2026-03-27 08:00
publication
2026-03-27 08:00
We are the EU leader in terms of sobriety while driving, but the results regarding speed in cities put us in an unfavorable light – said Dagmara Jankowska-Karpa from the ITS Road Safety Center, referring to the results of research conducted as part of the European Trendline project.
The Motor Transport Institute has published the results of research conducted as part of the European Trendline project, which show that Poland is among the European leaders in driver sobriety. At the same time, research has shown that Polish drivers do not respect speed limits in cities.
Our problem is… speed
As reported by ITS, while as many as 99.8 percent Polish drivers are sober when they get behind the wheel, and 97.2 percent remembers about seat belts, that's it only every fifth driver respects speed limits in built-up areas.
Research shows that only 39.2 percent vehicles are driven in accordance with the regulations. ITS pointed out that the situation is particularly disturbing in built-up areas, where only 21.1% of people respect speed limits. drivers. Compared to Europe, Poland also stands out with the highest average speeds on highways (135 km/h) and expressways (128 km/h).
Experts pointed out that although the seat belt use rate in passenger cars increased to 97.2 percent, There is a problem with transporting children, because although 95.8 percent of them travel in car seats, detailed inspections showed that only 83.6 percent is fastened correctly.
The research also showed that 97.1 percent drivers do not use hand-held phones while driving, which is an improvement of 1.5 percentage points compared to previous years. Heavy transport is the worst in this ranking, where this indicator drops to 93.4%.
On the other hand When it comes to the use of helmets by cyclists, there was an improvement from 21.4%. up to 25.2 percent However, this means that only one in four still wear helmets. At the same time, in the group of children up to 14 years of age this indicator is much higher and amounts to 51.3%.
We have become a leader sobriety behind the wheel
– International comparisons conducted as part of the Trendline project show Poland as a country of contrasts. On the one hand, we are the EU leader in terms of sobriety while driving – our rate is 99.8%. is one of the highest in Europe, which, considering the restrictive limits in Poland, proves the high maturity of society in this area. On the other hand, the results regarding speed in cities put us in an unfavorable light, said Dagmara Jankowska-Karpa from the ITS Road Safety Center.
The expert added that while in other surveyed countries, the limits in built-up areas are respected by 31 to 76 percent. passenger car drivers, in Poland only 23% do it. – This shows that while we are on the right track to effectively eliminate alcohol consumption among drivers, excessive speed is still our biggest barrier to achieving the Vision Zero goal – she emphasized.
European research to determine the effectiveness of actions in the area of road traffic safety as part of the Trendline project is the largest analytical undertaking in the area of road traffic safety, carried out by a consortium of partners from 25 EU Member States. The aim of the project is to standardize the data collection process and monitor the effectiveness of actions taken to improve road safety throughout Europe. Marcin Chomiuk (PAP)
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