Autonomous cars are entering Europe. Poland is only just starting to catch up

 

“Poland will begin testing automated cars on its roads with a delay. Europe is already leaving us behind.

 

Although late, Poland may finally join the countries developing automated mobility. The amendment to the Road Traffic Act, signed by the president in the second half of last year, is intended to pave the way for testing advanced driver assistance systems on public roads.

 

According to the Association of Automotive Parts Distributors and Manufacturers (SDCM), the decision was made at the last moment, because every month of delay meant the loss of research and development projects and potential investments, as companies developing automation systems – car manufacturers, parts manufacturers, engineering teams, universities and research centers – had to move their projects to other countries.

 

“Today the train is still within reach, but Europe is accelerating. The Czech Republic, Germany and other neighbors are not waiting, they are several carriages ahead,” says Tomasz Bęben, president of SDCM.

 

Germany and the Czech Republic allow Level 3 autonomous cars. Poland is still waiting

 

From January 1, 2026, the Czech Republic officially allowed the use of conditional driving automation functions – SAE Level 3. This is the first stage where the car can take full control of driving under certain conditions, e.g., on a highway, and make more complex decisions, such as avoiding obstacles. The driver can take their hands off the steering wheel, although they must be ready to take control when the system requests it.

 

Germany had already previously allowed Level 3 autonomous driving on public roads, and Great Britain has planned [to do so as well].” The introduction of autonomous taxis in London is expected later this year. France, Spain, and Hungary have created legal frameworks for testing and implementation, and other countries are moving from the pilot phase to the practical application of new technologies.

 

The leaders include the USA, where driverless autonomous taxis are already being used commercially in cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, as well as China, where the implementation of autonomous cars is happening faster than anywhere else in the world, and robotaxis are becoming commonplace in major cities.

 

Poland is only now introducing a definition of automated vehicles, defining the conditions for road testing, liability issues, and administrative supervision. However, regulating all the necessary issues will take time. "Whether the tests actually start in 2026 depends on completing this stage," emphasizes the SDCM (Polish Association of Automotive Manufacturers).

 

However, reality has already overtaken the regulations. A year and a half ago, a video appeared online of a woman sleeping behind the wheel of a Tesla Model 3, driving on autopilot on the S5 expressway between Poznań and Bydgoszcz, unresponsive to signals from other drivers overtaking her.

 

The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE), which sets industry standards, has defined levels classifying autonomous driving on a scale from 0 to 5. While at level 0 the driver performs all tasks themselves, at level 1 they are assisted by systems designed to facilitate driving, such as cruise control maintaining a set speed. At level 2, automation already partially relieves the driver, for example, through adaptive cruise control that adjusts speed to preceding vehicles, or a lane keeping assist system.

 

The next is a half-step – level 2+, already popular in more expensive cars, a higher level partial automation integrates various advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). Thanks to sensors such as cameras and radars, the driver does not have to rely solely on sight and reflexes, as they are supported by electronics, for example, through an emergency braking system. One element of ADAS is adaptive headlights, which use a camera to adjust the light beam to detected vehicles and avoid dazzling oncoming drivers.

 

The aforementioned Level 3, currently the highest level of automation commercially available in selected car models on the European market, precedes high automation. At Level 4, the car can drive fully autonomously, for example, in urban areas at low speeds. It does not require driver intervention but may need assistance in more difficult circumstances, such as adverse weather. Level 5, on the other hand, is full automation and driverless driving: the car does not need a steering wheel or accelerator and brake pedals.

 

Autonomous trucks will change the job market. Millions of drivers at risk

 

With the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence, driving automation will accelerate. It will also find wide application in trucks. Autonomous trucks – today's technology enables their full operation – will help save costs, reduce emissions, and increase road safety. But the automation of transport may also have negative consequences.

 

According to a report by three global road transport organizations: the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA), the International Transport Workers' Federation and the International Road Transport Union (IRU), autonomous vehicles could reduce the demand for drivers in Europe and the USA by as much as 50-70% by 2030.  As a result, up to 4.4 million of the current 6.4 million jobs in road transport could become redundant.

 

In Poland, tests of an autonomous minibus have already been conducted several times, but only off public roads. The vehicle, constructed by the Gliwice-based startup Blees, transported passengers on a several-kilometer route in a recreational area in Katowice and in the Osobowice Cemetery area in Wrocław. Similar trials were also conducted in Gdańsk.

 

These tests of autonomous buses, even considering the distant prospect of their implementation in regular public transport, proved to be an attractive marketing move for local governments. After the tests in Gdańsk, city representatives were invited to numerous meetings where they spoke about their initial experiences and projects related to autonomous vehicles, becoming experts in this field among local government officials.

 

A similar example comes from northern Switzerland, where an autonomous vehicle transported tourists from the center of Neuhausen am Rheinfall to the Rheinfall waterfall, the largest waterfall in Europe in terms of water flow, becoming the second largest tourist attraction in the region.”