PolandPoland

Drive on the right and normally overtake on the left.

Call 112 for urgent police, ambulance, fire or other emergency assistance.

Drivers must keep their blood-alcohol concentration below 0.2‰ (0.2 g/l). Poland therefore has a very low alcohol limit, and the safest approach is not to drink any alcohol before driving.

The general maximum speed is 50 km/h, both during the day and at night, unless signs indicate another limit.

For passenger cars, the general maximum speed on an ordinary single-carriageway road outside built-up areas is 90 km/h, unless signs indicate another limit.

For passenger cars, the maximum speed is generally 100 km/h on a single-carriageway expressway and 120 km/h on a dual-carriageway expressway, unless signs indicate a lower limit. A non-expressway dual carriageway with at least two lanes in each direction generally has a 100 km/h limit.

For passenger cars, the general maximum speed on a motorway is 140 km/h, unless signs indicate a lower limit.

No. Poland has no nationwide motorway vignette for passenger cars. State-managed motorway sections are generally free for light vehicles, but some concession-operated motorway sections, including parts of the A2 and A4, still charge tolls.

Yes. Drivers must use dipped headlights while driving throughout the year. From dawn to dusk in normal visibility, daytime running lights may be used instead.

No. There is no general seasonal requirement to use winter tyres on passenger cars, although they are strongly recommended when temperatures and road conditions become wintry.

Snow chains may be used only on roads covered with snow. Where sign C-18 requires snow chains, they must be fitted to at least two driven wheels.

Seat belts must be worn by drivers and passengers in vehicles equipped with them, subject to specific legal exemptions.

A child shorter than 150 cm must generally travel in an approved child seat or other suitable restraint. A child at least 135 cm tall may exceptionally use a normal seat belt on a rear seat when an appropriate restraint cannot be provided because of the child's size.

No. A rear-facing child restraint must not be used on the front seat while the passenger airbag is active.

Motorcycle, moped and quadricycle riders and passengers must generally wear an approved protective helmet, subject to specific exceptions for suitably equipped enclosed vehicles.

No. There is currently no general legal requirement for ordinary cyclists to wear a bicycle helmet, although wearing one is recommended for safety.

No. Drivers may not use a phone while driving if doing so requires holding the handset or microphone in the hand. Hands-free use is permitted.

At an intersection where priority is not otherwise regulated, drivers must generally give way to traffic approaching from the right. A driver turning left must also give way to oncoming traffic travelling straight ahead or turning right.

Yes. At an otherwise uncontrolled intersection, a rail vehicle such as a tram generally has priority over other vehicles regardless of which side it approaches from.

Drivers must follow the signs at the entrance. Most Polish roundabouts combine the roundabout sign with a Give Way sign, giving priority to traffic already circulating. If there is no Give Way sign or other priority control, the normal priority-from-the-right rule applies.

Drivers approaching a pedestrian crossing must slow down and give way to pedestrians who are on the crossing or entering it. A pedestrian entering a crossing has priority over vehicles other than trams.

When overtaking a cyclist, moped rider, motorcyclist, electric-scooter rider or pedestrian, a driver must leave a lateral distance of at least 1 metre.

Within built-up areas, drivers approaching a bus or trolleybus that signals its intention to leave a marked stop must slow down and stop if necessary to allow it to re-enter traffic. The bus driver must still make sure the manoeuvre can be completed safely.

When congestion forms on a road with at least two lanes travelling in the same direction, drivers must create a corridor for emergency vehicles. Traffic in the leftmost lane moves to the left, while traffic in the other lane or lanes moves to the right.

In significantly slowed traffic where a lane ends or becomes obstructed, drivers must use the available lanes up to the narrowing and then merge alternately using the zipper principle.

Drivers must normally maintain a distance in metres of at least half their speed in km/h from the vehicle ahead on the same lane. At 100 km/h, for example, the minimum distance is 50 metres. This requirement does not apply while overtaking.

In a designated strefa zamieszkania, the maximum speed is 20 km/h. Pedestrians may use the full width of the road and have priority over vehicles.

A passenger car must carry a warning triangle and fire extinguisher. A first-aid kit and reflective safety vest are strongly recommended but are not part of the general mandatory equipment requirement for an ordinary private car.