Poland summary
Key facts
Official language(s)
Currency
Population
Time zone
Calling code
Drive on the
Member of the EU
Polish
Zloti
38,130,302
GMT + 1
48
Right
Yes
Local weather
Warsaw
Speed limits
- Motorways:
- 140kmh
- Open roads:
- 90kmh (55mph) outside built-up areas; 120kmh (68mph) dual highway; 100kmh (62mph) single highway
- Towns:
- 50kmh (30mph); 20kmh (12mph) in residential area
Road Safety
-
Alcohol limit:
- 0.02 promile
-
Use of mobile phone whilst driving:
- It is illegal to use a hand held mobile phone when driving and can result in an on the spot fine
- It is legal to use a hands free unit
-
Seat belts:
- The use of seat belts is compulsory for front and rear seated passengers and driver
- Children under 12 years of age and under 1.5 metres tall must be seated in special child seats
-
Traffic lights regulations:
- Red- Stop
- Amber – Slow down, flashing – proceed with caution
- Green – Go
Costs
- Road tolls:
- A2 motorway: Wrzesnia - Konin 12,00 PLN each sector
- Krzesiny-Wrzesnia 11,00 PLN (€2.72)
- A4 motorway: Kraków – Katowice 10,00 PLN (€2.47)
- A1 motorway; 19,70 PLN/100km
- A4 motorway: 8PLN
- A6 motorway: free of charge
- A18 motorway: free of charge
- On the spot fines:
- Police are empowered to collect fines on the spot
- An official receipt will be issued for fines from a police official
General motoring advice
- Rush hour in built up areas:
- The hours before and after main business hours are generally likely to see an increase in traffic in main towns and cities
- Fuel:
- Many fuel stations stay open 24hrs
- Petrol stations on motorways and in larger towns are open 24 hrs
- It is not permitted to import spare fuel
- Petrol stations on minor roads close in the evening
- Major credit cards are accepted at many of the major stations
- Regular leaded petrol has an octane rating of 95; the octane rating of super leaded is 98
- Parking advice:
- Parking on the left hand side of the road is not permitted unless it is a one-way road
- In centres of some cities (especially old towns) parking is only allowed with special ID cards (which can be bought in the City Hall)
- No parking is allowed within 10 metres of a pedestrian crossing, road crossing or railroad and 15 metres of a bus stop
- No parking is allowed in tunnels or on bridges
- Parking in city centres is not free of charge
- Vehicles weighing less than 2.5 metric tons can only park with all sets of wheels on sidewalk in the specially signed areas
- Vehicles weighing less than 2.5 metric tons (2500 kg) can park with one set of wheels on the sidewalk as long as a path remains clear for pedestrians (at least 1.5 metres)