Make your motorway trip a safe one

Too fast, too close, too late… these are the things we hear most often in descriptions of collisions or accidents. And for good reason – excessive speed, failure to maintain distance and drivers inattention or fatigue are the most common causes of accidents on motorways in Poland. Motorways – where special attention and concentration are required while driving.

Autostrada Wielkopolska launched a campaign to promote safe behavior in traffic. As part of such campaign, the company reminds drivers how to behave correctly behind the wheel, helping prevent tragedy and increase traffic safety.

The most common causes of traffic accidents on motorways include:

• Inadequate speed in difficult traffic conditions
• Failure to maintain adequate distance from the vehicle in front
• Lack of concentration, driver fatigue

Unfortunately, drivers are often characterized by bravado and a high propensity for risk, and in highway traffic conditions, where all users are traveling at high speeds, the consequences of each mistake behind the wheel can be tragic ,” warns warrant officer Izabela Czerwińska of the Traffic Department of the Voivodship Police Headquarters in Poznań.

The safety of motorway users is of utmost importance, that is why the highway manager maintains high-quality road infrastructure, provides service of motorway patrols, or numerous facilities on the motorway. However, nothing can replace the driver’s common sense. In the autumn part of the traffic safety campaign, Autostrada Wielkopolska once again reminds the drivers of the basic behavior permitting to avoid many unpleasant or even dangerous situations on the road.

Stay focused

An unpleasant phone conversation, a heated debate with a passenger, or fumbling with the navigation – it’s easy to lose concentration while driving. Each of these activities diverts the driver’s attention away from safe driving. This can be easily remedied: don’t use the phone while driving, and if you need to take an important call, use headphones or a hands-free system. Always set up your navigation before you start driving. Don’t eat while driving. There are picnic areas at each Rest or Service Area along the motorway of Autostrada Wielkopolska. There you can have a coffee, stretch your bones and relax outdoors.

Control the speed

On the motorway there are no such things like intersections, pedestrian crossings, sharp curves, etc. that would slow you down. It is a feature of the motorway that it permits driving safely at high speeds. However, this doesn’t mean you can race on it at top speed. The highway code permits car drivers in Poland to travel at a maximum speed of 140 km/h on motorways.

What increases safety on the motorway is smooth driving and confident handling, not bravado. The driver’s experience, ongoing assessment of the situation and adjusting the speed to traffic conditions translate into an efficient and safe trip as well as the safety of other traffic participants ,” says Michał Pabich, safety expert at Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A..

The motorway is meant for traveling long distances quickly. It happens that after driving a stretch of 100 kilometers you drive into fog, get surprised by rain or snow in winter. The laws of physics are invariable and a car traveling at the same speed will behave differently on slippery versus dry pavement. It takes only a slight drizzle for the aquaplaning to occur. On top of that, the braking distance changes, visibility is impaired, response time is extended if the driver is tired.

Recapitulating – the speed on the highway should be adapted to the traffic conditions and the shape the driver is in. And it is the driver who decides when to take their foot off the gas and when to accelerate.
There is nothing wrong with driving at 120 km/h on the motorway. On the contrary, it is more economical and environmentally friendly. In adverse weather conditions, it is worth reducing this speed even further, judging for yourself which speed will be appropriate.

Keep the distance

Do you like driving bumper to bumper? Don’t do it on the motorway. It is very dangerous and leads to many collisions or accidents. What if the driver in front of you brakes abruptly? Remember, driving at a speed limit of 140 km/h, you cover a distance of almost 40 meters in one second! Since two years, traffic safety experts and promoters of safe driving have been backed by legislation: As of 1 June 2021, the minimum distance between vehicles on the motorway should be half the speed the driver is traveling at, expressed in meters. For example, if you are driving at 140 km/h on the motorway, the correct distance is 70 m.

In assessing the correct distance between vehicles, the red-and-white posts located every 100 meters on the motorway will be helpful. At 140 km/h, 70 m is roughly the distance between the posts – suggests Marcin Kukawka, a driving instructor and owner of High School of Driving.

For your own safety and the safety of other traffic participants, it is worthwhile to follow this rule and comply with the regulations.

Stay in the right lane

In Poland, it is mandatory to drive in the far right lane. Other lanes are used only for overtaking. Do not continue on the fast lane if it is not necessary. The fast lane may also be used to facilitate the car in the entry lane to join the traffic.
The acceleration lanes, or entry lanes, are designed so as to allow achieving speeds approximating those of other vehicles on the motorway. Before you enter the mainline, make sure your vehicle has reached the right speed.

Education and more education

The most important element of the Traffic Safety Pyramid is the driver (other elements being the road with its surroundings and the vehicle). It is the driver who decides at what speed he will drive, whether he will keep his distance, concentrate on the road, etc. The only thing that can be done is to appeal to his common sense and experience and educate him. That’s why Autostrada Wielkopolska, in addition to regular traffic safety campaigns, has been continuing the Motorway Driving Lessons project for more than 2 years. The project provides an opportunity for trainees for a driver’s license as well as drivers already having the license to refine their driving technique skills on motorways and expressways. All this free of charge, under the cooperation of Autostrada Wielkopolska with driver training centers and driving technique improvement centers.