Poland High in Fatal Accident Rankings. “If You Drive Legally in Poland, I Think You’re Suspect”

This is a fragment of the beginning of Bartosz Józefiak’s book “Everyone drives like that”in which the author describes Polish drivers in a multi-dimensional way.

It describes and draws attention to the sins of drivers, which are – as is often heard in television news – recklessness, alcohol and speed. Often the causes of accidents come in pairs, or even three, when alcohol intensifies recklessness, and this is expressed in driving too fast.

But let’s look at hard data and use statistics. According to the Police Headquarters, “among the factors that have a decisive impact on road safety (human – road – vehicle), humans definitely come first.” Drivers were at fault in over 90% of all accidents in 2023. The main causes are failure to yield the right of way and failure to adjust speed to traffic conditions. In addition, failure to yield the right of way to pedestrians on a pedestrian crossing contributes to accidents.

Why do we drive too fast?

According to the European Commission and its report on road speeds, there are five main reasons why people drive too fast:

1. we adjust our speed to the surrounding traffic;

2. We are in a hurry;

3. we enjoy driving fast;

4. we are bored

5. we are unaware that we are going too fast.

The first reason, trivial even – because we are in a hurry. Can I comment on something here? Each of us has days, moments when we are in a hurry. Many works have been written and could be written on the subject of just this one issue.

The second reason is more interesting, namely “adapting speed to the environment”. The European Commission, citing an article from “Applied Psychology: An International Review” pointed out that most drivers want to drive at the same speed as everyone else on the road. This can be described more broadly using social psychology, but in short, it’s about explaining your behavior as “everyone drives like that.”

Another explanation for fast driving is the pleasure it brings. And who chooses such pleasure? Bartosz Józefiak writes in his reportage book: “In Poland, a road pirate has the face of a man aged 25-40, most likely at the peak of his professional efficiency.” This is confirmed by research and statistics, such as the Dutch Road Safety Research Institute (SWOV), in whose study we can read that the groups that exceed the speed limit more often are men and young people. Moreover, the study found that the younger the drivers, the higher the results in seeking sensations.

“And how does it look in Polish statistics? Namely, among category B drivers, over 40% are women. But it is men – according to the Polish Police – who are responsible for 72% of all accidents.”

Speed ​​and road quality

According to a report on road safety in Poland prepared by the World Bank, roads in our country are often unforgiving of drivers’ mistakes. Although the analysis made in 2013 is already somewhat outdated, some things have not changed much. The aforementioned institution draws attention to the large number of roads without guardrails and verges, and instead with trees and steep ditches. In general, however, in 2024, the level of Polish roads is much better than a decade ago and – in addition to better cars driving in Poland – this can be attributed to a partial reduction in the number of accidents in recent years.

Social acceptance

Not so long ago, in Poland, it was acceptable to drive after drinking alcohol or with a hangover. Later, this acceptance turned into ignorance, and today, when we see a staggering person trying to open a car, we are very likely to intervene.

In terms of fast driving, there is still social acceptance of speeding in Poland. A large black number on a white background in a red circle indicating the speed limit is, for many, the minimum speed, one might say.

This line of thinking is clearly expressed by the words of one of the speakers in the aforementioned report: “If you drive legally in Poland, in my opinion you are suspicious.”

Freedom to speed

Those speaking in a similar tone to the quoted interviewee talk about something more, about the freedom to drive fast. It is worth noting the word “to”, which indicates that we are talking about so-called positive freedom, about the right to something. “It may sound like heresy, but people want and have the right to drive fast,” says the road pirate interviewed in one of the popular dailies.

However, this argument can be answered with the famous words: “One person’s freedom ends where another person’s freedom begins.” Driving fast may be enjoyable for some, but it poses a risk to many others. Roads are for efficiently getting from one place to another, but racetracks are for fast driving.

Everyone pays for pirates’ mistakes

Another important thing to mention is the cost of accidents for the entire economy. It is not true that the consequences of an accident are limited to the accounts of the participants in a road accident. There are various scientific studies that summarize all the costs associated with road accidents. For example, the authors of a study from the University of Riyadh show that the average cost of a fatal accident, taking into account production losses, medical costs, property damage, administrative and human costs, amounted to about $1.6 million in Saudi Arabia, and the total economic and social costs of road accidents in the US are estimated at about $20 billion, which corresponds to 2.88% of the country’s GDP in 2018.

In Australia, according to The Australian National University, the social cost of road accidents is estimated at $27 billion in 2020 (1.4% of GDP). A typical road accident cost society an estimated $13.8 thousand.

