Polish government proposes tougher penalties for violations at railway crossings

A proposed amendment to the Road Traffic Law would impose a three‑month license suspension for entering a railway crossing on a red signal, according to a draft outline released by the Polish Ministry of Infrastructure on Friday evening.

Operations at the site of the train derailment in Sokolniki SuchePAP/Piotr Nowak

The proposal aims to improve safety at railway crossings and tighten legal consequences for offenses committed at these sites. The Ministry notes that although such incidents represent a small share of all road accidents, they carry disproportionately high fatality and injury rates due to the speed and mass of trains.

The amendment introduces a three‑month license suspension for driving around lowered barriers or half‑barriers; entering a crossing while barriers are lowering or rising; entering on a steady or flashing red signal; and driving onto the tracks when there is no space to continue on the other side.

The Ministry also plans to introduce mandatory driving bans. A conviction for causing a transport disaster or a traffic accident at a railway crossing would carry a minimum three‑year ban. Creating an immediate risk of a disaster would result in a minimum one‑year ban. Currently, offenses at railway crossings are punishable by a USD 530 fine and 15 penalty points, with repeat violations within two years resulting in a USD 1,060 fine. These penalties apply to entering a crossing on a red signal, bypassing lowered barriers, entering while barriers are lowering or before they fully rise, and driving onto the tracks without space to exit.

The proposed changes follow Wednesday’s accident in Sokolniki Suche in the Masovian Voivodeship in central Poland. Preliminary findings indicate that a truck driver entered the tracks despite a prohibitive signal, leading to a collision with an InterCity train.

The impact caused the locomotive and the first two carriages—carrying at least 114 people, including three crew members—to derail. Ten people were hospitalized, and one person died.

After the accident, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated that the disaster highlights the need for urgent work on tightening regulations for drivers who repeatedly violate railway‑crossing rules. Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak confirmed that a legislative proposal increasing penalties for such violations is being prepared on an expedited basis.

(pu)

Source: PAP

Radio Poland