Driving in Poland

If travelling between major cities in Poland, you don't have to drive, but to visit places off the beaten path, having a car can be a good idea. While roads are constantly being improved, and major roads are in a good shape, this is not the case for many smaller roads and side streets.

Road network

As of 2022, the road network in Poland still lags behind the networks of Western European countries, but there has been continued significant improvement since the 2010s with the opening of many new motorway segments and refurbishments of some long-neglected thoroughfares that had been used far above their capacity. There are, however, still some roads that are not up for the traffic they are carrying.

Travelling east–west is now generally much easier than it was in the 2000s, with Poznań, Łódź and Warsaw connected to Polish-German border (direction Berlin) with the A2 (E30), and the southern major metropoles – Wrocław, Katowice, Kraków and Rzeszów connected to Polish-German border (direction Dresden) and Polish-Ukrainian border (direction Lviv) by the A4 (E40).

The main north-south routes A1, S3, S5, as well as the Warsaw–Rzeszów connection by the combination of S17 and S19, are opened to traffic on their primary sections as of 2022. However, S7 (linking Gdańsk, Warsaw, Kraków and the Polish-Slovak border) is notably not completed despite carrying high traffic volumes, and one needs to expect large traffic jams on the missing sections near Warsaw and Kraków during the rush hours or bank holidays.

Most – but not all – large and medium-sized cities have ring roads allowing you to bypass them, as do some of the smaller towns that are by the major roads. Some of the city bypasses are already past their capacity and large traffic jams form on them when the traffic in the city reaches high volumes. Most notably, in the rush hours one needs to expect large delays on A4 near Kraków and Wrocław, S6/S7 near Gdańsk and S8 near Warsaw.

National roads are indicated by 1- or 2-digit numbers (prefixed with letter A or S in case of highways) on the red background and they are predominantly in good shape. Voivodeship roads are indicated by 3-digit numbers on the yellow background and their condition varies by region. Local roads are indicated by numbers that are used only for administrative needs, therefore are not placed on road signs. GPS navigations are notorious for leading through 'shortcuts' using such local roads in order to save several minutes compared to the main route. Unless there are traffic jams justifying changing the route, it is typically better to stick to the national or voivodeship roads rather than following the GPS, as numbered roads are often purposefully lead along slightly longer but higher-quality routes.

Traffic

The Poles' aggressive driving behaviour is legendary, but the reputation quite exaggerated. While you may find drivers unreasonably impatient, speed traps have calmed down the situation since the wild days when roads were open and cars few. Another factor that hinders speeding is the often poor quality of secondary roads and simply congestion - Poles own more cars per capita than some Western European nations. Always allow some extra time for possibly unfavourable driving conditions.

On the other hand, there is also an unwritten code of conduct among drivers: Most notably, pulling out into the fast lane on a motorway when another vehicle is approaching is considered rude, even when you are going at nearly the posted speed limit and the other vehicle seems to be still reasonably far behind. You may get angry headlight flashes if you do it nonetheless. Conversely, if you are in the left lane, most drivers in the right lane will let you past before they pull out, even if that means slowing down behind a truck.

Speed limits

Speed limits are:

• 50 km/h in built-up areas,
• 90 km/h outside built-up areas,
• 100 km/h if lanes are separated,
• 100 km/h on single carriage way car-only roads (white car on the blue sign),
• 120 km/h on dual carriageway car-only roads, and
• 140 km/h on motorways/freeways (autostrada).

Where roads go through towns, speed limits can change rapidly from the allowable 90 km/h to 70, down to 50 (indicated by the built-up area sign) or lower (indicated by a separate speed-limit sign) and then up again to 70 within only a few hundreds of metres. Speed cameras (in dark gray or yellow pole-mounted boxes, marked using proper sign) are relatively rare compared to the Western countries. Radar-equipped traffic police (often in unmarked vehicles) are also frequent but that apparently does little to deter the speeding drivers. There has been a resurgence in CB radio popularity, drivers using it to warn each other about traffic hazards and speed traps. The government is also increasing the number of average speed measuring systems (odcinkowy pomiar szybkości). The start and the end of it should be clearly marked with special signs.

