Poland | A4 Motorway: Welcome to the Highway to Hell

Poland | A4 Motorway: Welcome to the Highway to Hell

Poland in Eastern Europe is an absolute death trap for road users. In 2021, 2,250 people were killed on Polish roads. Relative to population size, that’s a death toll almost 50% higher than a country like France, for example. To the south of the capital, Warsaw, almost half of all accidents take place on this one motorway. The A4. This 650 km strip of asphalt is the longest motorway in Poland. It crosses the entire country from east to west. In order to reduce the number of incidents, the police are following a hard-line policy. Equipped with high-powered vehicles, they hunt down reckless drivers. Since 2022 the fines issued have been going up. 1000 euros in some cases such as speeding re-offenders. Although the Polish driver’s license has a total of 24 points they go down very fast. As for the legal permitted blood alcohol level it’s one of the strictest in Europe. 0.2 grams per litre of blood. In particular, the police are on the lookout for crazy drivers who take risks in order to get an adrenaline hit. In order to deal with these irresponsible drivers, A4 firefighters are working flat out in order to save lives. They are called to 600 road accidents every year. It’s the third busiest fire station in the country. On call 24-7 they deal with all kinds of drama. Criminal lawyer Marta Cakrewska represents the victims of reckless drivers. I’m going to the hospital. It’s my son. Despite the fact that he’s three years old. She’s in charge of a case that has shocked the whole of Poland. He was taken to the hospital at high speed. The boy was in the hospital. There was an observation. A closer look at the cruel world of Polish roads, along with those who are fighting to save lives. In the south of Poland is one of Europe’s biggest intersections. These two roads are used by almost 100,000 vehicles a day. That’s 34 million lorries and cars every year. With all this traffic, the risk of accidents is very high. The most spectacular? Crashes caused by heavy goods vehicles. Steel monsters weighing up to 44 tons, which destroy everything in their path. There are also violent collisions between cars, as well as vehicles coming off the road, and multiple pileups like this one on the A1 in 2017. Nearly 80 vehicles collided as a result of fog and black ice. No one died in this multiple pileup. but several people were injured. A few kilometers away in the village of Glitvice, the A4 firefighters have the onerous task of watching over this motorway junction. Since 1897 they’ve been based at this imposing red brick fire station, complete with a watchtower. 78 professional firefighters work here. It’s 7.30 a.m. A new team is preparing for their shift. Adam, with his 24 years of experience, is one of the pillars of the fire station community. Today, he is the team leader, supervising the preparation of the equipment down to the smallest detail. When we start a service, we have to be always mobile and always ready. Before going on service, Adam has a ritual. He checks the weather forecast. His day will depend on the weather. This evening, it’s not the rain that’s going to cause them problems. It’s one of the A-4’s black spots, these toll gates, which were… automated in 2021 in order to speed up traffic. With the removal of the barriers, they’ve turned into traps, since there’s no longer any need to stop in order to pay. Latest generation cameras read the number plates, and payment is debited from users’ bank accounts. On the approach to the toll platform, the speed limit is reduced to 50 km an hour, but no one respects it. Like this car, attempting to overtake just before going through the toll. Or this crazy lorry, which has lost control. Or this heavy goods vehicle, which failed to brake and smashed into a van on the toll’s approach. This evening the fire brigade has been urgently called to one of the automatic toll gates on the A4. 26, start the engine. Start the engine. Yes, the gate is open. Once again a vehicle has crashed into the toll gate. Its passengers are still in shock. Good morning, how many people have you driven? Two and a dog. Two and a dog. How do you feel? Does it hurt? Who was driving? A man from the half. Does your hand hurt? Yes. It hurts a little. We’ll call the police. They’re investigating. The couple from Krakow were on their way to a friend’s wedding. Excuse me, do you know what happened? Did the boy get weak? He fell asleep and then he woke up. I woke up and came out of the car. I was in a very bad place. The driver of the car, his companion and their dog owe their lives to these special barriers. This is a special pillow. It’s anti-accident. It amortizes the car’s impact, because it saves the driver’s health and life. That’s why it looks like a car. Otherwise, it would be all made of