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Driving Safely in Poland by Michael Dembinski

It's the first thing anyone coming from Britain to Poland notices - the appalling standard of driving. Here are some tips as to how to avoid becoming a road traffic accident statistic

    The statistics are as awful as the driving. Twice as many people die on the roads as in the UK, despite there being three times fewer cars. The reasons - bad cars, bad roads, bad drivers. I've seen more corpses by the side of Polish roads than I've ever seen hitherto in my life...

Long distance journeys:

Warsaw-Katowice and Warsaw-Kraków (via Katowice and the A4 motorway) are reasonably safe, as it's dual carriageway end to end. Remember that the main road is not a motorway and goes through many villages along the way. Slow down to 70 km/h (40 mph) for them.

    The Warsaw-Poznań-Berlin and Warsaw-Gdańsk roads are notoriously dangerous. With a few exceptions, these main trans-European trunk roads are not even dual carriageways. Mad drivers will overtake overtaking vehicles, swerving into the opposite hard shoulder to get past. Village folk will sit by the roadside, selling fruit or mushrooms. Unlit bicycles will try to dodge the traffic as they zigzag across the road at night.

    This quote is taken from a British Embassy newsletter: "Of course, driving in Poland is always a ‘challenge’. Oh, how we laughed to see determined over-takers coming towards us, on the wrong side of the road, before pulling in at the last moment, while someone came from behind and tried to nudge us into the side of the road as they sped past with a cheery flash of hazards at 90mph".

Few tips for staying alive:

     For drivers: Treat each drive as a survival exercise. Assume every driver is either suicidal or homicidal. Do not expect him (Polish women are much safer drivers) to act with foresight or consideration for other road users.

    Don't let them get you angry! It's easy to lather into a fury when some idiot cuts you up or cuts in front of you after driving 50 yards over a pavement. Maintain stately calm.

     Polish drivers ignore zebra crossings. If you stop on a dual carriageway to let a pedestrian cross, the likelihood is that another driver will rush on regardless, not noticing the hapless pedestrian who mistook your courtesy as a guarantee of a safe crossing. It is safer not to slow down at zebra crossings!

    For pedestrians: Wear bright clothing outdoors in winter. Nights are long and dark.