Almost every third of the drivers that responded to the latest driver awareness survey organized by the Polish Chamber of Insurance (PIU) consider that speeding by 30 km/h is not dangerous despite being one of the main causes of road accidents, right after forcing the right of way.
At the same time, XPRIMM says, the majority of drivers who consider speeding as safe agree with the statement that those who regularly get penalty points should pay more for third party liability insurance.
The second edition of the PIU survey, conducted in May and June 2022, shows that the image of Polish drivers in their own eyes has not changed much in the last two years. The analysis shows that:
- 96% of the respondents described themselves as good drivers (up from 91%), and 82% stated that when performing maneuvers, they always accurately assess the situation on the road.
- 59% described their skills as higher than the average Polish driver.
- More than half of the respondents (52%) stated that it is possible to drive quickly and safely, which is 3 pp less than two years ago. 53% considered that experienced drivers could drive the vehicle at high speed without causing accidents (a decrease of 2 pp).
- 27% of respondents found that speeding in the city by 30 km/h still guarantees safety – an increase of 4 pp compared to the previous edition of the study.
- As in 2020, the three most common offenses by Polish drivers are: speeding in the city (18%), hand-held phone calls (13%) and speeding outside the city (12%).
Number of road traffic fatalities in Poland
In 2021, more than 2.9 thousand individuals were killed in motor vehicle accidents in Poland. An overall decrease in the number of road deaths was observed within the time period shown. The highest number of road fatalities in this timeframe occurred in 2007, with figures nearly twice as high as those reported in 2021.
Number of new passenger cars registered in Poland between 2012 and 2021 (in 1,000s)
According to Polish drivers, a statistical road pirate drives daringly and without imagination, which is confirmed by the results of our study. We are still among the infamous countries with the highest number of road fatalities. Education, prevention and the appropriate amount of punishment are the elements necessary to reduce the number of road accidents. The factor that disciplines road recidivists may also be the linking of the amount of the third party liability insurance premium with fines and penalty points, which we have been striving for for several years
J. Grzegorz Pradzynski, President of the Management Board of PIU
According to the data of the Police Headquarters, in 2021 there were over 22.8 thousand road accidents in which over 2.2 thousand people died and 26 thousand were injured.
The PIU survey shows that Polish drivers have a lot of tolerance for breaking the rules. In exceptional situations, they are more likely to allow, inter alia, the possibility of overtaking another passenger car “on the third” – an increase from 19 to 22% positive answers. They also consent to overtaking another passenger car immediately before crossing a pedestrian crossing – within two years the tolerance for such behavior has increased from 16 to 19%.
