Polish Road Rules and Signs

[Bonobo]

Guys, the signs posted in Riddle board provoked me to create this thread.

For a nice warm-up, a sign put in Britain for Polish drivers.
www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1542840/Road-signs-in-Polish-make-sense,-says-council.html


A decision to put road signs in Polish on a busy road had nothing to do with political correctness, council chiefs claimed yesterday.

Eight temporary diversion signs, written in Polish, were placed around the Cheshire-Shropshire border at the request of Cheshire County Council.

The signs, which explain how to reach Whitchurch while road works are being carried out on the A49, were condemned by some as "political correctness gone mad".

However, Steve Kent, the highway engineer for Cheshire County Council, said the decision was motivated by common sense and safety concerns. He said: "These signs have absolutely nothing to do with political correctness.

On several occasions last year, we found Polish-speaking drivers were failing to understand diversion signs and were arriving at sections of major roads that we had closed off.

"In some cases, that caused congestion as we had to reverse them out of the area. In other cases, they would drive on the footpath and thunder past a work gang, which obviously has safety implications."


Here, a funny interpretation of a few Polish signs by Brits living in Poland, visit their Polandian site:
polandian.wordpress.com/2008/04/21/polish-road-signs-some-of-my-favorites/

Most amusing examples


Polish drivers operating in this area.

8 percent of people survive this next stretch of road (pretty good odds).


Weirdly mutated children carrying giant lollipops ahead! (seriously, what is that thing supposed to be?)


Beware of giants carrying cyclists.

And a funny comment from the site:

Brad My favourite signs are the speed limit signs. Poland is the only country in the EU where the drivers apparently assume the signs are posted in MPH rather than KPH …and still manage to break the speed limits.


A list of Polish road signs:
pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Znak_drogowy

[Bonobo]

A set of a few basic rules from this site:
www.4x4poland.com/road_signs_poland.htm

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Traffic drives on the right hand side of the road and overtaking should be on the left of the overtaken car. On dual carriageways you will find many drivers overtaking using the inside lane, so be careful of these no-brains!
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All vehicles must use headlights both night and day in Poland all year long.
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You are required to carry a warning triangle, first aid kit and small fire extinguisher in cars.
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Accidents must be reported to the police. It's illegal to leave the scene of an accident.
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Trams may be passed on the right; but when a tram stops, drivers must yield to the passengers who leave the tram.
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Buses leaving a bus stop have the right of way.
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At Polish border crossings, especially on the German / Polish border, you may be asked to show your drivers licence, passport and proof of third-party insurance.
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Watch out for the big trees growing in rows along many Polish roads.
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It is prohibited in Polish law to use hand-held mobile phones while driving.
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There is over 125,000 miles/ 200,000 km of road in Poland.
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Speed limits in Poland are as follows: Urban 37mph/50kph Open Roads 56mph/90kph Highways 68mph/110kph. Fines are imposed on the spot and range from 100 to 500 zloties (for speeding).
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Be careful to look out for unlit bicycles, wandering drunks, and horse-drawn wagons in country areas.

* Permitted alcohol content in blood is 0.2 promilles.

* Foreign drivers can use a driving license from their home country or an international driving license for up to six months after entering Poland. Afterwards they are obliged to pass the local examinations which presuppose the knowledge of the Polish language.
* Seatbelts must be worn by both front seat and back seat passengers and it is prohibited to use hand-held mobiles while driving.
* Children under 12 are obligated to sit in special child seats that should be installed on the back seat.

* Important telephone numbers - Police, tel. 997; Fire, tel. 998; Ambulance, tel. 999. The mobile telephone helpline is tel. 112.





And some warning commentary designed for a Western driver. Polish drivers are so accustomed they don`t pay attention to these problems.....


Driving in Poland is a truely wonderful and unique experience! However, driving in Poland is not a 'piece of cake'. The main problems are:

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the condition and design of many of the roads
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reckless driving by unskilled drivers
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the unroadworthy condition of many cars on Polish roads

Many of Poland's vast network of minor roads and even major roads are either badly maintained or in need of modernisation. In villages and some towns many roads are still cobbled, and in some more isolated locations, little more than dirt tracks. On any Polish road drivers should watch out for huge potholes in the road, especially in early Spring. Modern roads are often poorly designed with roundabouts, which aren't round, leading to drivers speeding across without even looking other traffic already on the roundabout, and a ridiculous half lane on the right of the road, meant for tractors, which other drivers will try and force you into with aggressive driving and tailgating!

Many Polish drivers are in many ways very similar to drivers in Ukraine or further east. Sadly, a large proportion of drivers in Poland drive very badly and at excessively fast speeds. Testament to the crazy and reckless driving are the many roadside shrines and crosses along the roads, which mark the place where someone was killed in a road accident. Poland has one of the highest rates of road death in Europe, and fairly near the top of the list globally.

The cars on Poland's roads are on average far older and less well maintained than cars in countries like Germany, Holland and the UK. Indeed many of the cars on Polish roads were written off in accidents or through failing safety checks in Western Europe and then imported into Poland. Poland does have yearly safety checks on all cars, but, unfortunately, standards are often less than rigorous and corrupt 'testers' not unknown. In consequence, a large number of cars being driven on Polish roads are in an unsafe condition and would most certainly fail safety checks in most other developed countries.

In its favour, Poland currently has relatively low fuel prices compared with western Europe and some very attractive countryside easily accessible to anyone with a car. When driving in Poland we recommend that drivers from western Europe drive defensively and keep a constant eye on what other drivers are doing or might do.

All the same, Poland is a great destination for drivers who like a challenge and enjoy driving off road or along picturesque, uncrowded, if less-than-perfect minor roads.

[Bonobo]

Newest Polish road sign: NATO drills. Some jokers comment: Watch out! Americans.