PM announces stiffer fines for road pirates

Poland's prime minister on Monday announced new traffic laws introducing stiffer fines for traffic offenders and new compensation instruments for road accident victims.

Mateusz Morawiecki wrote on Facebook that one of the planned measures was to raise fines for offences against pedestrians to at least PLN 1,500 (EUR 330).

"Every day we hear about dramatic accidents caused by road piracy. We will proceed against such incidents with the utmost severity. This is why the government has amended traffic laws. Bandit drivers will be punished much more severely," he wrote.

Morawiecki also said the new laws obliged offending drivers to pay compensation to the families of victims they have killed on the road.

Also foreseen are higher fines for traffic violations and drunken driving.

Morawiecki said the proceeds from traffic fines will be used to finance roads improvement projects.

Poland has one of the EU’s worst road-traffic fatality rates, with 77 deaths per million inhabitants in 2019, according to Eurostat, a figure well above the EU average of 51.