International Day Without Phone: call on the Minister of Infrastructure to establish a fresh road sign

An appeal to introduce a fresh road sign informing against distraction by mobile phone.

The civilian Affairs Institute has been working for years to improve pedestrian safety, including through the initiative Piesza Polska. 1 of our promoted demands was to give precedence to the pedestrian entering the transition, which entered into force on 1 June 2021. Data from subsequent years indicate a marked decrease in the number of pedestrians killed at crossings.

This does not mean that 1 recipe solved all the problems, but confirms that consistent changes in law, education and prevention can bring tangible results.

Today, another increasing threat is Dispersal by mobile phones. We so call not for a symbolic gesture, but for analysis, pilotage and evaluation of the effectiveness of the fresh mark in places of peculiar risk.

Boat, July 14, 2026.

Pan
Dariusz Klimczak
Minister for Infrastructure

Sir,

in relation to 15 July global Day Without Cell Phone The Institute of civilian Affairs calls for work on introducing a fresh informing sign into the Polish road signs system, which would inform about the peculiar risks associated with the usage of a mobile telephone in traffic.

We propose a sign in the informing formula: triangular field, red border, yellow background and black symbol of people looking at mobile phones.

The working name of the sign could be: “Warning — on-call pedestrians” or more broadly: ‘Note — Mobile users spread out’. The graphic direction shows the attached photo.

We do not propose creating another symbol for the symbol itself. We offer a simple, visible message in real-time hazard areas: at pedestrian crossings, close schools, universities, stops, stations, buying malls, intersections and another places with a advanced level of pedestrian traffic.

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The problem of distraction over the telephone concerns not only drivers but besides pedestrians, cyclists and users of scooters. Polish law already recognises this risk. Article 14(8) of the Act — Traffic Law prohibits pedestrians from utilizing a telephone or another electronic device, erstwhile entering or crossing a roadway, a road for bicycles or a track in specified a way as to restrict the anticipation of observing the situation on the road. Article 45(2)(1) of the same Act prohibits the driving operator from utilizing a telephone requiring a headphone or microphone in his hand.

Rules and fines alone are not enough. In traffic, all second counts, and the road sign works precisely where the threat may occur.

Such a sign could service as a preventive and educational function: it would remind pedestrians to lift their eyes from above the screen, and the drivers to exercise peculiar care in places where pedestrians can be scattered.

It is worth noting that the planet wellness Organisation indicated that the usage of the phone, while driving importantly increases the hazard of participation in the accident, and the study

The European Road Safety Observatory indicates that the usage of a handheld telephone increases the hazard of an accident in car drivers. It shows that the problem is not marginal or seasonal. It is simply a constant component of modern traffic and will only grow.

Having respect to the above, We call on the Ministry of Infrastructure to:

1. carrying out an analysis of the appropriateness of introducing a fresh informing mark on the distraction of the mobile phone;
2. the preparation of the plan of the mark and the rules for its usage in places of peculiar risk;
3. consideration of piloting in selected cities, especially in pedestrian crossings close schools, universities, train stations, public transport stops and buying centres;
4. to begin work on the possible amendment of the Road Marks and Signals Regulation and of the method regulations on the conditions for placing marks on the road. Currently, road signs and signals are regulated by the Regulation of 31 July 2002 and the method requirements and the manner of affixing of signs are laid down in the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of 3 July 2003.
5. organising an educational campaign, under the heading: ‘Put your head up. Put the telephone down. Go safely’.

The proposed mark should not be treated as a shift of work to pedestrians, nor as a weakening of the work of driving vehicles towards pedestrians. On the contrary —

should remind all participants in the movement that the mobile telephone in hand can reduce attention, slow down consequence and lead to tragedy.

The Institute of civilian Affairs declares its readiness to participate in consultations, to submit a proposal for a graphic sign and to cooperate in a social campaign, related to pedestrian safety and to restrict the usage of the telephone in road traffic.

Please state the position of the Ministry of Infrastructure and whether the Ministry is considering undertaking analytical, pilot or legislative work in this case.

Sincerely,
Rafał Górski
President of the Management Board Institute for civilian Affairs