Poland

Country Summary

Poland has made considerable progress in recent years when it comes to road safety. The number of road-crash injuries has been steadily declining as the country has invested more resources and made transport safety a greater political priority. The Global Road Safety Partnership (GRSP) in Poland has been part of that trend, bringing together partners from all sectors to develop targeted campaigns, improving the safety management of commercial fleets and raising public awareness. Recently, it worked with city and regional officials on a three-year pilot programme on drinking and driving that led to a reduction in drink-drive crashes of 39 percent over four years in the city of Olsztyn. The GRSP in Poland focuses on several key areas:

Fleet safety

The GRSP offers audits and trainings for commercial companies with different types of vehicle fleets. A total of 250 trainings are planned through the end of 2011, aimed at improving safety for employees and reducing fleet-operating costs.

Education and media

The GRSP used the power of social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter to disseminate road safety information. Education and awareness efforts continued with a campaign competition titled, “Road Safety – I will not get into a car with a drunk driver!” supported by GRSP, the Academy of Fine Arts and Adah Advertising Agency. The GRSP in Poland also co-organized a seminar in Bemowo, a district of Warsaw, with the Auto Club of Polish Journalists and the Polish Automotive Club Association, aimed at educating journalists and other participants on vehicle safety.

Risk management

Together with Parliamentary Group for Road Safety, GRSP organized a round table for parliament members and road safety experts devoted speed management. GRSP in Poland was also part of a panel at the 4th Road Safety Forum titled, “The impact of the psychophysical state of drivers on conducting vehicles”, hosted by the World Bank. At a policy level, the GRSP actively supported bills such as the Photo Radar Act.

Road safety awards

Road safety efforts have been recognized with several awards in 2010. The GRSP in Poland was first given the Award Fleet Leader 2010 — an annual reward established by Fleet Meetings (one of the most popular fleet magazine in Poland) — for consistent activities aimed at road safety in government, public and business spheres. In November, 2010, the GRSP gave out several awards, including for ‘Road Safety Partner 2010’, selecting prizewinners in 5 categories – individual, non-governmental organization, public institution, company, and media.

Cooperation between our region and the Global Road Safety Partnership started with the ‘Drunk? Don’t drive!’ campaign and we constantly benefit from the core values of this partnership based on mutual benefits.

– Andrzej Szóstek, Secretary, Regional Road Safety Council Warmia-Mazury