General provisions

Art. 1.

1. This Act lays down:

1) the rules of traffic on public roads, in residential zones and in traffic zones;

2) the rules and conditions for admitting vehicles to such traffic, as well as the activities of the competent authorities and bodies in this respect;

3) the requirements applicable to road users other than drivers of vehicles;

4) the rules and conditions of traffic enforcement.

2. The provisions of this Act also apply to traffic taking place outside the places listed in paragraph 1 point 1, to the extent:

1) necessary to avoid a hazard to the safety of persons;

2) resulting from road signs and signals.

3. The tasks of the voivodeship self-government referred to in Art. 75aa-75ac, Art. 140g(2), Art. 140i and Art. 140k constitute tasks in the field of government administration.

Art. 2.

The terms used in this Act mean:

1) road - a road within the meaning of Art. 4 point 2 of the Act of 21 March 1985 on public roads (Dz. U. of 2024, item 320);

1a) public road - a road within the meaning of Art. 1 of the Act of 21 March 1985 on public roads;

1b) internal road - an internal road within the meaning of Art. 8(1) and (11) of the Act of 21 March 1985 on public roads;

2) (repealed)

2a) road with an unpaved surface - a road whose carriageway has a surface of natural or fill soil, mechanically or chemically improved, in which the top layer may be made of natural, artificial or recycled aggregate;

2b) road with a paved surface - a road that is not a road with an unpaved surface;

3) motorway - a motorway within the meaning of Art. 4 point 11 of the Act of 21 March 1985 on public roads, marked with the appropriate road signs, intended only for the movement of automotive vehicles, excluding quadricycles, which on a level, flat carriageway can reach a speed of at least 40 km/h, including when towing trailers;

4) expressway - an expressway within the meaning of Art. 4 point 10 of the Act of 21 March 1985 on public roads, marked with the appropriate road signs, intended only for the movement of automotive vehicles, excluding quadricycles;

4a) footway - a road or part of a road intended for the movement of pedestrians and of persons using a mobility aid, and for other functions, in particular the stopping or parking of vehicles;

4b) shared path for pedestrians and cyclists - a road or part of a road, marked with the appropriate road signs, intended for the movement of pedestrians, persons using a mobility aid, bicycles, e-scooters and personal mobility devices;

5) cycle path - a road or part of a road which is not a carriageway, marked with the appropriate road signs, intended for the movement of bicycles, e-scooters and personal mobility devices, as well as of persons using a mobility aid and of pedestrians, in the cases provided for in this Act;

5a) cycle lane - a part of the carriageway intended for the movement of bicycles in one direction, marked with the appropriate road signs;

5b) cycle box - a part of the carriageway at the entry to an intersection, over the entire width of the carriageway or of a selected traffic lane, intended for bicycles to stop in order to change direction or to give way, marked with the appropriate road signs;

6) carriageway - a carriageway within the meaning of Art. 4 point 5 of the Act of 21 March 1985 on public roads;

7) traffic lane - each of the longitudinal strips of the carriageway sufficient for the movement of a single line of multi-track vehicles, whether or not marked with road signs;

8) shoulder - a part of the road situated alongside the carriageway which may be intended for the movement of pedestrians or of certain vehicles, for the parking of vehicles, for riding on horseback or for driving animals;

9) pavement - a part of the footway intended exclusively for the movement of pedestrians and of persons using a mobility aid;

10) intersection - a part of the road forming a junction of roads or of the carriageways of a single road at the same level, with the exception of a junction of a road with a paved surface with a road with an unpaved surface or with an internal road;

10a) substantial damage - damage to the components of the vehicle's load-bearing, braking or steering system which affects road traffic safety, qualifies the vehicle for an additional technical inspection and has been established by the Insurance Guarantee Fund or by an insurance undertaking in connection with a received damage notification under a concluded insurance contract referred to in section II, groups 3 and 10 of the annex to the Act of 11 September 2015 on insurance and reinsurance activity (Dz. U. of 2024, item 838);

11) pedestrian crossing - an area of the carriageway, cycle path or tram track intended for pedestrians to cross those parts of the road, marked with the appropriate road signs;

11a) suggested crossing - an unmarked, technically adapted place enabling pedestrians to cross the carriageway, a cycle path or a tram track, which is not a pedestrian crossing;

