From the beginning of the year to the end of January, cameras recording red light driving at the Inwalidów roundabout in Łódź detected nearly four thousand drivers breaking the law. This is – according to data from the General Road Transport Inspectorate – a record on a national scale. The second place in the inglorious ranking was taken by the Krakow intersection of al. Pokoju and ul. Nowohucka.
The red light camera system currently covers 41 intersections in Poland. In the first half of this year, they issued a total of over 35,000 tickets. The record was set in Łódź, where four intersections are monitored. At the intersection of Puszkina and Rokicińska streets, i.e. at the Inwalidów roundabout, the system issued almost 4,000 tickets in six months. On average, as many as 22 drivers pass through a red light here. Over three thousand drivers decided to make a similar, dangerous maneuver in the first six months of 2024, passing through the intersection of Aleja Pokoju and Nowohucka in Krakow.
Each of them faces a 500 PLN fine and 15 penalty points. – We try to catch drivers who decide to behave in such an irresponsible way – Czyż emphasizes.
More than 120 detected daily
In order to more effectively catch drivers who run red lights, the General Road Transport Inspectorate is installing road traffic monitoring systems. – The first devices appeared in 2015. Last year, the total number of devices increased to 50, but not all of them are operational yet – said Wojciech Król, spokesman for the General Road Transport Inspectorate, in an interview with tvn24.pl.
He emphasized that in 2023, the devices detected 44,978 drivers who committed an offense. More than 120 per day.
Read also: He crossed the double solid line, continued overtaking on the bend. A police car was following him.
– In 2024, the device in Wrocław, which records the situation at the intersection of Gądowianka with Bystrzycka and Na Ostatnim Groszu streets, recorded the most offences. During the year, 13,000 drivers who ran red lights were detected there – said Król.
Intersections with cameras do not need to be marked
The GITD spokesman stressed that while all speed cameras must be preceded by appropriate markings, there is no obligation to indicate at which intersections the cameras operate.
– This does not mean, however, that we are making a secret out of it. The cameras are bright yellow. We also publish a map online, where you can find every place under surveillance – Król emphasized.
Two cameras and human supervision
Wojciech Król pointed out that the system registers cars that enter through a red light, and then the recordings are transferred to employees who assess each situation. All this is so that, for example, ambulance drivers with sirens blaring and rushing to the sick are not called.
How does the system that catches drivers running red lights work?GITD
– After verifying the material, employees conduct further explanatory activities regarding the violation of road traffic regulations. Then the owner of the vehicle, determined thanks to the automatic exchange of information with the Central Vehicle Register, is sent a request to indicate the driver of the vehicle – says Wojciech Król.
Main image source: Google Street View