concrete or some kind of solid steel, and it’s all so amortized that it all moves, right? Adam, the team leader, has a fair idea what might have happened. Well, a lot of luck. If the pillows exploded, there was probably a big hit. The lady was sleeping, and the gentleman probably also fell asleep very often. I have to say, this is the area of the highway. The ambulance crew attend to the driver who is suffering from pain in his arm. Adam and his colleagues keep a close eye on the third passenger. It’s really closed. The owners are still here. It’s a shame that it happened to the animals. The operation is nearly over, but Adam and his colleagues have forgotten to check an important detail on the vehicle. There’s gas. See if the gas doesn’t leak out of the car. We don’t want to pay for that. As you can see from these amateur images, a car blows up in the middle of traffic and here in a service station. To avoid this type of accident, it’s essential for the fire brigade to stop fuel from leaking. In the end, it was by going through the back seats that the firefighters stopped the petrol leak. Thank you for your help. End of intervention. The toll is open again. To avoid this type of accident when approaching toll stations, other European countries have taken precautions. Portugal, for example, has decided to remove toll stations from certain motorways. In their place, archways have been installed above the lanes, with cameras to read the number plates and allow users to pay. But in Poland, these automatic stations are still causing problems on the A4. Two days later, another team of firefighters was called out to an almost identical collision. This is a place where speed limits are set. So drivers who have not observed the signs before and are driving at the speed allowed on the highway, this place is definitely too fast, so sometimes accidents occur. The police must note their initial impressions as well as checking the driver’s blood alcohol level. The country has adopted an extremely strict policy in this area. In the 1980s, Poles drank an average of 20 liters of alcohol a year, as much as a country like France at the same time. Today, the limit behind the wheel is 0.2 grams per liter of blood, or less than half a glass of wine. That’s half the authorized rate in France. Such restrictive legislation has led to a 45% reduction in accidents caused by alcohol between 2012 and 2022. The anti-speeding brigade. On the A4 motorway, these police officers are constantly on the lookout with ultra-powerful vehicles. Powerful German engines. Damian and his colleagues have transformed these vehicles into mobile speed cameras. On the equipment of the radio carrier, as I mentioned, a video recorder, with which the policemen are able to measure the speed of moving vehicles, while at the same time registering this image, so that later they can open it and show it to the driver. An expensive piece of equipment, these cameras cost almost 60,000 euros each. To catch motorists unawares, Police officers patrol in unmarked vehicles. Poland is one of the European countries with the highest number of points on its driving license. 24. Twice as many as in France. But it’s very easy to lose them because the police don’t let anyone off the hook. In less than five minutes, the team spotted their first speeding offense committed by this black SUV. On this stretch of motorway, the speed limit is 110 kmh. The driver is 56 km over the limit. Dzień dobry. Dzień dobry. Aspirant Jarosz, Komisariat Autostradowy Gliwice. Dokument do kontroli, poproszę, panie kierowco. Zauważyłem. Zarejestrowana prędkość 165 km na godzinę, czyli przekroczenie o 55. Zgodnie z nowym tarifikatorem, 1500 zł, tyle wynosi grzywna. In addition, 14 points of penalty. Really, I don’t have money to record this. I don’t have money. I don’t have money for this car. This is not my car. This is a private car. Yes. I don’t have money. To deter motorists, fines rose sharply in Poland in 2022. 320 euros is half the local minimum wage. And you have to pay straight away. Unlike in some countries, police officers are equipped with a payment terminal. I have a car. It’s so well-equipped. Why am I driving now? To get 200 PLN for a car. You’re an auto-sitter. This consists of making the rear wheels of their car skid and slide on the road. A dangerous practice and of course illegal. Nighttime racing, which they immortalize, posting on social networks. These drivers meet up every Friday evening on the edge of the A4 motorway on the outskirts of Krakow to perform high-risk stunts. Where are you going? Hi! Hi! I wanted to ask you something. You know what? On the other side. Do you see a Bawaryka, a five? Yes. Well, you have a place there. You can still move away from him. These drift sessions are organized in the car park of a petrol station. The owner, himself a fan of fast cars, has