12) cycle crossing - an area of the carriageway or tram track intended for persons riding bicycles, e-scooters and personal mobility devices and for persons using a mobility aid to cross those parts of the road, marked with the appropriate road signs;

13) stop - a place where public transport vehicles stop, marked with the appropriate road signs;

14) tunnel - a structure intended to carry a road through or under an obstacle, marked with the appropriate signs;

15) built-up area - an area marked with the appropriate road signs;

16) residential zone - an area comprising public roads or other roads on which special road traffic rules apply and whose entries and exits are marked with the appropriate road signs;

16a) traffic zone - an area comprising at least one internal road, whose entries and exits are marked with the appropriate road signs;

17) road user - a pedestrian, a person using a mobility aid, a driver, as well as other persons present in or on a vehicle that is on the road;

18) pedestrian - a person who is on the road outside a vehicle and is not carrying out work or activities on it provided for by separate regulations; a pedestrian is also a person leading, pulling or pushing a bicycle, a moped, a motorcycle, an e-scooter, a personal mobility device, a mobility aid, a pram, a hand cart or a wheelchair, a person moving in a wheelchair, as well as a child up to 10 years of age riding a bicycle under the care of an adult;

18a) mobility aid - a device or item of sports and recreational equipment intended for a person to move in a standing position, propelled by muscle power;

19) column of pedestrians - an organised group of pedestrians led by a leader or a commander;

20) driver (person driving) - a person who drives a vehicle or a combination of vehicles, as well as a person who leads a column of pedestrians, rides on horseback or drives animals individually or in a herd;

21) driver - a person authorised to drive a motor vehicle or a moped;

21a) driving candidate profile - a driving candidate profile within the meaning of Art. 2 point 3 of the Act of 5 January 2011 on persons driving vehicles (Dz. U. of 2023, items 622, 1123, 1234, 1312, 1560 and 1872);

21b) professional driver profile - a professional driver profile within the meaning of Art. 2 point 4 of the Act of 5 January 2011 on persons driving vehicles;

22) particular care - care consisting in increased attention and in adapting the road user's conduct to the conditions and situations changing on the road, to a degree enabling a sufficiently quick reaction;

23) giving way - refraining from movement where that movement could force a driver to change direction or traffic lane or to change speed significantly, a pedestrian - to stop, to slow down or to quicken his pace, and a person using a mobility aid - to stop, to change direction or to change speed significantly;

24) directed traffic - traffic opened and closed by means of traffic lights or by an authorised person;

25) insufficient visibility - visibility occurring between dusk and dawn, as well as in conditions of reduced transparency of the air between dawn and dusk;

26) passing (an oncoming vehicle) - driving (walking) past a vehicle or road user moving in the opposite direction;

27) passing (a stationary obstacle) - driving (walking) past a vehicle, road user or obstacle that is not moving;

28) overtaking - driving (walking) past a vehicle or road user moving in the same direction;

29) stopping a vehicle - bringing a vehicle to a standstill for no longer than 1 minute where this does not result from traffic conditions or traffic regulations, as well as any bringing of a vehicle to a standstill resulting from those conditions or regulations;

30) parking a vehicle - bringing a vehicle to a standstill for longer than 1 minute where this does not result from traffic conditions or traffic regulations;

31) vehicle - a means of transport intended for movement on a road, as well as a machine or device adapted for that purpose, with the exception of a mobility aid;

32) motor vehicle - a vehicle fitted with an engine, with the exception of a moped, a rail vehicle, a bicycle, a cycle rickshaw, an e-scooter, a personal mobility device and a wheelchair;

33) automotive vehicle - a motor vehicle whose design allows it to travel at a speed exceeding 25 km/h; this term does not include an agricultural tractor;

34) slow-moving vehicle - a motor vehicle whose design limits its travelling speed to 25 km/h, excluding an agricultural tractor;

35) articulated vehicle - a combination of vehicles consisting of a motor vehicle coupled with a semi-trailer;

35a) abnormal vehicle - a vehicle or combination of vehicles whose axle loads, with or without a load, dimensions or actual gross mass, with or without a load, are greater than those permitted under the provisions of this Act;

