Stricter penalties for drivers: three months without a driver's license for entering a railway crossing
The Polish government has prepared a draft amendment to the Road Traffic Act, which aims to improve safety at railway-road crossings. The proposed changes involve introducing severe penalties for drivers who ignore traffic signals and enter the tracks when the red light is on.
According to the new regulations, a driver will lose their license for a period of three months for entering a crossing while the signals are active. This is the authorities' response to dangerous behavior by road users, which often leads to tragic accidents involving trains.
The Ministry of Infrastructure emphasizes that current penalties are often not a sufficient deterrent for irresponsible drivers. The new measure aims to enforce greater discipline and increase awareness of the dangers posed by disregarding regulations at intersections of roads and railway tracks.
The draft bill is currently in the legislative process. If the changes come into force, Polish regulations concerning railway crossings will become among the strictest in Europe, which is intended to directly translate into a decrease in the number of collisions in these locations.
Road safety experts view the planned tightening of regulations positively. They emphasize that every second saved by a driver is not worth risking their own life or the lives of train passengers.