In a few days holidays start, i.e. statistically the most dangerous time on the roads. Among the main causes of such events on straight sections of the road are excessive speed and riding on the bumper. The manager of the A4 Katowice-Kraków motorway as part of the “Do not bite. Listen. Go safely” draws attention to the phenomenon of aggression on Polish roads and reminds that safety begins with the driver's personal decisions.
Police data for 2024 indicate that in over 21.5 thousand Catches were killed by nearly 1.9 thousand people, and 24.7 thousand were injured people. Most often, accidents occur in the summer months, in June and August, and the worst day on the roads are Fridays.
– Over 90 percent on highways accidents are the fault of drivers. We provide road safety by ensuring proper infrastructure, but in fact the problem lies in the heads and behavior of drivers – emphasizes in an interview with Newseria agency Andrzej Kaczmarek, president of the board of StalexPort Malopolska Motorway.
Failure to comply with a safe distance between vehicles on fast roads is still one of the most common causes of traffic events and accidents. The police data for 2024 shows that driving on a bumper and incorrect overtaking responsible for nearly 1.7 thousand. accidents on straight road sections. They were also the cause of every fourth accident on the highway. In total, the failure of the safe distance between vehicles was the cause of over 1.5 thousand. road collisions. Very often, drivers who break the rules in this way exert pressure on those riding to the adjacent lane.
– Driving on a bumper is a game for seconds, a game with time, which we probably do not understand as a driver. We feel unknown and I think that many drivers cannot imagine how short the possible response time is, how quickly an incident may occur, which we will not have any influence – explains Andrzej Kaczmarek.
GDDKiA indicates that driving on a bumper is an extremely risky practice that can contribute to the collision of vehicles. In an emergency that requires immediate action, the driver has no chance of a quick response. Sudden braking of a vehicle driving at the front forces those traveling in the back to rapid braking, which often occurs to a collision, often tragic and blocking the route for many hours. Failure to comply with the right distance significantly reduces the field of view, preventing the identification of the obstacle in front of the vehicle. From June 1, 2021, the Road Traffic Law is amended, which regulated, among others the issue of maintaining a safe distance between vehicles on highways and expressways.
– According to experts assessing the safe distance between vehicles moving on the route, it is half the speed we are driving, expressed in meters, i.e. for the highway at 140 km per hour is 70 m distance – explains the president of StalexPort Malopolska Motorway. – For many people, this distance is perceptive too high and we tend to shorten it. This is a mistake that is often the subject of extortion, but we should really stick to this principle, because it is about our safety.
GDDKiA reminds that in order to assess the correct distance from the preceding vehicle, you can use any stationary object surrounded by the road – a picketing post, a lantern or a road sign, where the vehicle preceding us is located. If we pass the selected object 2 s later, such a distance will be in line with the regulations. At a speed of 80 km/HW, we will cover just over 22 m in a second, at 100 km/h near 28 m, at 120 km/h just over 33 m, and at 140 km/h almost 40 m. Maintaining a two -second distance will ensure a distance of 44, 56, 66 and 80 m respectively, so slightly larger than the regulations require.
– Of course, there is a question of reflexes in the bumper riding, but also a matter of emotions. As drivers, we often emotionally approach the fact that someone forces us, blinks, trumpets, and travels our way. You have to explain to treat such an event in a calm, balanced way and not subject to unnecessary emotion, because it is a simple path to the accident – emphasizes Andrzej Kaczmarek.
A study in Great Britain showed that 71 percent Drivers lost their concentration due to stress or irritation while driving. This, in turn, increases the risk of aggressive behavior, such as exceeding the speed limit, a sudden change of lane or riding on the bumper.
STALEXPORT MAŁOPOLSKA MOTOR LAWS As part of the campaign “Do not bite. Listen. Go safely” draws attention to the phenomenon of aggression on Polish roads. At the same time, it reminds you of three important rules that are worth sticking to the road – keeping a distance of 2 s from a preceding vehicle, adjusting the interval to weather conditions and cooperation with other drivers, e.g. by signaling your intentions or enabling the lane change.
– We want to talk, show and explain, hoping that when such a road situation occurs, drivers will have a reflection, or they certainly have to react emotionally, because someone has passed them, because someone has drove them on them, and whether it really makes sense to go very close to the vehicle, exposing himself to the behavior of a person before us – indicates the president of StalexPort Malopolska.
An element of the campaign is a series of podcast programs co -created with Radio 357. Journalists will invite listeners to create episodes and share stories about situations that not only spoil humor, but also threaten road safety. The social campaign will last from the last day of the school year (June 27) to the last day of summer holidays (August 31).
– It is about making awareness, showing threats, also by playing, through the discussion, so that maybe someday the driver corrects his behavior. It is a matter of showing problems and threats associated with it – emphasizes Andrzej Kaczmarek.