given his consent. Come on! Come on! Arthur is one of the organizers of the event. Yet the car passes just a few centimeters from him. I know he can drive, I can see that he can drive. He has a car made for it, look, he won’t hit me. Ignoring the danger, Arthur doesn’t hesitate to first bump his friend Bartek at the wheel of this car. Bartek at the wheel of this blue racing car with 180 horsepowers under the bonnet. The young man started drifting two years ago. Adrenaline! I really like the smell of burnt rubber! I was always interested in motorization, and… …that’s how it came out. A friend told me to buy a BMW from Ruzik. Since then, Bartek has been hooked on this ultra-dangerous discipline. A farmer by trade, he spends his weekends screeching car tires. And you won’t be able to do anything. I prefer to train here on the closed square than on the road, for example. He finally admits that he even practices his hobby in the middle of traffic. Although street drift is very good. I mainly try to do it in late hours at night on some side roads, so… The young man has completely modified his car to skid more easily. Like Bartek, everyone here has modified their engine. There was a high-five somewhere here. Oh, yes! It is. They set it up with a program, a computer. It is coded in such a way that every time the shoe hits the end, it releases some of the exhaust gas and… And the car is running like a rock. Some of these young road enthusiasts have paid more than 3,000 euros to modify their engines. That’s nearly five times the Polish minimum wage. It’s the price they have to pay to obtain the car of their dreams, but also to attract the attention of the local girls. We have cool cars, boobies, guys are doing a great show. So, for me, they just stand and take me. I highly recommend it. I’m really happy to be here. I was in the middle of the car, really. Cool, cool. It’s better in Deutschland. That evening, Arthur and his drifting friends were not disturbed by the police, because they found a way around it. Their sessions don’t take place on public roads. Arthur may be confident, but he knows perfectly well that his group of drifters is on the authorities’ radar. In Warsaw, the country’s capital, the driver of one of these modified cars committed an irreparable act. It was October 2019. Driving at more than 120 km per hour in a 50 km speed limit, he killed a young father. Adam was taking a walk with his three-year-old son and his wife. He was propelled into the air and died instantly. The reckless driver, a mechanic by profession, liked… to show off his sports car on social networking sites. Janusz Popiel, president of the Road Victims Association, lives in the neighbourhood and was deeply shocked by the tragedy. Tragedy in Poland. A young man died on this crossing. He was walking with his wife and child in a cart. The vehicle stopped on one lane, before that there were two lanes, the vehicle stopped to make a pass, and the young man in a golden BMW died. The widow was left, the little child was left, who never met his father again. Following this tragedy, the avenue was completely resurfaced. To reduce speed, a roundabout was built. Now this intersection was rebuilt. Here was a straight street with two lanes in one direction and two in the other. There was no roundabout. Roundabouts improve safety. I was looking for where I had the pictures. Marta Cakrewska blames not only the driver’s irresponsible behaviour, but also the condition of his car. The ABS sensor was running, it was answering, well, ladies and gentlemen, to drift, so that when racing with other cars, I don’t lose speed when braking, so that the braking is spectacular. So when I enter a corner, the wheels block me and that’s why I’m leading to a kind of… To make an impact on public opinion, Marta wants the case to be classed as a murder and for the reckless driver to be sentenced to 15 years in prison. That’s twice the usual penalty for road accidents. Will she win her case? The answer will come in a few weeks time at the Warsaw Courts, where she will confront the reckless driver. Back to the firefighters on the A4 motorway at Gliwice, in the south of the country. A crew has been called out in an emergency to a head-on collision, the kind of mission firefighters dread most. The accident happened on a small country road late in the afternoon at rush hour. It was a serious collision. Two cars smashed head-on. The driver of this grey car attempted a dangerous overtaking maneuver, according to the husband of one of the victims who arrived at the scene on his bike. for some delivery man and I don’t know if he tried to overtake or just hit him or something like that. Captain Simon, an 18-year veteran, is in charge of operations. His job is to coordinate the rescue of the victims. One of the motorists is in a very serious condition. I am on the board ready