35b) indivisible load - a load which cannot, without disproportionately high costs or a risk of damage, be divided into two or more smaller loads;

35c) pilot - a person responsible for ensuring road traffic safety and minimising traffic obstruction while the vehicle is travelling;

36) special-purpose vehicle - an automotive vehicle or a trailer intended to perform a special function which makes it necessary to adapt the bodywork or to have special equipment; persons and items connected with the performance of that function may be carried in such a vehicle;

37) vehicle used for special purposes - an automotive vehicle or an agricultural tractor specially adapted for the carriage of persons or loads, used by the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland, the Police, the Internal Security Agency, the Foreign Intelligence Agency, the Military Counterintelligence Service, the Military Intelligence Service, the Central Anti-Corruption Bureau, the State Protection Service, the Border Guard, the Customs and Tax Service, fire protection units, entities authorised to carry out water rescue, entities authorised to carry out mountain rescue, the Maritime Search and Rescue Service, the Road Transport Inspectorate and the Prison Service;

38) emergency vehicle (with priority) - a vehicle emitting light signals in the form of blue flashing lights and at the same time audible signals of variable tone, travelling with its dipped-beam or main-beam headlamps switched on; this term also covers vehicles travelling in a column at the beginning and at the end of which there are emergency vehicles additionally emitting light signals in the form of a red flashing light;

39) historic vehicle - a vehicle which, under separate regulations, has been entered in the register of historic monuments or is included in the voivodeship record of historic monuments, as well as a vehicle entered in an inventory of museum items in accordance with separate regulations;

40) passenger car - an automotive vehicle designed to carry no more than 9 persons including the driver, together with their luggage;

41) bus - an automotive vehicle designed to carry more than 9 persons including the driver;

41a) school bus - a bus intended for carrying children to school, orange in colour, marked at the front and at the rear with rectangular white plates bearing the inscription "autobus szkolny" (school bus) in black;

42) goods vehicle - an automotive vehicle designed to carry loads; this term also covers a goods- -passenger vehicle designed to carry loads and from 4 to 9 persons including the driver;

42a) road tractor - an automotive vehicle designed exclusively to tow a trailer; this term covers a semi-trailer tractor and a ballast tractor;

42b) quadricycle - an automotive vehicle intended for the carriage of persons or loads, excluding a passenger car, a goods vehicle and a motorcycle, whose unladen mass does not exceed:

a) 550 kg in the case of the carriage of goods,

b) 400 kg in the case of the carriage of persons;

42c) light quadricycle - a quadricycle whose unladen mass does not exceed 350 kg and whose design limits its travelling speed to 45 km/h;

43) taxi - an automotive vehicle, appropriately equipped and marked, intended for the carriage of no more than 9 persons including the driver, together with their hand luggage, for a fare determined on the basis of:

a) a taximeter, or

b) a mobile application referred to in Art. 13b of the Act of 6 September 2001 on road transport (Dz. U. of 2024, items 728 and 731);

44) agricultural tractor - a motor vehicle whose design allows it to reach a speed of not less than 6 km/h, constructed for use together with equipment for agricultural, forestry or horticultural work; such a tractor may also be adapted to tow trailers and to carry out earthworks;

45) motorcycle - a two-wheel automotive vehicle of category L3e, or a two-wheel vehicle with a sidecar of category L4e, or a three-wheel vehicle of category L5e with symmetrically arranged wheels, meeting the classification criteria for vehicles of category L3e, L4e or L5e respectively, referred to in Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles (OJ EU L 60 of 02.03.2013, p. 52, as amended);

46) moped - a two- or three-wheel vehicle fitted with a combustion engine of a cylinder capacity not exceeding 50 cm3 or with an electric motor of a power not exceeding 4 kW, whose design limits its travelling speed to 45 km/h;

47) bicycle - a vehicle not exceeding 0.9 m in width, propelled by the muscle power of the person riding it; a bicycle may be fitted with an auxiliary electric drive activated by pressure on the pedals, supplied with current of a voltage not higher than 48 V and with a rated continuous power not exceeding 250 W, whose output power decreases gradually and falls to zero once a speed of 25 km/h is exceeded;

