Poland is one of Europe’s leading nations in road fatalities, a statistic that will surprise few who have had the pleasure of using the roads here. While the issue of poor roads is being addressed the sheer size of the network means this is still a problem particularly when travelling outside of and not between major cities. The biggest problem though is dangerous drivers resulting in the common sight of mangled wreckages of cars around the country. Yes, the crosses you see beside roadsides are there to mark fatal crashes. While we do not advise against driving in Poland, where new roads and driver education programmes are making driving here less fraught, we do wish to make a number of points clear to the foreign driver.

Firstly when driving outside of built-up areas you will often find yourself sharing a single lane road with anything from a sports car convertible to a tiny 900cc banger. Throw in the huge fleet of lorries that traverse Poland and you will commonly find yourself in a situation where traffic is blocked behind said lorries/banger. This results in frustrated/impatient drivers overtaking each other at high speed and then braking sharply to avoid oncoming traffic. Be warned and keep a safe distance between you and the vehicle in front.

Secondly beware of the hard shoulders of these roads, the vast majority of which are unlit at night. These are often used as pavements by local people who add to the Russian roulette by venturing out at night wearing their darkest clothing. Add in the odd drunk on a bike and these hard shoulders become a very real problem when facing a set of headlights bearing down on your vehicle.

For those brave enough to venture out the following information should be noted. Poland has strong drink-driving laws: 0.2‰ is the maximum blood/alcohol limit, so forget about having even a single beer. EU citizens may use their home driving licenses as long as they are valid, however citizens of countries that didn't ratify the Vienna Convention (tsk, tsk Australia and America) will find their licenses invalid (though that hasn't stopped anyone we know from driving their girlfriend's car). Carry your license and passport at all times when driving and make sure you have the car’s documentation with you.

The speed limit is 50km/hr in cities (60km/hr between 23:00 and 05:00), 90km/hr outside urban areas, 120km/hr on dual carriageways and 140km/hr on motorways. All cars are required to carry a red warning triangle, first aid kit, replacement bulbs and a national identity sticker. It is compulsory to have headlights switched on at all times.