Enhancing safety on Polish roads: The Motorway driving course program goes nationwide

The Motorway driving course involving practical driving lessons under the guidance of experienced instructors is expanding its reach. From now on, learners from Pomorskie, Kujawsko-Pomorskie, Śląskie and Małopolskie regions may join the program. This is possible thanks to Autostrada Wielkopolska establishing cooperation with Gdańsk Transport Company, the operator of the concession section of the A1 Motorway, and Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska, the operator of the Katowice-Kraków concession section of the A4 Motorway. With the program expanding, even more future drivers in Poland will have the opportunity to gain practical skills before their first trip on their own on a motorway or expressway.

Driving on motorway or expressway sections, although different from driving on regular roads, is not currently a mandatory part of the driving course. Many drivers must face this challenge on their first solo car trip. To meet their needs, in 2021 Autostrada Wielkopolska launched a socio-educational program, Motorway Driving Course. The program gives future drivers a chance to gain new skills, even before receiving their driving license, by driving on the motorway and learning to drive confidently and safely on this type of roads.

The Motorway Driving Course program is one of the most important projects we have been undertaking in the field of driver education. We have always been enhancing driver safety by investing in motorway infrastructure. “With the expansion of the Motorway Driving Course, we intend to increase drivers’ awareness and safe driving skills on motorways, and we believe that together with our new partners we invited to participate, we will achieve this goal,” says Krzysztof Andrzejewski, member of the Management Board of Autostrada Wielkopolska S.A.

The program has already involved more than 30 Driver Training Centers from the Wielkopolskie and Lubuskie regions, as well as several hundred trainees. The ambassador of the Motorway Driving Course is Tomasz Czopik – a well-known Polish rally driver and road safety promoter.

Nationwide coverage

In the spring of 2023, Gdańsk Transport Company operating the AmberOne A1 Motorway Gdańsk – Toruń, and Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska operating the A4 Katowice-Kraków Motorway, joined the Motorway Driving Course. A broader territorial range of the program will enable future drivers to train on locations close to the Polish concession motorway sections. Classes are taught by experienced instructors who have not only theoretical knowledge, but also practical experience in driving on Polish motorways.

AmberOne Autostrada A1 is joining the Motorway Driving Course program with full commitment. In our educational campaign Safety, my middle name , which has been running for the past 10 years, we particularly prioritize practical aspects that improve road safety. We are convinced that practice makes perfect, including ace driver, therefore we hope our initiative will resonate in the driver training centers in Pomorskie and Kujawsko-pomorskie regions”, explains Wojciech Mąkinia, Vice-President of the Management Board of Gdańsk Transport Company S.A.

The implementation of the program in cooperation with the best driver training centers (DTCs) allows trainees to take practical trips on the motorway already at the stage of the course that prepares them for the driving test. Such course includes four hours of training driving in non-urban areas. The driving schools which already collaborate with motorway operators use some of this time slot for practical driving on motorways. What’s important, such trips made as part of the driving test preparation course are free of charge for the student, as the concessionaires exempt the vehicles of cooperating DTCs from tolls. Thus, the learners gain additional training and improve their skills, while the DTCs broaden their training proposal.

For years, we have been organizing and supporting educational initiatives related to safe driving. We recently implemented a social campaign called Driving Without Reading, drawing attention to the problem of drivers using cell phones while driving. In the Motorway Driving Course program we see an opportunity to increase the safety of travelers, which is particularly important for our region. There’s no other area in Poland like Śląsk and Małopolska, were highways run through a large number of cities and towns with high population density and intersect numerous secondary roads. Lack of skills or bravado behind the wheel may have very severe consequences to life and health, which is why it is so important to build awareness and perfect the skills of trainees,” says Andrzej Kaczmarek, President of the Management Board of Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska S.A.

How to join the program

In order to become a participant to the project, it is sufficient to select a driving school on the website www.kursjazdynaautostradzie.pl which is closest to the person’s place of residence and take a course there. The exact date of the motorway lessons will depend on the syllabus followed by a given driving school. The Motorway Driving Course is implemented by the concession companies of Polish motorways, i.e. Autostrada Wielkopolska (A2, Świecko-Konin), Gdańsk Transport Company (A1, Rusocin – Toruń) and Stalexport Autostrada Małopolska (A4, Katowice-Kraków).

An online platform www.kursjazdynaautostradzie.pl was launched where the trainees, instructors and owners of the driving schools, but also those drivers who wish to get to know the motorway environment better and improve their driving skills on highways, will find all necessary information. The participants will find there, among others: theoretical and practical information how to behave on the motorway, videos illustrating the rules applying on the motorway and teaching materials necessary in the training process by driving schools.

The program has already been highly praised by drivers who have a driving license, but for various reasons do not feel confident driving on motorways or expressways. Presently, the driving enhancing lessons are continued in cooperation with driving technique improvement centers from the cities located near the concession section of Autostrada Wielkopolska, between Świecko and Konin.

The Motorway driving course has been run in close cooperation with the Provincial Traffic Centers in Poznań, Gorzów Wielkopolski, Zielona Góra and Toruń. Honorary patronage for the program has been provided by: The National Road Safety Council, the Marshal of the Wielkopolskie Region, the Marshal of the Lubuskie Region, the Marshal of the Małopolskie Region, the Mayor of Poznań, the Mayor of Katowice, the Provincial Police Headquarters in Poznań, in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Gdańsk and Bydgoszcz.

For more information about the program, visit: https://kursjazdynaautostradzie.pl/