for transport. I confirm the need for the medical rescue team to come. We are closing the road completely. The road is closed. The motorist with the stomach injury was rushed to hospital, but his life is not in danger. The man was very lucky in a country where country roads account for more than half of traffic accidents. These are often spectacular collisions. The slightest careless error can result in a deadly head-on collision. Accidents are often caused by a careless motorist trying to overtake a vehicle. But Polish firefighters have to deal with other types of accident just as serious. A van is in flames on the hard shoulder. It’s the fire brigade’s worst fear. Because this kind of fire as seen in the footage gives off thick smoke, blocking all visibility of the road for other vehicles. A pileup can happen at any time. We are here but we will lose connection. We will overtake him. We will close this right lane. Is there any emergency? Is there any emergency on the bus or on the train? There is nothing. OK. And you drove yourself? Yes. Good. The van is made up of highly flammable components. It’s self-combusted. The engine is still going, impossible to stop, even if you turn off the ignition. The temperature rose and eventually caught fire. A problem that mainly affects diesel vehicles. Elsewhere in Europe in 2020 a family was destroyed because of this mechanical problem. The death toll was extremely high. Five children and one adult died in the tragedy. To extinguish the flames, firefighters used a special foam which prevents oxygen from fueling the combustion. The speed is different. The best acceleration. We have to change such things because these are the basics. It is a bit scary because you see a fast highway, 140 km per hour. People, not everyone, are complaining seeing that we are driving very fast. To avoid risking the lives of his men, Adam decides to close the motorway completely. I would need a road patrol for all these events. to secure the vehicle after we finish our activities Pay attention to the cars, gentlemen! Pay attention! The driver of the van, a young delivery driver, is still in shock. He had time to film the fire with his mobile phone, to gather evidence for the insurance company, but above all to explain himself to his new boss. Fuck! It’s the second day at work, and I’m fucking mad at the LTC! Oh fuck! I was driving my car and suddenly other drivers, as if they wanted to show me, stopped to check what was happening and I noticed a gap between the cabin and the trunk. Is that what you hear? Of course. But I called the police so the gentlemen came quickly. I was just about to pick up the goods and I didn’t make it. Despite this misfortune, The young delivery driver was lucky. He avoided the worst. In a country that has six fatal accidents a day, some people turn road accidents into a real business. In the village of Bielsko Biala, Kuba works as a breakdown mechanic. In six years in the business, he has been called out to thousands of accidents. in a small village near Żywiec Two cars collided in the front This Mercedes from Audi The funniest thing in this whole situation was that Audi after the whole accident landed on Mercedes I know what’s going on. I know, I know, I know. I know. I know. We’ll figure it out. Well, hey. We’re going to the Hungarian mountain of Kobielsk to put a converted concrete truck, loaded. About 35, 6, 7 tons. which could earn him several thousand euros. It wasn’t on the motorway that the cement mixer overturned. Right in the middle of the field. The lorry overturned on this slightly sloping dirt road. The driver has already been taken to the hospital. This couple, who live nearby, called the emergency services. He pulled back his back, instead of holding the left side of the truck, he pulled the other side of the truck closer to the fence. The truck was scary, it was like a bomb. The truck driver was holding the left side of the truck too close, as you can see, and he pulled back his back. His employee’s accident will cost him dearly. For this unusual operation, Kuba has brought in two enormous tow trucks. They’re rotators worth one million euros each. He also called in three of his colleagues who, like him, will be working for several hours to get this truck out of the field. Come on, come on, come on, come on, come on! Good! They have to find a solution very quickly, because if the concrete dries, the truck will be impossible to move. Kuba gets the ball rolling. Using a large steel cable and straps, he attaches the truck to his tow trucks. wait wait wait no she’s turning around fuck no she’s turning around slippery well it’s slippery It’s just dirt. It’s impossible. Cobra, not this way, this way. Time is running out because the concrete inside is almost dry. The lorry is getting heavier and heavier, making it harder for the recovery team. I’ll