Driving to Poland - Driving in Poland
Taking the car to Poland
Information
Here at Love Poland we do like to focus on the fantastic things that Poland has to offer but unfortunately, there are some things about Poland that could be significantly improved and the main one that springs to mind is the state of the roads.
Poland is not a good or safe place to drive and to be honest, we don't recommend that you bring your car here unless you really have to. Expats of course have little choice even though many will take public transport if they can!
Without any doubt, Poland is one of the worst places for car drivers in Europe with some of the worst roads and significant numbers of drivers who do not even come close to meeting the Western European normal standards in terms of driving skills. Poland has a fairly high number of road deaths, around 14.3 per 100,000 of population in comparison to only 5.5 per 100,000 of population in the UK and also suffers from one of the highest number of vehicle thefts in Europe. Over 50,000 cars are reported as stolen or car-jacked / hijacked in Poland every year. Cars with number plates from outside of Poland appear to be particular targets as are German car models such as Mercedes, BMW & Audi.
The majority of roads are of very poor quality and are not maintained very well so it's quite normal to find deep potholes or ruts so you really need to have your wits about you! Many minor roads have not been improved since they were built many years ago.
One of the main reasons for the large number of deaths on Polish roads is the standard of driving which would be unacceptable outside of Poland. At times you will think that the 'Rule Book' has been thrown out of the window, it really can be chaos out there folks so please be warned!
In order to drive legally in Poland you must have your full UK licence. The modern EC format pink or green licence is acceptable in Poland, but if you only have an old style paper licence you must ensure that you also have an International Driving Licence with you. Always remember to drive on the right hand side in Poland and of course overtake on the left. It is illegal to use your mobile phone while driving in Poland, unless you’re using a hands free kit.
Seatbelts are obligatory and should be worn by all front seat passengers. If they’re fitted in the back, they should also be worn there. Children aren’t allowed to sit in the front of the car if they are under the age of 10 and you can be given a fine if you break this rule. There are rules against using your horn in Poland, so try to avoid it at all times – it’s actually illegal. If you must give a warning to another driver, you should use your headlights to flash another driver to let them know you’re passing. You can use your horn in poor visibility to make others aware of your presence, but only at this time.
As a visitor to Poland, keep your registration papers, insurance document and driving licence safe and have it on your person if you’re in the car. The high number of car thefts in Poland mean that it’s not safe to leave your valuable documents in the car, so keep them on your person.
If you’re taking your own car with UK plates, be wary about where you leave it in Poland. Many car hire companies outside of the country won’t allow their cars to enter due to the high possibility of theft or break-in, so keep this in mind when you’re taking your own car.
There are strict speeding limits in Poland that should be adhered to at all times. If you’re a foreign national driving there and are caught speeding, you’ll still have to pay the fine and could suffer more dire consequences if you’re speeding over a certain limit. Although it may seem at times like local drivers have no regard for the speed limit, try not to fall into the same pattern as you may end up in an accident or worse. The general speed limits are:
- Expressways – 110 km/h or 130 km/h dependent on area
- Outside Built Up Areas – 90 km/h
- Built-up Areas – 50 km/h or 60 km/h dependent on area
The drink driving limit in Poland is strictly enforced and they take a zero tolerance approach to drink driving. If you have taken even one unit of alcohol then you are putting yourself at risk of being charged for drink driving. Police will often carry out on the spot breath tests and you will need to pay an on the spot fine in Polish currency if you’re found guilty.
Polish driving laws are strict, but that doesn’t mean that local drivers are always going to abide by them. The roads are generally of a fairly poor quality and junctions and crossroads are often not marked with stop lines. Roundabouts can be difficult to spot as they’re not actually round, so many drivers just continue through as though they weren’t there. There are also some other important Polish road tips to consider before driving there:
- Be aware of people overtaking in the face of oncoming traffic.
- Watch for people who red light jump – many drivers in Poland only stop at a red light if there’s another vehicle obstructing your path or you’re likely to get caught.
- Don’t assume that drivers will stop at a zebra crossing. Although you’re meant to, many Polish drivers don’t stop unless someone is on the middle of the crossing.
- Watch out for tailgaters. Try to keep a good distance between yourself and other cars.
- Most petrol stations are open 24 hours and have both leaded and unleaded petrol.
- You may pass trams on the right, but if it’s stopped and passengers are disembarking, you must yield to them.
- Watch out for horse drawn vehicles, especially in the harvest months.
- Traffic signals are often ignored and indication on direction is rarely given.
- Headlights should be on at all times, even during the day (dipped is OK).
- There is no right turn at a red light. Exception is when there is green arrow signal in which case you still have to come to a complete stop and yield to pedestrians and cross traffic (although the stop rule is seldom respected by Polish drivers). All above does not apply if right turning traffic has separate (red-yellow-green) signals.
- At a 'T-crossing' or crossroads without traffic signs traffic at the right always has right-of-way unless your road is a priority route, shown by a road sign displaying a yellow diamond with a white outline. This can be very confusing so keep your eyes open as there often is no logic in the assignment of priority in traffic flow (eg. the lower quality, narrower and slower road may have right of way.)
- A warning triangle is a mandatory part of a car's equipment and needs to be displayed some distance back from any accident or when, eg. changing a tire.
Driving to Poland from the UK
Getting to the Polish border is usually easy as the roads up to this point are generally very good and you could find yourself getting to Poland from Calais in just 15 hours with maybe one fuel stop around Hannover.
There has been investment in Polish roads from the border to the main cities and you will find that you should have few problems unless you are travelling on anything other than a major road but still keep your eyes wide open for potholes because they are there!
As long as you keep by the main roads you should get to where you are going fairly easily. As a rule of thumb, assume 2h for each 100km of travel (allowing for unexpected delays). When traveling between smaller cities or towns you will also routinely encounter slow moving vehicles, such as farm vehicles and tractors, and sometimes bicycles.
Driving in cities can be difficult; city streets are crowded, often narrow, and you need to watch out for trams. When estimating driving time, if you are not familiar with local conditions, it is safe to double your best guess, especially at peaks times. Poles work long hours so peak time in major cities frequently last till after 8pm.
Roads marked "droga szybkiego ruchu" (rapid transit road) are frequently anything but that. The rule of going through towns and not around them still applies and speed limits change rapidly from the allowable 90 kmh to 70 and down to 40. Speed cameras (in unmarked dark gray pole-mounted boxes) and radar-equipped traffic police are common. Draw your own conclusions.
Some drivers flash their headlights to warn those approaching from the opposite direction of a police control nearby (you are likely to encounter this custom in many other countries). It may also mean that you need to turn your lights on since dipped headlights need to be on at all times while driving. A "thank you" between drivers can be expressed by waving your hand or, when the distance is too great, by turning on blinkers or hazard lights for one or two blinks.
At the gas stations PB means unleaded gasoline and ON means diesel. Petrol and diesel are roughly the same price. LPG is widely available, both at 'branded' gas stations and independent distributors and is less than half the price of petrol. Credit cards or debit cards can be used to pay at branded stations, less frequently so at independent distributors.
You can enter Poland by one of many roads linking Poland with the neighboring countries. Since Poland's entry to the Schengen Zone, checkpoints on border crossings with other EU countries have been removed.
However, the queues on the borders with Poland's non-EU neighbors, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia, are still large and in areas congested with truck traffic it can take up to several hours to pass.
Be careful and drive safely!
It's also an excellent idea to get yourself kitted out with a Sat Nav!