Poland's Sejm passes bill suspending licences for red-light railway crossing violations

The bill passed by the Sejm

The Sejm passed an amendment to the Road Traffic Act on Thursday, 8 October, tightening penalties for violations at railway crossings. The vote was 422 in favour, 5 against and 2 abstentions, and the bill now goes to the Senate. Under the amendment, a driver who enters a crossing with closed barriers, at a red light, or when there is no possibility of continuing the drive would lose their driving licence for three months.

The bill also introduces a mandatory driving ban for drivers convicted of causing a catastrophe at a crossing or causing an accident there. That ban would last at least three years. Where a driver brings about a direct danger of a catastrophe at a crossing, the minimum ban would be one year.

Why the ministry acted

The changes respond to a collision at Sokolniki Suchy in Mazovian Voivodeship. According to preliminary findings by investigators, the driver of a truck entered the tracks despite a red signal and collided with an InterCity train. The Ministry of Infrastructure presented National Police Headquarters data on accidents at crossings. In 2024 there were 39 accidents at railway crossings, in which 23 people died and 29 were injured, with driver fault established in 32 cases, over 80% of all incidents.

In 2025 there were 51 accidents, 27 deaths and 40 injured, with driver fault established in 38 cases. Up to the end of August 2026, 35 accidents had been recorded, with 16 fatalities, 40 injured, and driver fault in 30 cases.

The ministry argued that crossing accidents make up a small share of all road incidents but have disproportionately high fatality rates and severity because of the mass and speed of trains. In September alone, 13 such incidents were recorded, in which four people died and nine were seriously injured.

Existing penalties and rejected amendments

At present, violations at railway crossings carry a 2,000 zloty fine and 15 penalty points. Repeating the same offence within two years brings a 4,000 zloty fine. The current sanctions cover entering a crossing on a red or flashing light, entering when barriers are lowering or have not risen, going around lowered barriers, and entering tracks when there is no room for a vehicle on the other side.

The Sejm rejected two amendments submitted by MPs from the Rozwoj Plus club. They would have extended the rules to category D crossings, meaning crossings without traffic safety systems or devices, including those without light signals. MP Grzegorz Puda, who submitted the amendments, argued that most accidents happen at exactly such crossings.

Criticism from the opposition

KO MP Robert Dowhan, who has sat in the Sejm since 2023 and previously served three terms as a senator, sent an interpellation to the Ministry of Infrastructure on the subject. He described the changes as populist, made for show, and of no real effect. In his letter to the ministry he wrote:

For a driver who enters a railway crossing without control, at a red light, the punishment is probably death anyway. Taking away a driving licence is an action with no measurable effect.

Dowhan proposed a different approach. He called for an orange or yellow light before the red signal at every crossing with lights, shown for several seconds or even a dozen or so before the red appears. He also pointed to countdown timers used in some countries, moving barriers that sit too close to the tracks, and regular clearing of bushes that limit visibility. The bill now goes to the Senate.