Car use is growing rapidly in Poland although compared with other EU countries the level of motorisation in Poland is low. Statistics are given for vehicle registration and for traffic accidents and killed and injured in the years 1993-2003. In these 10 years, more than 64,000 people died on Poland's roads. Since 1997, there has been a decline in the number of accidents involving killed and injured, but the number of collisions has increased. The risk to the population is 15 killed/1 million population and the accident severity is 11 killed/100 road accidents. Statistics are given on the causes of accidents in 2003 and on accidents caused by road users under the influence of alcohol. The major cause of accidents is vehicle drivers' non-compliance with traffic rules. The main road safety problems are identified as vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists), people commonly ignoring traffic regulations, traffic risk on major roads outside urban areas, young drivers aged 18-24 years, and drunk driving. Preventive efforts to improve road safety in Poland are discussed. These include the government road safety programme (GAMBIT 2000) and the introduction of a 50 km/hour speed limit in built-up areas.
Abstract