Polish Minister of Justice Waldemar Żurek admits to hitting a pedestrian crossing while driving a borrowed vehicle, accepting a fine and penalty points.
Justice Minister’s Admission
Waldemar Żurek stated: “I hit my chest because I really could have been more vigilant. I saw the video, I don’t want to describe it, I’m not arguing with law enforcement. I want to introduce a new standard and show that if a public figure makes a mistake, they should apologize and hit their chest.” The Minister explained that while lawyers told him he had an 80% chance of winning in court, he said “no” because police determined that under current laws, he should have been more careful than the pedestrian, even if she was quickly entering the crossing.
Żurek added: “I was driving a borrowed car, I didn’t know the brakes, there was a car behind me. The person was far enough that I could perform the maneuver relatively safely, but I violated the regulations. I’m blaming myself for not exercising due caution.”
Fine and Penalty Points
The Minister of Justice confirmed that he received a fine of 1,500 złoty and 15 penalty points. Żurek emphasized: “For over 30 years, I have had not a single accident or traffic incident. I think I exceeded the speed limit twice, but not much. I can say that I am a good driver, I like to drive and I have really driven thousands of kilometers, if not hundreds of thousands.”
Previous Pedestrian Incident
In January, Minister Waldemar Żurek was a guest on the “Duży w Maluchu” channel on YouTube. Viewers noticed a moment when the minister driving a car entered a pedestrian crossing where a woman was entering. The host Filip Nowobilski commented: “Please be careful… You would have almost run over that lady.” Żurek responded: “No, nowhere, the lady was still far from us. Please believe me that I really drive safely. We must really be careful because when someone enters the crosswalk, we must be very vigilant.”
Later, Waldemar Żurek posted on platform X: “Yes, in the Police’s assessment, I committed an offense. Yes, I will not hide behind the immunity that I have as Prosecutor General, and I will accept the fine this week. That is responsibility. There are no sacred cows. I made a mistake and I am hitting my chest.”
Pedestrian Crossing Regulations
Commenting on BRD24.pl, Łukasz Zboralski explained: “The case law of courts in this matter in Poland seems already clear: a ‘pedestrian entering’ is considered a pedestrian where there is an intention to cross the pedestrian crossing visible. The driver should therefore yield to such a pedestrian who has not yet even stepped onto the curb, but it is visible that they will do so in a moment.”
