According to the Road Traffic Office of the Police Headquarters, in January this year, the number of speeds exceeding 50 km/h in the built-up area decreased by more than 55% compared to the same period in 2021. In addition, violations by drivers against pedestrians were reduced by almost a third (29.5%). So, can we talk about the effectiveness of the new penalties for road hogs?
The number of deaths per million inhabitants in Poland has been among the highest in the European Union for years. Before the pandemic, there were 77 people per million inhabitants, making Poland third in the EU (after Romania and Bulgaria), reports the Association of European Automobile Manufacturers (ACEA). In Germany, there were only 37 people. Preliminary data from the Road Traffic Office of the Police Headquarters show that in January 2022 the same number of accidents were reported as in January 2021 (1230). However, it is noteworthy that two years ago there were 678 more accidents, i.e., 1908.
“The public is beginning to realise how important it is to change the rules to stricter rules, e.g., regarding parking tickets or priority for pedestrians. Such arrangements have an initial effect. The Ministry of Infrastructure reports that following the introduction of regulations to protect pedestrians on lanes, the number of accidents involving them has decreased. In the period from 1 June to the end of August 2021, it was 3 per cent lower than in 2020 and 24 per cent lower than in 2019”, says Piotr Korab, an expert at autobaza.pl.
The change in the penalty tariff must be already noticeable on the streets. In January this year, the number of speeding exceeding 50 km/h in built-up areas fell by more than 55% compared to the same period in 2021. Infringements by motorists against pedestrians were also reduced by almost a third (29.5%). A significant decrease (15%) was also observed in the case when a vehicle didn’t yield the right of way. The number of offences committed by pedestrians has also changed, with a decrease of 12.2%. The number of collisions has also been reduced by 9.2% – reports the traffic office of the police headquarters.
It should be noted that the duration of the new rules seems too short for long-term analysis.
Interestingly, alternative penalties for speeding are being tested in Europe. In the year 2019, the Estonians reported another way to disobedient riders. The “road hogs” were forced to stay in the parking lot for a reasonable period instead of tickets.
“In Poland, too, one hears of more and more ideas for stricter penalties. The government in early February this year passed new legislation related to punishing drunk drivers, which had been discussed before. Under the new regulation, a car driver with no less than 1.5 per mille of alcohol in the blood will lose their vehicle. It doesn’t matter whether he caused a collision on the road or not. What’s more, cars will also be confiscated from perpetrators of accidents who had >>only<< more than 0.5 per mille of alcohol in their blood, as well as those committing such an offence once again," sums up Piotr Korab, autobaza.pl expert.