47a) cycle rickshaw - a vehicle exceeding 0.9 m in width, intended for the carriage of persons or goods, propelled by the muscle power of the person riding it; a cycle rickshaw may be fitted with an auxiliary electric drive activated by pressure on the pedals, supplied with current of a voltage not higher than 48 V and with a rated continuous power not exceeding 250 W, whose output power decreases gradually and falls to zero once a speed of 25 km/h is exceeded;

47b) e-scooter - an electrically powered vehicle with two axles, with handlebars, without a seat or pedals, designed for use solely by the person driving it while on that vehicle;

47c) personal mobility device - an electrically powered vehicle, excluding an e-scooter, without a seat or pedals, designed for use solely by the person driving it while on that vehicle;

48) wheelchair - a vehicle designed for the movement of a disabled person, propelled by muscle power or by an engine, whose design limits its travelling speed to the speed of a pedestrian;

49) combination of vehicles - vehicles coupled together in order to move on a road as a whole; this does not apply to vehicles coupled for the purpose of towing;

49a) tourist road train - a combination of vehicles consisting of an agricultural tractor whose design limits its travelling speed to 25 km/h, or a slow-moving vehicle, and a trailer (trailers) adapted for the carriage of persons, used in the course of a business providing tourist services;

50) trailer - a vehicle without an engine, adapted to be coupled with another vehicle;

51) light trailer - a trailer whose maximum permissible gross mass does not exceed 750 kg;

52) semi-trailer - a trailer part of which rests on a motor vehicle and imposes a load on that vehicle;

53) unladen mass - the mass of a vehicle with its normal equipment, fuel, oils, lubricants and fluids in nominal quantities, without the driver;

54) maximum permissible gross mass - the greatest mass, determined by the relevant technical requirements, of a vehicle laden with persons and a load which is admitted to movement on a road;

55) actual gross mass - the mass of a vehicle together with the mass of the goods and persons on it;

56) permissible payload - the greatest mass of load and persons that a vehicle may carry, being the difference between the maximum permissible gross mass and the unladen mass of the vehicle;

57) axle load - the sum of the loads exerted on the road by the wheels on a single axle;

58) VIN - the vehicle identification number assigned and affixed by the manufacturer;

59) recording device - a stationary or portable device, or a device installed in a vehicle or in an aircraft, which detects and records, by means of image-capturing techniques, infringements of road traffic regulations by drivers of vehicles;

60) vehicle category - the classification of a vehicle according to the approval requirements laid down in Regulation (EU) No 167/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 February 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of agricultural and forestry vehicles (OJ EU L 60 of 02.03.2013, p. 1, as amended), hereinafter referred to as "Regulation 167/2013", in Regulation (EU) No 168/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 January 2013 on the approval and market surveillance of two- or three-wheel vehicles and quadricycles (OJ EU L 60 of 02.03.2013, p. 52, as amended), hereinafter referred to as "Regulation 168/2013", and in Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 30 May 2018 on the approval and market surveillance of motor vehicles and their trailers, and of systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, amending Regulations (EC) No 715/2007 and (EC) No 595/2009 and repealing Directive 2007/46/EC (OJ EU L 151 of 14.06.2018, p. 1, as amended), hereinafter referred to as "Regulation 2018/858", as well as in Annex No 2 to this Act;

61) maximum gross mass - the greatest mass of a vehicle laden with persons and a load, as determined by the vehicle manufacturer;

62) new vehicle - a factory-new vehicle which has not been registered;

63) Member State - a Member State of the European Union, the Swiss Confederation or a member state of the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - a party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area;

64) complete vehicle - a vehicle referred to in Art. 3 point 15 of Regulation 167/2013, Art. 3 point 14 of Regulation 168/2013 or Art. 3 point 27 of Regulation 2018/858;

65) vehicle of the "SAM" make - a vehicle built using a bodywork, chassis or frame of one's own construction;

66) (repealed)

67) incomplete vehicle - a vehicle referred to in Art. 3 point 13 of Regulation 167/2013, Art. 3 point 12 of Regulation 168/2013 or Art. 3 point 25 of Regulation 2018/858;

68) completed vehicle - a vehicle referred to in Art. 3 point 14 of Regulation 167/2013, Art. 3 point 13 of Regulation 168/2013 or Art. 3 point 26 of Regulation 2018/858;

