The winter holidays have started for pupils from the Lubelskie, Łódzkie, Podkarpackie, Pomorskie and Śląskie voivodeships. At the same time, the Road Transport Inspection (ITD) started the action “Safe coach – holidays 2023”.

As part of the action, tour coaches will be inspected in detail. The safety of travellers will also be supervised by officers from the Automatic Traffic Supervision Centre, conducting speed checks in the most dangerous places.

“During the winter holidays, we expect increased traffic on the roads, especially those leading to winter resorts. We would like to remind drivers to obey the rules, take care of the technical condition of their vehicles, adjust their speed to the prevailing road conditions to ensure their own safety and the safety of other travellers”, said Deputy Infrastructure Minister Rafał Weber on Saturday in Rzeszów.

Controls will be carried out not only at specially designated checkpoints, but also at coach departure points and on main traffic routes and near popular winter holiday destinations.

In order to inspect a coach prior to a scheduled departure, ITD requires only the notification of the parent, the guardian of the children or the organiser of the trip. The necessary information regarding the trip should be provided in advance by phone or e-mail to the locally competent provincial road transport inspectorate.

During the check, inspectors will pay attention to the technical condition of vehicles – they will assess the condition of the braking, steering, exhaust system, as well as the lighting system and tyres. Such elements are directly responsible for the safety of passengers and other road users. “The drivers’ licences, working time, sobriety and psychophysical state will also be checked.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński