If someone entered 2022 with momentum, they will soon have to take their foot off the gas pedal. Along with popping champagne corks, the prices of fines for traffic offenses have also skyrocketed. From the beginning of January this year, new regulations changing the existing rates came into force. So let's see what negative consequences will result for drivers if they do not comply with road rules.

Additional factors motivating drivers to drive in accordance with regulations are to be the linking of fine payments with the removal of penalty points from a driver's account and the dependence of third-party liability insurance premiums on the number of penalty points held.

New fine and penalty points tariff 2022. What has changed for drivers?

Importantly, changes in penalty rates for speeding are not the only change in the current regulations. Before describing the new tariff of fines, let's focus on other novelties. The most important changes seem to concern penalties for acts committed against pedestrian safety. Penalties for illegal overtaking will also be tightened, and drivers will also have to get used to more restrictive rules regarding the allocation of penalty points.

Safety for pedestrians

Six months before the introduction of the described regulations, the legislator also decided to impose a statutory obligation on drivers to stop absolutely before a pedestrian crossing when they are waiting to cross the street. For failure to comply with this obligation, as well as similar road traffic offences consisting of failing to yield to pedestrians, the driver faces A fine of 1500 PLN and 3000 zł in case of committing a minor offence as a repeat offender (within two years of the first offence). The same penalty will have to be paid by those who do not observe the prohibition of overtaking at a pedestrian crossing or decide to overtake a vehicle travelling in the same direction but stopped to give way to a pedestrian.

Changes in point calculation

Until the date of entry into force of the new regulations, the maximum number of penalty points that could be received for a traffic offense was 10. Under the current regulations, drivers will also be able to receive 15 or 13 points. The remaining point rates remain unchanged - you can also receive from 1-10 points. However, if a driver commits several offenses and the sum of penalty points awarded for them would be greater than 15, the penalty point is limited to 15. Another important change is the elimination of driver training organized by WORD. Let us remind you that thanks to such training it was possible to reduce the number of points held by 6. From the moment the described regulations enter into force, this possibility will disappear irreversibly. However, the maximum limit of points will remain unchanged. 24 for drivers with a license for more than 2 years and 20 for less experienced drivers. It is therefore much easier to exceed the limit - in extreme cases, only two arrests by the police are enough.

Additional factors motivating drivers to drive in accordance with the regulations will include linking the payment of fines with the removal of penalty points from the driver's account and making third party liability insurance premiums dependent on the number of penalty points. The points will disappear 2 years after paying the fine that is the basis for imposing a point penalty. This change is intended to motivate drivers to settle their liabilities resulting from road traffic offenses on time and quickly. As for the link between third-party liability insurance premiums and the number of points held: law-abiding drivers will pay premiums at a standard price, and those with more penalty points will have higher rates. This change has been postulated for a long time by the insurance community.

So why did the legislator decide to impose a one-time penalty of 15 or 13 points?

As per Annex no. 1 to the Regulation of the Minister of Interior on the procedure for drivers violating road traffic regulations, which however only comes into force in September of this year:

15 points can be obtained for a total of a dozen or so deeds, which include:

• In terms of general violations: violation as a result of which the act was classified as a crime under Art. 173 (communication disaster), art. 174 (causing an immediate danger of disaster), art. 177 § 1 or 2 (causing an accident in communication, also with fatal consequences), Art. 178b (failure to comply with an order to stop a motor vehicle), Art. 355 §1 or 2 (traffic accident caused by a soldier) of the Penal Code, as well as driving a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol (0.2 per mille to 0.5 per mille of alcohol in the blood) or a substance having a similar effect to alcohol, driving a vehicle under the influence of intoxication or under the influence of intoxicating substances (above 0.5 per mille of alcohol in the blood);
• In terms of violations involving incorrect behavior of drivers towards pedestrians: passing a vehicle that was traveling in the same direction but stopped to give way to a pedestrian, overtaking at pedestrian crossings and directly in front of them, failing to give way to a pedestrian on a pedestrian crossing or entering it, failure to give way by the driver of a vehicle that is turning onto a cross road to a pedestrian crossing the road on which the vehicle is entering at the intersection, and failure to stop the vehicle when a disabled person using a special sign or a person with visibly reduced mobility is crossing the road. in order to enable its passage.
• As for violations involving failure to obey road signs and signals: failure, in order to avoid control, to a signal from a person authorized to control road traffic ordering to stop the vehicle.
• In terms of violating speed limits: exceeding the speed limit above 50 km/h outside a built-up area, as well as exceeding the speed limit above 50 km/h in a built-up area.
• In terms of violation of overtaking regulations: violation of the overtaking ban at bicycle crossings and immediately in front of them.

13 points however, it may be imposed on the driver if he exceeds the speed limit by 41-50 km/h.

The lower point rates (1-10) known so far will still apply. However, the catalogue of offences for which police officers will award them will be significantly expanded. The regulations described in the above paragraph, as mentioned, will only come into force on 17 September 2022. Drivers therefore have plenty of time to familiarise themselves with the new regulations.

New tariff of fines

What appears most significant for drivers is the change to the tariff for speeding fines. The new penalty rates, combined with an increase in penalty points, could pose a significant problem for speed demons. In the worst-case scenario for a road hog, it's possible to receive a fine of up to 5,000 zloty for simply exceeding the speed limit, plus an additional 15 penalty points.

The fines for speeding are as follows:

If a driver breaks several rules, the maximum sum they can be fined in a fixed penalty procedure is PLN 6,000. However, the amount that a court can impose on those breaking the rules has increased to sums previously unknown to Polish drivers. Previously, this was PLN 5,000. Currently, the maximum fine is PLN 30,000, while the minimum fine is PLN 1,000.

The fine amounts for drivers violating the overtaking ban have also been established. In this situation, a fixed rate of PLN 1000 applies for violating the regulations and PLN 2000 for repeated offences in this regard.

The impact of regulations on drivers

A novelty in the regulations, which should also have a disciplinary effect on drivers, is the provision of information about offenses committed by them to insurers. As you can easily deduce, this will most likely be reflected in the insurance policy rates for those who have a "larger record." Many people may judge such action as too deep an interference in drivers' privacy, which may lead to abuse. However, it can be assumed that ratio legis The intention behind this solution was different. The legislator wanted to motivate drivers to drive carefully and not commit any offences that could affect them financially in the future.

Why did the legislator increase the fine rates?

It also appears that the legislator is quite consistently pursuing a policy of tightening regulations protecting pedestrians. Not long ago, regulations concerning priority at pedestrian crossings were introduced. Now, however, the fines and penalty points awarded for offences against their safety have been increased. It is also clearly visible that the legislator's aim was to provide additional "protection" for drivers during overtaking manoeuvres. Furthermore – and most obviously – to force them to take their foot off the accelerator.

The introduced regulations have, however, quite strongly polarised society. A large part is pleased that the new regulations aim to increase road safety. In Poland, there are indeed 7.2 road accident victims per 100,000 inhabitants annually. This is a result above the European average. Others, in turn, assess the introduced solutions negatively and question the justification for such large increases in fine rates, claiming that these amounts are not adjusted to average earnings.