tell you that no one has ever given me such a hard time. It’s fucking unbelievable. Kuba decides to change strategy. He positions one of his two tow trucks on the other side of the cement mixer. It will pull in the other direction to act as a counterweight and prevent the concrete mixer from sliding. Fuck, this is heavy. Fuck me. After three hours of effort… So here are the only ideas. Maybe this, maybe that, not this, then this. There is no other option with trucks, especially with something like this. The big day has arrived for Marta Cakrewska, the criminal lawyer defending the family of the man hit by a car, travelling at more than 120 km an hour. The trial takes place in a few hours in the presence of the accused. The victim’s lawyer and family want the courts to classify the crime as murder. And that it will impose an exemplary sentence of 15 years in prison on the reckless driver. By driving at more than 120 kilometers in the middle of the town center, the driver couldn’t have been unaware that he was a danger to himself and others. His lawyers, however, are asking for a much lighter sentence, only four years imprisonment. Marta, the family lawyer, is confident. Her first argument is the driver’s excessive speed. She relies on the opinion of an expert. The High Court is clear. The fugitive relied on the entire evidence material with the calculation by the fugitive’s foot of the initial speed, i.e. the speed calculated by the fugitive based on the traces of braking. before the moment we see on the monitor, and as of the previous one, they counted 134 km per hour. But suddenly the judge raises a procedural issue. The court has decided to appoint a new expert to determine the speed of the car at the time of the accident. For the victim’s family, this is a major blow. The family were expecting the court to announce its verdict today. I would like to live for two months. Oh, no. If he gets a death, it will end. Well, my father died clearly said that he did not think that it would end like this today. They really wanted to hear the verdict. They want to end this period of regret. It is really necessary for them. The more time it takes, the more things get lost, also in the memory of witnesses. The dimension of justice should not look like this, but this is the dimension of justice in Poland, where you wait for the end of the case for years. Despite this setback, Marta remains hopeful. She’s fighting to protect pedestrians, because in Poland these road users are particularly vulnerable. They account for almost 25% of fatal road accidents. In other European countries the figure is lower, such as in France, 15%. These tragedies are commonplace for the A4 fire brigade. To come to the aid of pedestrians, Captain Greg and his colleagues have to stay in top form. This is Nero. The time we spend on a daily basis requires a lot of physical fitness. That’s why playing on a daily basis, going to the gym, various types of team games, help us with that. We’re going to the gym, guys! But these moments of relaxation are always short-lived. The team has to be ready in less than a minute. A seven-year-old child has just been hit by a car. The accident happened in a residential area of Gliwice. The paramedics already on the scene take charge of the child. According to the initial findings of the investigation, it was an accidental collision. According to initial reports, the child jumped out from between these cars parked on the side. The driver at the wheel of this car could do nothing. The boy is between life and death. In order to get there as quickly as possible and try to save him, a doctor has been rushed to the scene by helicopter. Eeeh, cross-country? Or round trip? Round trip. Okay, Jarek, you take radio station KSWL on U-02, you connect. Okay. Patryk, help him find a place for landing and let him know. Two firefighters set off in search of a landing place. Here? I’m going to the 50th floor. The place is awesome. Jarek, did you manage to mark anything? OK, OK. There are two military units there. Greg, the crew chief, is struggling to be able to land the helicopter safely. Listen, do you know any green square here? But on the other side, there are cranes in the mountains, right? There is also on the other side. OK. There is also, there is such a … And here is some kind of square … Jarek, I have a helicopter in place, above my head. Contact them. But the boy’s condition is deteriorating by the second. The medical team in the helicopter can’t wait any longer and makes a radical decision. I need you to stand aside. Okay, we’ll be in place. Jarek, I need you here in place. Get in the car, I need to get the helicopter. The pilot embarks on a delicate maneuver. He lands his aircraft in the middle of the buildings. The slightest piloting error would result in tragedy. He never put his hand on the floor and didn’t