Up to 6,000 traffic police to patrol Polish roads over All Saints weekend

A nationwide road operation from Friday

Polish police are launching a nationwide operation for the All Saints holiday, called Znicz 2026, which runs from Friday, 30 October until Monday, 2 November. Officers will check speed, sobriety, seatbelt use and child car seats, and they will also look at driving licences and bans, how passengers are carried and the technical condition of vehicles. Niezalezna.pl reports that up to 6,000 traffic officers will be on duty, using marked and unmarked patrol cars fitted with dashcams, along with laser speed meters. Police describe the holiday period as especially risky on the roads, because many people set out on longer journeys to visit family graves.

Cemeteries, traffic control and the officer's word

Warmia-Mazury police in Olsztyn say their officers will concentrate on keeping traffic moving on the main routes and near cemeteries. Robert Opas, a police officer quoted by Niezalezna.pl, stressed the point in the following words.

“Police officers will focus above all on keeping traffic flowing on the main routes and around cemeteries.”

Officers will direct traffic by hand at junctions where congestion is expected, and their instructions will take precedence over traffic lights and road signs. Gazeta Olsztynka reports that temporary changes to traffic arrangements and extra car parks will be set up in some places, and it advises drivers to watch road signs and check local police and news portals before setting off.

Warsaw runs two operations

Warsaw launched the Znicz and Hiena operations on 29 October. City guards lead Hiena, which aims to protect visitors to cemeteries and prevent thefts of candles, wreaths and pickpocketing, and guards will also check whether trade near cemeteries is legal. Znicz focuses on keeping traffic moving around the Warsaw cemeteries, with police patrols checking speed, overtaking, right of way, vehicle lighting, seatbelts, sobriety and child seats. The Komenda Stołeczna Policji says officers will direct traffic at the busiest junctions and at roads entering and leaving towns. Public transport gets priority, with 28 special bus and tram lines running on Saturday and Sunday, and some streets near cemeteries will be closed to private cars. Police end their part on Monday, 2 November, and city guards continue a day longer, until Tuesday, 3 November.

Pedestrians and visibility after dark

Mikołaj Krupiński of the Motor Transport Institute warned that pedestrians are especially exposed on the roads, because they have no vehicle body, seatbelts or airbags to protect them. He gave a comparison of how far drivers can see people after dark.

“After dark, a person in dark clothing may be seen by a driver at about 30-40 metres, while a pedestrian using reflective elements can be seen from 130-150 metres.”

Krupiński added that greater visibility gives drivers more time to react, to slow down or to overtake safely. Robert Opas urged pedestrians to use reflective elements beyond the places where the law requires them. Police and city guards also expect pedestrians to walk along and across the carriageway more often than usual near cemeteries.

What last year's operations recorded

rmf24 reports that last year's Znicz campaign ended with 182 road accidents, nine deaths, including four pedestrians, and 845 drunk drivers detained. Warmia-Mazury's All Saints operation for 2025, which ran from 31 October to 3 November, recorded six road accidents, two deaths and five injuries. Police in the region were called to 179 collisions and detained 37 drunk drivers during that period.

Road accidents6

Deaths2

Injured5

Collisions police were called to179

Drunk drivers detained37

Road accidents

6

Deaths

2

Injured

5

Collisions police were called to

179

Drunk drivers detained

37

Data from the article text