With the nation celebrating Armed Forces Day and the Catholic Feast of the Assumption on Thursday, many people took Friday off to enjoy another long weekend in the country this year.
As temperatures were expected to pass the 30 degrees Celsius mark in many parts of the country, experts were urging the public to avoid excessive exposure to the scorching sun.
The Government Centre for Security (RCB) has said that people should drink a lot of water, avoid venturing outdoors unless necessary, refrain from exercise and not to drink alcohol, which causes dehydration.
Doctors said senior citizens and people with circulatory problems were among those especially at risk.
Meanwhile, the state-run Institute of Meteorology and Water Management, the national weather service, has issued warnings of heavy rainfall and possible hailstorms in some areas.
Police have appealed to drivers to keep their speed down and stay alert behind the wheel as roads swarmed with traffic destined for the seaside and popular resorts.
Polish police on Wednesday launched an annual road safety campaign and stepped up checks as people began heading off on short vacations.
Police inspect the scene of a road accident in the northwestern Polish city of Szczecin, where a motorbike rider was killed after colliding with a passenger car on Wednesday night. Photo: PAP/Marcin Bielecki
When Poles travelled en masse during the previous extended holiday break in late May and early June, 24 people were killed and 354 injured in 303 road accidents nationwide, according to police statistics.
A total of 1,893 people were killed and 24,125 injured in 20,936 accidents on Polish roads throughout last year, according to police data.
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Source: IAR, PAP
