I often hear brakes screeching and see near-misses when I walk along there. From this observation, I feel that Polish roads are not as good as they could be. I don't recall in decades of driving in the UK any similar frequency of witnessed near miss at a junction, and I lived in many UK cities.

I passed driving test 25 years ago and believe me or not it was easy as pie ;)


Sometimes I use knees only. You know, the boss is calling and asking about paperwork ;)

Apparently (but I'm not sure) if I intend to turn left but the car opposite intends to go straight, he has priority because my left turn would mean passing him on my right and a vehicle on a driver's right almost always has priority.

Anyone who uses a mobile phone while driving is risking their own and others' road safety. Seriously - have a rethink if it's something you do. No work or profit is worth becoming a statistic for. I'm not lecturing, I'm just saying, but stats say someone is FOUR or even FIVE times more likely to have an accident if on the phone.

"four times more likely"
youtube.com/watch?v=sa2EHEvnTRk

youtube.com/watch?v=3iqCcMDByLA&list=PL073051F4F04D510F

"five times more likely"
rospa.com/roadsafety/info/mobile_phone_report.pdf

The one time I replied to a text on my mobile I was doing 75 mph on the freeway in California and almost lost control. Never again was I so stupid. And anyway for the past couple of years it was illegal to use a mobile while driving there.

so, let's sum up
1. If you are going to turn left and opposite car is going to turn (his) left, opposite car should wait and left the crossroad as (third) last.

2. If you are going to turn left and opposite car is going to turn (his) right, you should give him a way (and save his driver-side door ;)

It's late and I'm tired, so my reply may be really stupid but here goes: if we're both looking to turn left, who decides who's going to be first and last? I thought that the different trajectories method you suggested earlier seemed the best suggestion, ie we both can go via separate trajectories. If I go first or he goes first, we'll pass each other on our right even if neither of us intends to go straight, so what factor then decides who goes first? My head hurts... sorry but I can't work this out, I hope it's because it's late and not my IQ dropping permanently.


That's easy to understand. Usually they just turn right without waiting anyway, so there's no possibility of going before a car turning right.

I'm going to see if I can find the English version of the Polish Highway Code, with diagrams, because at the moment I feel very insecure when driving here and that ain't good for anyone.

Again, I should reiterate, if the junction/crossroads allows it, both cars turning left should probably drive cautiously forward and then pass behind each other because that's what we do in the UK officially and it works fine when both drivers stick to it and recognise the other one's MO. Problem is not all junction layouts allow that system. Best thing they could do at this particular dodgy crossroads is put in a mini-roundabout, btw. In the UK, some towns have mini-roundabouts every few streets. It can be annoying to have them everywhere but I prefer them to traffic lights (which are much more expensive anyway).

In front of each other - as peter already said the trajectories in this case do not cross..

• 
  
  

Thanks, so again I'm reading something different now because the diagram you supplied (thanks) suggests that I don't give way to a vehicle on my right if I'm the red car in the diagram. It seems I go first instead of waiting for the blue car. Is that because the blue car is turning left? If the blue car was turning right, I have to give way? Complicated and hard for a newcomer to remember.

In the UK,where two cars are opposite, they should pass behind each other when turning, unless roadmarkings say otherwise.
For the UK: code rule 181
When turning right at crossroads where an oncoming vehicle is also turning right, there is a choice of two methods
 turn right side to right side; keep the other vehicle on your right and turn behind it. This is generally the safer method as you have a clear view of any approaching traffic when completing your turn

 left side to left side, turning in front of each other. This can block your view of oncoming vehicles, so take extra care. Cyclists and motorcyclists in particular may be hidden from your view. Road layout, markings or how the other vehicle is positioned can determine which course should be taken

gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-170-to-183

As you can see, the UK almost discourages the Polish version of this sort of turn as it can block the view of other vehicles. In the UK, when I try a textbook turn, it works very safely if the other driver is similarly on the ball and knows the rules properly.

Anyway, in summary, for Poland:
a) I give way to the vehicle on the right if they are turning to their right or going straight ahead, but not if they are turning to their left?

b) I drive within the trajectory you and Peter mentioned if I'm turning left and the vehicle opposite me is turning to his left, ie we don't give way to each other, just carefully drive away from each other as we turn?

c) I give way to a vehicle opposite me that is going straight ahead?
d) I give way to a vehicle opposite me that is turning to his right?

are you still talking abut the situation in the picture?

Yes, and the general rule when at crossroads. I am asking if I'm correct, I'm not stating that I am. I don't know :o)

Is that diagram picture from the Polish traffic rules book (Highway Code)? Could you please post the link. Thanks.

On the crossroads without any signage you should use 'right-hand rule' - the car approaching you from your right side has the priority


- no, you always give way to the car on your right - 'right-hand rule'


- yes


- yes, you want to turn left so he/she has the priority


- yesIf we talk about the situation on the picture - green car (3) should give way to the red car (1), and the red one sould give way to the blue one (2) - that's according to the right-hand rule, but in the real life what will probably happen is that when the red one will give way to the blue one, the green one will see the opportunity to make its manouver (the red one that has the priority over him is blocked by the manouver of the blue car) and will turn left at the same time as the blue one, and the red car will leave the crossrad as the last one.

Thank you, Milawi :o)

So, that's consistent with what I heard before (and is also here euroadlegal.co.uk/country/poland.html)

It's just the diagram you posted seemed to suggest the sequence of movement was 1, 2 and 3, in which case the blue car (2) would go AFTER the red car, and that would mean the red car (1) not giving way and keeping to the right-hand rule. The numbering of the cars in the diagram is therefore confusing, isn't it? Shouldn't the blue car be 1, the red car 2, the green car 3 (as it is now) ?? I could be wrong, but seems the numbering is confusing. If that's the Polish government's diagram, I don't know why they numbered it in a different order to the supposed priorities.

- numbers are for color blind people ;)

:o) but seriously I think that the numbers are misleading because it suggests that it's the sequence of priorities from the crossroads.

Anyway, thank you for explaining the system. Your explanation has helped me, even if the diagram momentarily confused me.

I don't think there is such thing. The diagram is just one of the test questions, there are 3 answers that you can pick from but they are not included on the picture ;)

Ah, I see! In the UK, we have the illustrated Highway Code, which gives guidance on what's expected of drivers. Here, all I could find was a Kodeks Drogowy which is just text and describes the law of the roads in Poland.

Have a nice Independence Day, and thanks again...

youtube.com/watch?v=KQTq07gihqg

Polish law (Prawo o ruchu drogowym Act, commonly known as Kodeks drogowy - Highway Code) does not give any examples, but only rules.

Which means more or less something like this (my English is not very good, but I hope it is understandable):


There is no rule for two cars turning left from opposite sides of crossroads. If it's not possible to go without any collision, passing the other car on one's left or right, one must decide to give priority to the other.

Thank you KPC.

What does the law say about pedestrians crossing on zebra crossings (the black and white squares) ? Does it say drivers should stop for pedestrians to let them cross when possible? What I find is drivers seldom stop, and if they do let a person cross, they drive forward just barely missing the back of your foot. Perhaps this is caused by a lack of pedestrians saying thanks when drivers give way, but nevertheless it is a very obvious difference between zebra crossing conduct in Poland and the UK. The other day someone let me cross on a zebra and I was so shocked that I forgot to walk...