69) end-of-series vehicle - a vehicle referred to in Art. 3 point 16 of Regulation 167/2013, Art. 3 point 67 of Regulation 168/2013 or Art. 3 point 28 of Regulation 2018/858;

70) item of equipment or part - an item of equipment or a part referred to in Art. 2(1) point 15 of the Act of 14 April 2023 on vehicle approval systems and vehicle equipment (Dz. U. item 919);

71) (repealed)

72) (repealed)

73) vehicle type-approval certificate - a document issued by the competent authority of the Republic of Poland stating that a vehicle type meets the requirements of the vehicle type-approval procedure;

74) EC type-approval certificate - a document issued by the competent authority of a Member State of the European Union stating that a vehicle type, or a type of item of its equipment or of a part, meets the requirements of the EC type-approval procedure;

75) type of item of equipment or part - the designation of items of equipment or parts performing the same function in a vehicle which do not differ from one another in respect of essential features affecting road traffic safety or environmental protection, unless the requirements laid down in the EU provisions on approval tests or the UNECE regulations provide otherwise;

76) EC individual vehicle approval certificate - a document issued by the competent authority of a Member State of the European Union stating that a vehicle meets the relevant technical conditions or requirements of the EC individual vehicle approval procedure;

77) (repealed)

78) vehicle type - vehicles belonging to a single vehicle category which do not differ from one another in respect of essential features;

79) placing on the market - the transfer, for consideration or free of charge, of a vehicle, item of equipment or part to a user for the first time in the territory of the Republic of Poland;

80) (repealed)

81) (repealed)

82) tram - a vehicle intended for the carriage of persons or goods, powered by electrical energy, moving on rails on public roads;

83) trolleybus - a bus adapted to be supplied with electrical energy from an overhead contact line;

84) alcohol interlock - a technical device preventing the engine of a motor vehicle or of a rail vehicle from being started where the alcohol content in the air exhaled by the driver amounts to at least 0.1 mg of alcohol in 1 dm3;

85) calibration of an alcohol interlock - all the operations serving to calibrate an alcohol interlock and to adjust that device in such a way as to meet the requirement referred to in point 84;

86) discrepancy - a divergence between the data collected in the central register of vehicles, the central register of drivers or the central register of holders of parking cards and the legal situation established on the basis of the available data, or the actual situation;

87) showroom for the sale of automotive vehicles, trailers or mopeds - a natural person, a legal person or an organisational unit without legal personality which sells automotive vehicles, trailers or mopeds on premises in the territory of the Republic of Poland and is authorised by the manufacturer of automotive vehicles, trailers or mopeds or by its authorised representative. This also applies to sales on premises in the territory of the Republic of Poland conducted directly by the manufacturer of automotive vehicles, trailers or mopeds;

88) automated vehicle - an automated vehicle within the meaning of Art. 3 point 21 of Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2019 on the type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and their trailers, and systems, components and separate technical units intended for such vehicles, as regards their general safety and the protection of vehicle occupants and vulnerable road users, amending Regulation (EU) 2018/858 of the European Parliament and of the Council and repealing Regulations (EC) No 78/2009, (EC) No 79/2009 and (EC) No 661/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Commission Regulations (EC) No 631/2009, (EU) No 406/2010, (EU) No 672/2010, (EU) No 1003/2010, (EU) No 1005/2010, (EU) No 1008/2010, (EU) No 1009/2010, (EU) No 19/2011, (EU) No 109/2011, (EU) No 458/2011, (EU) No 65/2012, (EU) No 130/2012, (EU) No 347/2012, (EU) No 351/2012, (EU) No 1230/2012 and (EU) 2015/166 (OJ EU L 325 of 16.12.2019, p. 1, as amended), hereinafter referred to as "Regulation (EU) 2019/2144";

89) fully automated vehicle - a fully automated vehicle within the meaning of Art. 3 point 22 of Regulation (EU) 2019/2144;

90) organiser of research work - an entity conducting research and development activity, including activity comprising research work on automated vehicles or fully automated vehicles, for the purpose of testing and assessing automated functions which fall outside the scope of vehicle type-approval or individual vehicle approval, or an authorised entity referred to in Art. 80s(2).