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.
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
Half a year before the introduction of the described regulations, the legislator also decided to impose a statutory obligation on drivers to stop at a pedestrian crossing when they are waiting to cross the street. For failing to comply with this obligation, as well as for similar traffic offenses involving failure to give way to pedestrians, the driver will be subject to a fine of PLN 1,500 and PLN 3,000 in the event of committing an offense in the event of recidivism (within two years from the first offense). The same amount of fine will have to be paid by those who do not respect the overtaking ban at a pedestrian crossing or decide to pass a vehicle that was traveling 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.
But back to the new way of allocating penalty points...
So why did the legislator decide to impose a one-time penalty of 15 or 13 points?
As can be seen from Annex No. 1 to the Regulation of the Minister of Internal Affairs on dealing with drivers violating road traffic regulations, which, however, enters into force only in September 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 previously known lower point rates (1-10) will still function. However, the list of offenses for which police officers will award them will be significantly expanded.
However, as mentioned, the regulations described in the above paragraph do not enter into force until September 17, 2022. Drivers therefore have a lot of time to get used to the new regulations. It is worth keeping this in mind when planning, for example, courses that reduce points. They will only be available until September 16 this year. Such a solution also seems fair from the point of view of road users. Drivers have 9 months to adapt to the new regulations without the risk of receiving a high number of penalty points. This could have far-reaching consequences.
New tariff of fines
What seems to be most important for drivers is the change in the rate of fines for speeding. The new fine rates, combined with the increase in points awarded, may pose a real problem for fast driving enthusiasts.
In the worst-case scenario for a road pirate, it is possible to receive a fine of up to PLN 5,000 just for speeding and an additional 15 penalty points. The fine rates for speeding are as follows:
| Exceeding the speed limit | Rate/amount higher for recidivism |
| Up to 10 km/h | PLN 50 |
| About 11-15 km/h | 100 zloty |
| About 16-20 km/h | PLN 200 |
| About 21-25 km/h | PLN 300 |
| About 26-30 km/h | PLN 400 |
| About 31-40 km/h | PLN 800/1600 |
| About 41-50 km/h | PLN 1,000/2,000 |
| About 51-60 km/h | PLN 1,500/3,000 |
| About 61-70 km/h | PLN 2,000/4,000 |
| 71 km/h more | PLN 2,500/5,000 |
If a driver breaks several regulations, the maximum amount he can be fined is PLN 6,000. The tariff described above concerns the amounts of fines that a policeman may offer in the event of arresting a driver. The amount that the court can impose on those who break the regulations has increased to amounts previously unknown to Polish drivers. So far it was PLN 5,000. Currently, the maximum fine is PLN 30,000, while the minimum is PLN 1,000.
The amounts of fines for violating the overtaking ban by the driver of a motor vehicle were also established. In this situation, a fixed rate of PLN 1,000 applies for violating the regulations and PLN 2,000 for recidivism in this respect. This applies to all types of overtaking, i.e. a ban on overtaking a vehicle: by engine when approaching the top of a hill, by engine at a bend marked with warning signs, by engine at an intersection, except for an intersection with circular traffic or where traffic is directed, privileged in a built-up area, at at and immediately in front of a cyclist crossing, except for a crossing at which traffic is directed, at and immediately before a railway crossing, when crossing or immediately in front of tram tracks, except for a crossing or tram crossing at which traffic is directed, specified road sign, as well as overtaking a vehicle from the wrong side.
The full fine list is available here!
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 this solution was different. The legislator wanted to motivate drivers to drive carefully and not commit offenses that could affect their financial situation in the future. Not only through fines, but also the amount of insurance premiums.
We are certainly dealing with very far-reaching changes. However, they are introduced by the legislator gradually and well in advance. For Polish drivers, the introduction of this type of solutions may come as a bit of a shock. Until now, there was silent consent among motorists to turn a blind eye to smaller or larger "sins" on the road. Currently, however, it seems that increased fine rates, stricter regulations regarding penalty points and the creation of other mechanisms exerting financial pressure, such as linking third party liability insurance premiums with penalty points, forwarding information on offenses to insurers or canceling penalty points 2 years after paying the fine, should change the approach in the context of passively accepting minor offenses, as well as respecting road rules.
Why did the legislator increase the fine rates?
Moreover, it seems that the legislator is quite consistent in implementing its policy of tightening the regulations protecting passers-by. In the recent past, regulations regarding priority at pedestrian crossings were introduced. Now, however, the rates of fines and penalty points awarded for offenses against their safety have been increased. It is also clearly visible that the legislator's goal was to provide additional "protection" for drivers during overtaking manoeuvres. Moreover - and most obviously - forcing them to take their foot off the gas pedal.
However, the introduced regulations polarized society quite significantly. Many people are happy that the new regulations are aimed at increasing road safety. In Poland, there are 7.2 road accident victims per 100,000 inhabitants each year. This result is above the European average, which is 5, so in this respect Polish drivers definitely have room for improvement. Others, mainly drivers, negatively evaluate the implemented solutions and question the justification for such large increases in fine rates. They claim that these amounts are not adjusted to average earnings in Poland, and the legislator's goal was to find a new source of financing for the state budget, not to increase road safety.
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