The beginning of March will bring Polish drivers a series of restrictive changes to road regulations, including a ban on transporting children on electric scooters and harsher penalties for using phones. Simultaneously, services are reporting a series of dangerous incidents, including a tragic accident involving a 19-year-old in Pomerania, a chase of an agricultural tractor ending in a river, and numerous cases of driving under the influence of alcohol, resulting in immediate license suspensions.
Revolution for e-scooters
From March 3, children receive a complete ban on riding electric scooters, which is a reaction to the growing number of collisions.
Crackdown on road pirates
Exceeding the speed limit by 50 km/h outside built-up areas will result in immediate license suspension for 3 months.
Alcohol plague on the roads
Numerous intoxicated drivers were detained, including one driving a truck-trailer combination and a fugitive on an agricultural tractor.
Poland is entering a period of radical changes in road legislation, which will come into force from March 3, 2026. The most significant new feature is a ban on children riding electric scooters, aimed at reducing the number of accidents involving the youngest. Furthermore, the police are launching a nationwide campaign "Hands on the Wheel," intended to discipline drivers who excessively use mobile phones while driving. The new regulations also introduce the possibility of losing a driving license for exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 km/h also outside built-up areas, which constitutes a significant tightening of the previous rules. Concurrently, national roads have become the stage for dramatic events. Near Starzyno, a 19-year-old BMW driver hit a tree, resulting in serious injuries to the passenger. There was also a bizarre chase in the Podlaskie Voivodeship, where an intoxicated perpetrator fled on an agricultural tractor, ending the ride in the river's current. Uniformed services regularly remove extremely irresponsible participants from traffic, including a 40-year-old from Słupsk, who, despite four active court bans, decided to get behind the wheel, and a truck driver coming from Germany, who had over one per mille of alcohol in his system. For years, Poland has been implementing EU directives on road safety, striving to achieve "Vision Zero," i.e., the complete elimination of fatalities in road accidents by 2050. Concerning statistics are supplemented by footage from Piła, where two motorcyclists committed four flagrant offenses in just 20 seconds, which the police describe as a disastrous start to the season. Meanwhile, in Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, the "Sober Afternoon" action showed that the problem of alcohol among drivers remains unresolved, despite drastic financial penalties and the threat of property confiscation. The Ministry of Infrastructure announces that this is not the end of changes, and further regulatory packages, including a driving license from the age of 17 under adult supervision, will come into force in the subsequent quarters of the year. „New regulations are primarily aimed at hitting the sense of impunity of road pirates and protecting unprotected road users.” — Police Spokesperson Key changes in 2026 regulations: Speed outside towns: Fine and penalty points → Driving license suspension for +50 km/h; Children on e-scooters: No age limits → Complete ban; Driving candidate age: 18 years → 17 years (with supervisor)
Perspektywy mediów: Liberal media emphasize the modernity of the regulations and the protection of children, seeing the regulations as a necessary adaptation to new mobile technologies. Conservative media point out the restrictiveness of the state apparatus and focus on the costs of fines and burdens for professional drivers.