Polish police report nearly 12,000 violations of the truck overtaking ban on highways and expressways since its implementation in July 2023, with numbers rising yearly.
Truckers Disregard Overtaking Ban, Police Reveal Scale of Problem
Police are recording an increasing number of truck drivers violating the ban on overtaking other trucks over 3.5 tons on highways and expressways with only two lanes in each direction, according to statistics from the National Police Headquarters.
An expert suggests the regulation is losing its effectiveness.
Nearly 12,000 Violations Recorded Since July 2023
Data from the National Police Headquarters shows that since the introduction of the ban on overtaking trucks over 3.5 tons on highways and expressways with only two lanes in each direction – from July 1, 2023 – police have recorded nearly 12,000 such offenses. Over 7,400 violations were committed by Polish drivers, and over 4,500 by foreign drivers. Police data indicates the number of such violations is increasing year on year.
Regulation Losing ‘Freshness,’ Expert Claims
Mikołaj Krupiński, a spokesperson for the Institute of Automotive Transport, believes the ban is often ignored by truck drivers, especially when they do not see road controls for extended periods.
“In such a scenario, the ban – as a provision of the Road Traffic Code – may lose ‘freshness’ and cease to be treated as a real restriction, but rather as another legal record,” Krupiński told PAP. “As a result, some drivers return to old habits, especially when the speed differences between trucks are only a few kilometers per hour.”
Time Pressure a Contributing Factor
According to the ITS spokesperson, another potential reason for circumventing the rules may be time pressure in the transport industry. “Drivers work according to tight schedules, so even a slight reduction in speed on the route can mean delays in delivery. Therefore, some of them decide on long overtaking maneuvers that can last several minutes and block the left lane,” he said.
Police Utilize Drones and Patrols for Enforcement
Police and the Road Transport Inspectorate are conducting controls regarding truck overtaking. According to Police Chief Inspector Robert Opas of the KGP Road Traffic Bureau, these controls are carried out using drones and patrols by police officers in marked and unmarked vehicles.
“In most road controls, the basis for detecting an offense is observation. On high-speed roads, for safety reasons, stationary control is not possible, hence the use of drones or police video recorders,” Opas stated.
Penalties for Illegal Overtaking
A truck driver who does not comply with the overtaking ban faces a fine of at least 1,000 PLN and 8 penalty points. Violating the ban indicated by sign B-26 (prohibition of overtaking by trucks) can result in a higher fine of 1,000 PLN or 2,000 PLN in case of recidivism, as well as 15 penalty points. This situation brings the driver close to losing their license for exceeding the limit of 24 penalty points, which for a professional driver may mean losing their job.
Infrastructure Ministry Highlights Safety Concerns
The Ministry of Infrastructure, responsible for preparing the amendment to the Act on Toll Motorways and the National Road Fund, which included the truck overtaking ban, emphasized that the aim of the amendment was to eliminate so-called parallel overtaking, i.e., maneuvers performed with a small speed difference between heavy vehicles.
“Such situations lead to a significant reduction in the capacity of the left lane and force sudden braking by vehicles traveling at higher permissible speeds. Consequently, the risk of road incidents increases, particularly rear-end collisions, as well as the escalation of aggressive behavior in traffic. The ministry believes that limiting these phenomena has a real and positive impact on road safety,” said Anna Szumańska, a spokesperson for the ministry.
No Plans for Amendment Currently
Szumańska added that the Ministry of Infrastructure is not conducting and does not plan to conduct work on amending these regulations. “At the same time, MI monitors the functioning of legal provisions in the area of road transport and, in the event of identifying significant problems or new conditions, does not rule out taking appropriate legislative or analytical actions in the future,” she assured.
Violation Numbers Increasing Year-on-Year
The National Police Headquarters reported that in 2023, when the regulation was introduced, police recorded over 2,900 offenses related to violating the ban on overtaking trucks over 3.5 tons on highways and expressways with only two lanes in each direction. In 2024, they recorded nearly 3,700 such violations, and last year nearly 4,500 offenses were detected. As of the end of February this year, 783 such offenses have been recorded.