mark the place. The doctor will quickly assess the child’s condition and decide whether he can be airlifted to hospital. Do you need help? No, I’m going to go now, it’s been too long since we’ve been in the hospital. But the injuries are far too serious. I’m in a bad condition. It’s impossible to transport him. The medical team will try to save his life on the spot. Everyone in the neighborhood is in shock. They know this seven-year-old child. He was playing in this playground when he tried to cross the road to go home to his father. The man who was at home at the time of the accident is only waiting for one thing. News about his son. Can you sit in the car? Don’t move. Come this way. For local residents, the seemingly quiet streets are actually very dangerous. I’m driving here fast, but not only once. I saw children stopping after the last film. I’m not sure if it’s a blockade here or some additional release. The police begin their investigation. Investigators need to determine whether the motorist was driving over the 30 km an hour limit. The driver, who has not drunk a single drop of alcohol, according to the breathalyzer, is distraught. Let him come with us, ok? To our car, you can sit here. No, it’s ok. I have to stay here. I’m fine, nothing’s happening to me. I’m his. Ok, I’ll put the guard here, ok? Ok? If you need help, please let me know. The doctor spent almost an hour trying to save the boy’s life. This kind of operation is particularly upsetting for the firefighters. The emotional shock is enormous. We’ll think about it and come back to the conversation in the unit. And yes, great, thanks. Everything is very good. Captain Greg, himself a father, is deeply affected. This is the second time in six months that he has had to come to the aid of a child seriously injured in a road accident. I think so, because I also have small children. And the image of a child during such an accident is a nightmare. But unfortunately, our work on this is… To overcome these traumatic interventions in the brigade, each firefighter has his own method. Some climb mountains, others do sport. But one of the team’s bosses has found a rather original passion. I’m starting the vacuum cleaner. Here are pieces of dry wood. The idea is to create smoke in this vacuum cleaner for working at the huts or walls. ZB, a firefighter like his father, joined the fire brigade in 1999, a long career during which he has often had to deal with fatal accidents. I won’t be able to tell you exactly what it is, but different things happen. Broken limbs, or even dead bodies. Here we have two motorways approaching, A1 and A4. And quite often such incidents occur. The same happens in the city. The efforts of Polish firefighters and the authorities to make the roads a little safer is beginning to bear fruit. Between 2017 and 2022, the number of fatal accidents in Poland dropped by 25%.

This documentary dives into one of the deadliest road networks in Europe, with a special focus on Poland’s A4 motorway, which stretches 650 kilometers across the country. In 2021, 2,250 people were killed on Polish roads — a figure 50% higher than in countries like France, relative to the population.

The A4, Poland’s main east-west highway, is the site of nearly half of all road accidents in the country. Firefighters from Gliwice, one of Poland’s busiest stations, respond to over 600 incidents per year on this route, often involving severe crashes, pileups, or vehicle fires.

In response, Polish authorities have toughened their approach: a points-based driving license system (24 points, but they are lost quickly), hefty fines (up to €1,000), and a near-zero alcohol limit for drivers (just 0.2 g/l). The police use high-powered, unmarked vehicles equipped with €60,000 mobile radar systems to catch reckless drivers.

Yet despite these efforts, young daredevil drivers — fans of drifting and high-speed racing — still organize illegal street races, especially near Kraków. The documentary follows a group of such “drifters,” including Bartek, a young farmer with a passion for modified cars.

One of the most striking cases featured is that of a young father killed while crossing the street at 120 km/h, alongside his wife and child, in the heart of Warsaw. His lawyer, Marta Cakrewska, is fighting for the case to be classified as murder, not just a road accident.

The film also documents everyday tragedies: an overturned cement mixer, a burning delivery van, and a 7-year-old child hit in the street — all highlighting the extreme danger of Polish roads, and the emotional toll on firefighters, frequently exposed to fatal accidents, especially involving children.

Despite all this, there is a glimmer of hope: between 2017 and 2022, fatal accidents in Poland have dropped by 25%, suggesting that the measures taken are beginning to have a real impact.

Director : Martin Fossati