Unfortunately, no one is immune from road accidents, as any situation can happen on the road through the fault of another driver. Find out what to do in case of an accident in Poland, where to call, what to record and what documents to draw up

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Anyone can get into a traffic accident, even a driver with many years of experience. After all, the situation on the road depends on each road user, as well as external circumstances. And it is especially unpleasant when such a situation happens abroad. 

So, what to do if you get into an accident in Poland, whether to call the police, what nuances to consider and what documents to draw up - we will tell you further in the article.

Types of accidents in Poland

There are two types of road accidents in Poland: 

1. kolizja drogowa (road collision) - an accident that resulted in no injuries, or they are injured but have minor injuries and have fully recovered from them within 7 days;

2. wypadek (accident) - a road accident resulting in serious injuries or deaths.

Thus, the algorithm of further actions depends on the type of road accident.

First step: assessing the consequences of the accident

Each of the following steps is mandatory. It is important to follow the sequence:

1. Check for victims (if you find any, immediately call for medical assistance by calling 112 or 999).

2. Quickly record the scene of the accident and damage to the vehicles in a photo or video (photos should be taken from several angles so that the condition and location of the vehicles after the collision, as well as their license plates, are clearly visible).

3. Unblock the passage for other road users, i.e. remove the car from the roadway (provided that there are no dead or seriously injured people in the accident who need immediate medical attention or unblocking from the vehicle).

Second step: call the police or fill out a report form

After assessing the consequences of the accident, you must decide together with the other party to the accident whether to call the police. In case of an accident in Poland, you can call the police by calling 112. The following information should be provided to the police

– a brief description of the incident;

– the presence of victims and the need to involve medics, firefighters or other services;

– the address where the accident occurred;

– contact information.

In which cases the call of the police is mandatory:

– there are victims or fatalities (i.e. the accident is defined as a wypadek);

– the person responsible for the accident does not have a car insurance policy;

– it is not clear who is responsible for the accident, or the culprit refuses to take responsibility;

– the driver of the vehicle is behaving inappropriately (shows signs of alcohol or drug intoxication).

If the accident is qualified as a road traffic accident and the culprit does not deny his/her guilt and is ready to take responsibility, the participants of the accident can fill out the form of the European Protocol (Wspólne óswiadczenie o zdarzeniu drogowym). 

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Filling out the European Protocol in case of an accident in Poland

It is better to always have such a joint statement form with you in the car. You can download it here. If the participants in the accident do not have a corresponding form, the statement can be made by hand in a free form. To do this, you need to provide the following information:

1. Full name of the parties to the accident, their contact and passport details, as well as insurance information

2. Time and place of the accident.

3. Description of the accident with an indication of the damage received by the vehicle, it is also desirable to add a sketch of the road accident

4. Data of the culprit of the accident

5. Signatures of the parties

Third step: contacting the insurance company

In Poland, there is a compulsory type of car insurance - Ubezpieczenie OC. Thus, the driver of the damaged vehicle must contact the insurance company to assess the damage. If the car has minor damage, a photo from the accident scene will be enough, in other cases, the insurance company will schedule a specialist to assess the vehicle. There are two types of compensation:

1. Wariant warsztatowy - returning the car to its original appearance at the expense of the insurer.

2. Wariant kosztorysowy - payment for actual repairs, i.e. compensation for expenses.

In this case, the amount of compensation may include not only the funds spent on actual repairs, but also other related expenses, such as towing the damaged car, transportation, etc.

If the driver has a Green Card, but not a CTPCI

The algorithm of actions for a driver who has a Green Card for a car, but not a local motor citizen, is similar. Only in the event of an accident, he or she should contact the insurer at the phone number indicated on the insurance policy form.

However, only the guilty party has to contact the National Green Card Office in Poland. That is, if you get into an accident due to the fault of another driver, the insurance company of the guilty party will be responsible for compensation.

Please note! In order to travel freely in Poland and 48 other countries of the world in a car with Ukrainian registration, the driver must have a Green Card insurance policy. The absence or delay of insurance is fraught not only with fines that are several dozen times higher than the cost of the insurance policy for a year, but also with the seizure of the car and deportation from the country with a subsequent ban on entry. You can take out insurance for the required period on our website. Read more about the amount of fines in Europe for not having a Green Card here.

We remind you! Currently, there are several toll highways in Poland, the cost of which varies depending on the type of vehicle. Read about the location of toll roads in Poland and how to pay for them in our previous article.

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