There is simply a increasing discussion about the impunity of foreigners behind the wheel, especially drivers of transport applications in Warsaw. As revealed in the “Canal Zero” program run by Łukasz Zboralski, capital offices frequently reject police applications to mention foreigners to a re-examination of their driving licence despite the fact that these drivers commit serious traffic offences.
In 2024, the Warsaw Police directed around 1,200 specified applications, and in the first 4th of 2025 – around 300. However, as Zboralski points out, all tenth proposal is not implemented by capital offices. Officials explain this with various reasons, specified as “the objectlessness of the procedure”, “the deficiency of completion of formal deficiencies” or “the inability to establish the address of the applicant”. It may even happen that applications are rejected due to alleged referral to the incorrect territory office.
This problem is peculiarly visible among transport application drivers, who frequently come from countries specified as Ukraine, Belarus and Georgia. Representatives of the Provincial Road Traffic Centre in Warsaw indicate that many of these drivers have difficulties with the driving test in Poland, which is due, among others, to mediocre cognition of Polish road regulations and differences in driving culture.
Police statistic confirm that foreigners are liable for a crucial number of road accidents. In 2023 they participated in 2186 cases where 280 people were killed, including 124 foreigners, and 3410 people were injured. In addition, foreigners were perpetrators of 1,171 accidents in which 112 people were killed and 1492 were injured. There were besides 37340 road collisions involving foreigners.
In 2024 there were 21528 road accidents on Polish roads, in which 24825 people were injured and 1881 people died. This is an increase of 2.8% and 2.9% respectively compared to the erstwhile year. The number of traffic collisions increased by 6.2%, reaching 388601 cases.
W Warsaw in 2024 reported 683 road accidents, in which 26 people died and 767 were injured. This is an increase of 79 accidents and 108 injured compared to 2023. The number of traffic collisions in the capital was 24479, an increase of 184 cases.
In the face of these data, questions arise about the effectiveness of the strategy of supervision of drivers, especially foreigners. deficiency of consistency with foreigners breaking road rules can lead to a sense of impunity and increase the hazard on the roads. It is so worth considering more effective enforcement mechanisms and ensuring that all drivers, regardless of their origin, are treated equally to the law.
Increasing the number of road accidents and collisions involving foreigners indicates the request to take measures to improve safety on Polish roads. This may include better training for foreigners applying for a driving licence in Poland, more effective enforcement and cooperation between police and offices to address gaps in the system.
In the context of the increasing number of foreigners working in Poland – at the end of September 2024 there were over 1 million of them – it is crucial to guarantee that all road users are decently prepared to travel on Polish roads and comply with the regulations in force.
Only through a comprehensive approach to the problem and cooperation of different institutions can road safety be effectively improved and all drivers, regardless of nationality, are treated reasonably and legally.