Polish drivers often drive faster than is speed limit. Even truck drivers could be seen driving 70-80 km/h over villages, on a rural areas other drivers could ride even 110km/h if surface allows it. Don’t be surprised by it. In rare occasions you could be honked or flashed by long-distance lights with a demand to ride faster or to step aside onto the shoulder of the road.

Pay particular attention to your speed when driving in areas marked by built up areas (the wide black and white sign with an outline of buildings). Do not rely on common sense – sometimes these signs may be put quite a bit before an actual village or city even appears. And driving 50 km/h above speed limit in a built-up area results in an automatic 3-month driving license suspension (in addition to any other fines and penalty points).

Sometimes the drivers flash long-distance lights in order to warn others of the hidden police patrols. Do not replicate that, it's illegal and you will be fined if the police see you doing this.

Traffic code peculiarities

Some peculiarities of driving in Poland include:

• Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offence. BAC limits are: up to 0.025% - not prosecuted by law, up to 0.05% - an offence, above 0.05% - criminal offence (up to 2 years in jail). Penalties for driving under the influence of alcohol are extremely severe. Your driver's license can also be confiscated when you are drunk without driving (e.g., if you cycle drunk). Despite the strict laws, drunken drivers are a serious problem in Poland, not least as there is ample anecdotal evidence of police officers accepting bribes instead of handing out traffic offence notices. Be especially careful during (and after) national holidays and late night on weekends on the small roads in the countryside as drivers commonly take to the road inebriated. Alcohol consumption is frequently a contributing factor in accidents. If in doubt, you can try visiting local police station – they usually allow anybody concerned to get tested.

• 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.

• Overtaking on the right is legal in some circumstances. You can do it on all dual carriageway roads, in the built-up areas on a single carriageway or a one-way road with at least two lanes going in each direction or outside a built-up area on a single carriageway road if there are at least three lanes going in one direction. Keep in mind that while legal, it may not necessarily be the best idea to do it, particularly at highway speeds. Most drivers don't do it, but don't be shocked if you see it.

• At a junction (including T-junction) with no traffic lights, the vehicle on the right has the right of way ("right-hand rule") unless signs specify differently. Those signs include the yield sign as well as the priority route sign (a yellow diamond with a white outline, indicating that your road has right of way), which might come in combination with the yellow sign (placed directly below it) with a black outline of the crossing with the priority road drawn in bold. Conversely, the yield sign might also be accompanied with such a sign describing the flow of the priority road (Polish: "łamane pierwszeństwo"). This can be very confusing so keep your eyes open as this isn't always clear from the structure of the crossing (i.e. the lower quality, narrower and slower road coming from the side may have right of way.)

• Driving with dipped lights on is obligatory at all times.

• 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, e.g. changing a tire. This does not mean that they are necessarily used every time they should be.

• Cars are allowed to be parked on pavements (either parallel to the road or perpendicularly, so that the front wheels are on the pavement and the ones in the back are on the road) if road signs don't restrict it AND it wouldn't obstruct flow of either road or pedestrian traffic. You will also need to obey a few rules. You must make sure there's at least 1.5-metre passage left for pedestrians, check if the car is at least 10 metres away from any pedestrian, railway or road crossing. The car's GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight, DMC or Dopuszczalna Masa Całkowita) mustn't be more than 2.5 t. This applies particularly to larger vehicles such us big SUVs or pick-ups. You mustn't park on bike or mixed bike-pedestrian roads. You mustn't double-park. If you don't follow the rules, you may find either get a ticket from the local municipal guard (Straż miejska) behind a wiper, car may also be clamped or even towed away (particularly if it makes a serious disturbance to the flow of traffic, such as blocking a tram). Be aware that following what the locals do isn't often a good idea as these rules often get ignored.

• Children of all ages who are shorter than 150 cm (4’11”), with some exceptions, must ride in a child car seat.

• You must use headlights year round, at all times, day and night.

• The use of mobile/cellular phones while driving is prohibited except for hands-free models.

Driving in cities

Poles work long hours so peak time in major cities frequently lasts until after 20:00. Roadworks are common as many new road developments are under way and roads require frequent maintenance.

Parking in cities and towns is often allowed on sidewalks, unless of course there is a no-parking sign. There is usually no provision for parking on the tar-sealed part of the street so do not leave your car parked at the curb, unless it is clearly a parking bay. Parking meters in cities and even smaller towns are widely used.

