With Thursday, June 16, a public holiday, many Poles took Friday off to enjoy another long weekend in the country this spring.
Officers said they stopped 1,907 drunk drivers during the four-day break from work and fined 496 for speeding.
Some 4,500 police were out on the roads each day during the long weekend in a bid to improve safety, Michał Gaweł from the country’s General Police Headquarters (KGP) said on Monday.
During last year's June long weekend amid the COVID-19 pandemic, 38 people were killed and 422 injured in 384 road accidents throughout the nation, according to a report at the time.
At the start of this year, stricter traffic rules and tougher fines for drivers took effect in Poland as part of efforts to improve road safety.
Under the new rules, the maximum fine for traffic offenses went up from PLN 5,000 (EUR 1,075, USD 1,130) to PLN 30,000 (EUR 6,440, USD 6,785).
Drivers breaking the speed limit by more than 30 kph now face a fine of no less than PLN 800.
Meanwhile, 19 people drowned this long weekend as Poles took to lakes, rivers and the Baltic Sea amid warm weather, police data showed on Monday.
(gs)
Source: IAR