Poland drafts strict rail crossing penalties and license bans after fatal collision

New penalties for crossing violations

The Polish Ministry of Infrastructure published draft amendments to the Road Traffic Act on Friday evening to tighten legal consequences for railway crossing offenses. The ministry noted that although rail crossing collisions represent a small share of total road traffic incidents, they result in disproportionately severe injuries and fatalities due to the mass and speed of trains. Under the proposed rules, drivers will face a mandatory three-month suspension of their driving license for entering a crossing against a steady or flashing red light, bypassing lowered or half-lowered barriers, or moving onto tracks while barriers are in motion. The three-month suspension will also apply to motorists who enter a crossing when congestion leaves no exit space on the other side.

In addition to administrative license suspensions, the government proposes mandatory judicial driving bans under the Criminal Code. A conviction for causing a transport disaster or a traffic accident at a rail crossing will carry a mandatory minimum driving ban of three years. Causing a direct danger of a disaster at a crossing will result in a mandatory driving ban of at least one year. Currently, crossing violations carry a 2,000 PLN fine and 15 penalty points, rising to 4,000 PLN for repeat offenses within two years.

Fatal collision and union protests

The legislative initiative follows a collision on Wednesday in Sokolniki Suche near Przysucha in the Mazovian Voivodeship. Investigators determined in preliminary findings that a truck driver entered the crossing despite an active red warning signal and collided with an InterCity passenger train traveling from Lublin to Szczecin. The crash derailed the electric locomotive and the first two passenger cars, killing one female passenger and injuring several people, including the train driver.

In response to the fatal accident and preceding crossing incidents, the train drivers union staged a nationwide protest from midnight to 12:00 on Friday, slowing trains to 20 km/h at every road-rail crossing. Rail infrastructure manager Polskie Linie Kolejowe reported that by 18:00 on Friday, 1,100 of the 5,200 operating trains experienced delays totaling 31,000 minutes, with average delays exceeding 30 minutes before traffic normalized.

Inter-ministerial coordination and infrastructure

Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak announced that the draft legislation is being prepared jointly with the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, with plans to present the first package at the next Council of Ministers meeting. The government is also advancing a separate speed camera bill to ensure drivers caught running red lights cannot evade penalties.

There cannot be cases where someone loses their mind when they see a red light or a lowering barrier. This must be verified through driver training and during the exam.

Klimczak noted that the ministry is also evaluating safety rules and potential sanctions for pedestrians, cyclists, and electric scooter users at crossings. In addition to legal changes, the government has equipped more than 800 rail crossings across Poland with extra safety devices since the start of its term, responding to noncompliance patterns such as one Warsaw intersection where 1,300 vehicles ran red lights between January and August.