Pay special attention to pedestrian crossings. In June 2021 a new set of rules came into power. They significantly increase the potential for driver's liability if there's an accident involving pedestrians on a crossing. Also, pedestrian crossings stretching across even dual carriageways with two or more lanes without traffic lights are still quite common. Keep in mind that overtaking any vehicle on a pedestrian crossing is a serious offence carrying 10 penalty points and a 200 PLN fine. The fine increases to 500 PLN if the other car was stopped before the crossing. Doing so when a pedestrian is already on the crossing is a big no-no as well and if witnessed by the police may end up in court, particularly if the pedestrian was forced to in any way escape from the oncoming vehicle.

Pay attention to any pedestrian crossings when making a turn even at the intersections with traffic lights. On some intersections the pedestrians may have a green light and in such case they have the right of way. It's may be quite tricky as there may be significant differences between each intersection even within a single municipality.

Communicating with other drivers

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. Keep in mind that it is illegal and you may get fined for it.

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 - typically a quick left-right-left pattern is used for the blinkers; for the hazard light a one or two blinks.

Hazard lights can be used to indicate failures but also as a way of showing that the vehicle is rapidly slowing down, or already stopped in a traffic jam on a highway.

CB radio is popular with road warriors, who exchange warnings regarding traffic conditions and speed traps. Another common warning is a single front lights flashing from a car coming from the opposite direction, indicating that there's a speed trap on the way.

Gas and service stations

At the gas stations <del>Pb</del> means unleaded gasoline (Pb is the periodic table symbol for plumbum, or lead) and ON (olej napędowy in Polish) means diesel fuel. Petrol and diesel are roughly the same price and quite in line with prices across the European Union, with Poland tending to be one of the cheaper countries of the EU with regard to that. LPG is widely available, both at 'branded' gas stations and independent distributors and is about half the price of petrol. CNG is not quite popular, but CNG filling stations can be found in major cities and some other locations where CNG-fuelled fleets are based or natural gas is extracted or stored. Ethanol-based fuel (E85 or E100), common in Sweden, for example, is almost nowhere to be found.

Electric vehicle charging stations are very few and far in between and generally limited to the largest cities, where you can find them in large shopping malls and otherwise prominent locations where they serve mostly PR purposes, as there are no incentives to owning or driving an electric car in Poland and the electric car fleet is minuscule.

The largest gas station chains in Poland are Orlen, Lotos (the two are Poland's local oil companies), Shell, Circle K, BP and Lukoil. Some supermarket chains, including Tesco and Auchan, operate a network of gas stations next to their stores. Credit cards or debit cards can be used to pay at most gas stations, although you may still find a non-branded local station that may not be accepting cards. Most drivers are filling up their vehicles themselves and otherwise helping themselves at gas stations, although there are attendants at some. The only chain that consistently provides attendants at all stations is Shell - although, as many drivers do not wish to call upon their services, you may have to indicate you would like for them to help you. You are supposed to tip the gas station attendant small change, e.g. between 2 or 5 zł depending on services rendered.

Prices (Feb 2017): diesel 4.70 zł/L, Pb 95 4.80 zł/L, Pb 98 5.10 zł/L, LPG 2.20 zł/L.

Car rental

Driving into Poland with a rental car (including from the western EU) is generally not an issue, but that may vary between rental companies (also depending on the vehicle), so be sure to check before you book.

Major car rental companies are present in Poland, but their network of rental stations is much less dense than in the western EU – usually limited to just the biggest cities.

A Polish car rental company is Express. Car pick-up and return works mostly by rendez-vous, i.e. at an address (which can be anywhere in Poland) and time of your choice. That means you need to arrange pick-up and return 24 hours in advance, else they cannot guarantee that your demands will be met.

Roadside vendors

In autumn or in spring it is common for small traders to set up their stands with fruit or wild mushrooms along the roads. They don't always stay in places where it's safe for cars to stop and you should be careful of drivers stopping abruptly and be watchful if you want to stop yourself.

Wild mushrooms are a specialty if you know how to cook them. The people who picked the mushrooms may not be very good at telling the good ones from the poisonous, so exercise caution. Never feed wild mushrooms to small children as they are particularly vulnerable. Rely on the judgement of your Polish friends if you consider them reasonable people.