The beginning of March brought a sharp increase in the number of tragic road incidents in Poland. In a series of accidents on national, regional, and motorway roads, several people died, including four motorcyclists at the very start of the season. The most serious incidents were recorded in Mazovia, Lublin region, and the Lubusz and Pomeranian voivodeships. Services warn that treacherous weather, blinding sun, and slippery surfaces currently pose a deadly trap for drivers.
Deadly series for motorcyclists
Four motorcyclists died last weekend, and others sustained serious injuries in accidents at the beginning of March.
Trees as a deadly trap
At least three tragic accidents involving vehicles hitting trees were recorded, including in Pomerania and on national road no. 22.
Paralysis of express routes
Motorways A1, A4, and expressway S3 were repeatedly blocked by collisions and overturned trucks.
The first days of March on Polish roads were exceptionally tragic, as confirmed by service reports from almost every region of the country. The most dramatic toll concerns the past weekend in Mazovia, where three people died and twenty were injured. The situation did not improve on Monday and Tuesday. On national road no. 22, on the section between Kostrzyn nad Odrą and Słońsk, a fatal car crash into a tree occurred, resulting in the death of a woman. A similar event mechanism – veering off the road and hitting a roadside tree – became the cause of death for drivers in Pomerania and in another region of the country, where the victim died after being transported to the hospital. In Rogoźno, the preliminary stage of the investigation after a fatal pedestrian hit-and-run was concluded; the perpetrator heard charges and admitted guilt. The country's transport infrastructure struggled with paralysis on key sections. The A1 motorway near Pyrzowice was blocked by two collisions that happened just a few hundred meters apart, cutting off access to the airport. Problems also occurred on the A4 motorway in Lesser Poland and on the S3 route in the Lubusz voivodeship. In addition to human errors, such as inappropriate speed or forcing right of way, a significant factor was fatigue; one of the truck drivers fell asleep at the wheel, leading to the overturning of a poultry transport vehicle. Additionally, in Greater Poland, a malfunction of level crossing barriers forced the complete closure of a local railway crossing. According to statistics from the Road Traffic Bureau of the National Police Headquarters, March is a month with a high accident rate due to the so-called first nice weather effect, when drivers suddenly increase speed on still cold and low-grip asphalt. Particularly alarming is the start of the motorcycle season. The death of four two-wheeled vehicle users over one weekend and further dangerous accidents, e.g., near Bełchatów, where a motorcyclist suffered due to an error by a driver performing a U-turn maneuver, put the services on high alert. To the tragic picture add numerous collisions with wild animals in Podlasie, where drivers hit moose and deer. Police appeal for special vigilance, reminding that the sun low on the horizon drastically limits visibility, and night frosts still create an invisible layer of ice on roadways. „Tragiczny weekend na drogach garnizonu mazowieckiego. Trzy osoby nie żyją, 20 zostało rannych.” (A tragic weekend on the roads of the Mazovian garrison. Three people are dead, 20 were injured.) — Mazovian Police