The negative impact of certain technical aspects on safety in the right-hand traffic

Andrzej Bogdanowicz – Ministry of Infrastructure

Legal Basis

1. Road traffic act of 20 June 1997 (Official Journal 2005No. 108, item 908, with amendments)

art. 66.1.1 and 5 - vehicle involved in road traffic must be constructed, equipped and be in the proper condition to be safe sufficiently for passengers and other road users. It must also provide sufficient field of vision and accessible, comfortable and trustworthy handling steering, braking and lighting devices.

Legal Basis

2. Regulation of Ministry of Infrastructure of 31 December 2002 concerning the technical requirements of vehicles and their equipment

§ 9. 2. – a vehicle equipped with more than three wheels with construction which allows to drive with speed more than 40 km/h, should not have a steering wheel on the right-hand side.

The rules mentioned above entered into force in Poland on 24 December 1983

Features distinguishing vehicles according to traffic direction

• Steering wheel position /driver's seat;

• Windscreen wipers – to provide a sufficient field of vision;

• Asymmetric rear-view mirrors – to provide a sufficient field of vision;

• Passing beam - to provide a field of vision / dazzling other road users and left roadside;

• Rear fog lamps situated on the right-hand side (vehicle equipped with one lamp).

State road network in Poland

According to statistical data in 2010, in Poland there is about 385 000 km of public roads, including only about 3 000 km of dual carriageway.

Characteristics of the road infrastructure in Poland

• Main roads are single carriageway;

• There is limited number of roads intended for transit traffic.

Statistics

Poland to have one of the highest car accidents rate across Europe - mainly with death results.

38 832 road accidents reported in 2010 - 3907 people killed, 48 952 people injured.

According to European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) – on average 102 people for every one million inhabitants were killed in car accidents in Poland in 2010, while the EU average is 59.

One of the main causes of road accidents is overtaking other vehicles with negligence of an appropriate safety level.

Consequences of wrong overtaking - frontal impacts with many injured or fatalities.

Incorrect overtaking contributed to 3723 road accidents in 2010 which is more than 10% of all accidents. 571 people were killed (15,5 % of all killed), 4 991 people were injured (10,2 % of all injured).

Frontal impact – truck vs. passenger car (5 people killed)

Steering wheel on right-hand side in right-hand traffic has negative impact on drivers’ field of vision, especially in case of overtaking and passing. It has a direct negative impact on traffic safety.

1 000 000 per year

In Poland registration of vehicles equipped with steering wheel on right-hand side would:• contribute to increase of number of road accidents and • make it impossible to reduce number of deaths (main goal of the Ministry of Infrastructure).

Ministry of Infrastructure sent an enquiry to 17 European and 3 non – European countries in order to update an information about registration of vehicles with steering wheel one the right-hand side.

Results show that as in Poland, also in Lithuania, Slovakia, Czech Republic and Ukraine registration of above mentioned vehicles is forbidden.

What is your opinion about possibility of making decision by each Member State on limitation (on their own territory) of the vehicles registration with steering wheel on the right-hand side

(in the right-hand traffic)?

YES means LIFE

Thank you for your attention