We also have a study from our own backyard, conducted by the National Road Safety Council, which in its latest study states that in 2022 the social costs of all road accidents in Poland were estimated at PLN 52 billion (1.7% of GDP). So it is clear that we are talking about large sums here and even looking only at the aspect of the burden on the state, and consequently on all of us, it is worth striving to minimize unfortunate road accidents.

What to do?

What is worth doing to limit excessively fast driving? First, you need to know what the safe speed of vehicles is. In the document “European Road Safety Observatory”, the authors refer to measures aimed at preventing excessive speed on roads. First of all, defining appropriate speed limits. Many people accept the concept of “Sustainable Safety” from the Netherlands, which states that roads where conflicts between cars and vulnerable road users are possible should be marked with bans of up to 30 km/h. Junctions with possible cross-conflicts between cars are max. 50 km/h. Up to 70 km/h in the case of roads with possible frontal conflicts between cars. Above 100 km/h only in cases where frontal or side collisions with other road users are impossible.

In addition, a “legible” road infrastructure is important, by which we can understand that each road category should be recognizable thanks to specific infrastructure features, so that drivers know what type of road they are driving on and, consequently, what speed is appropriate/permitted.

Finally, we come to enforcing speed limits. Penalties must be imposed, and controls operate at different levels. On the one hand, they discourage repeating the same offence, and on the other – drivers who have not been fined slow down when they consider the risk of being caught to be high. Controls should not always be carried out in the same places. A relatively new solution is the use of section speed measurements. The use of such methods is more effective and is increasingly used in Poland.

The effectiveness of the system, which is manifested in the inevitability of punishment, is also important. The driver should know that if he is caught breaking the law, he will be punished in every case.

Another important issue is education. Making young students aware of the possible consequences of fast driving should be a daily occurrence. In addition, this element should be widely discussed in driving courses. Mandatory courses for offenders can also be used as an alternative to a fine.

In addition, technology has long helped to control speed, for example through the use of cruise control. The use of the Intelligent Speed ​​System (ISA), which automatically adjusts the car’s speed to the limits that it reads from recognized road signs or based on the GPS system locating the vehicle, is completely new and controversial for many.

This solution will be mandatory in every new car from July this year.

Getting better

In Poland, people have unfortunately become accustomed to news of tragic road casualties. All you have to do is turn on the TV in the evening and wait for such news. Is it similar in other European countries? According to EU statistics (the latest data for 2022), the Polish rate of fatalities per million inhabitants is higher (50) than the EU average and we are in 18th place. A decade earlier, this rate was almost twice as high.

Looking at the data from the Polish Police, it can be seen that in 2023 there were 20,936 accidents, 1,893 fatalities and 24,125 injuries. Compared to 2013, this is an improvement of 42%, 45% and 45%, respectively (35,847 accidents, 3,357 fatalities and 44,059 injuries).

In addition, in the report “Road Safety Performance Index Report 2023” (PIN), Poland was awarded the prize for the best improvement in fatality statistics over the years 2012-2022. The then Minister of Transport, commenting on the award, drew attention to the legislative changes made, such as reducing the permitted speed at night to 50 km/h (from 60) in built-up areas.

In addition, insurance companies have been given access to information on drivers’ fines and penalty points. This should further encourage safe driving by allowing safe drivers to get lower insurance premiums.

Radical change in the law

In addition to the frequent increase in fine rates, a radical change to the law has recently been introduced. Since March 2024, it has been possible to confiscate a car in the event of driving with more than 1.5 per mille of alcohol in the blood or when the driver had less but caused an accident. In addition, a car can be confiscated if someone is caught drunk again within 2 years and if they flee the scene of an accident (even when sober). In light of the words mentioned at the beginning, that alcohol often goes hand in hand with high speeds, these regulations seem to be justified.

Although the road situation in many countries is improving, including Poland, reckless driving is still the cause of many deaths. There is a belief that we drive better than others – “fast, but safe”. However, we must forget that accidents happen to others. Accidents happen to everyone.

Returning from the mountains in March of this year, I came across a roadside tombstone with the inscription “There are moments and people that you never forget. Wojtek. He lived for 33 years”. I stopped for a moment because I remembered the book mentioned at the beginning, which I had already started reading at that time. After a moment of reflection, I decided that I would like to write the article that you have just read. I do not know if Wojtek died because of the excessive speed of someone involved in the incident, but there is a good chance that this was the case. There should definitely be fewer such plaques on Polish roads.