Speed camera fine up to 7.5 thousand PLN? New ministry draft

In brief

The maximum penalty for failing to identify the perpetrator of an offense recorded by a speed camera is set to increase to 7.5 thousand PLN.
The ministry is introducing an administrative fee, which is intended to be significantly more severe than a standard traffic ticket.
The changes are a response to the problem of drivers frequently "dodging" responsibility for speeding.

7.5 thousand PLN fine: Ministry strikes at those avoiding responsibility

The Ministry of Infrastructure has prepared a draft that is intended to definitively end the era of impunity for drivers catching "speed camera opportunities." The ministry proposes tightening the regulations by introducing a maximum penalty of 7.5 thousand PLN. However, this will not be a typical speeding ticket, but a severe administrative fee imposed on the vehicle owner for failing to identify the person driving the vehicle at the time the offense was recorded by the recording device.

This solution strikes at the most popular method of "dodging" consequences, which Polish drivers have been using for years. Currently, avoiding the identification of the perpetrator often results in a much lower penalty than what would be threatened for the traffic offense itself. The ministry wants to seal this loophole. The amount of 7.5 thousand PLN is intended to stop being a theoretical deterrent and become a real cost of disregarding official summons.

In practice, this change means that the vehicle owner will have to make a decision: either admit guilt and accept the speeding ticket, or identify the person who was actually behind the wheel. The third way, i.e., ignoring the letter from the speed camera, will become financially unprofitable.

Skeptics, however, note that such a high amount may raise legal controversies, especially in the context of the proportionality of the penalty to the act. Is 7.5 thousand PLN for not responding to a letter a fair penalty? The question remains open. The ministry hopes that the threat of such a high financial burden will effectively force vehicle owners to be more meticulous in keeping records of people using their cars. If the draft enters into force, for many drivers, receiving a photo from a speed camera will become the beginning of a costly procedure that can no longer be avoided by simple silence.

Why is the ministry changing the rules? The problem with enforceability

The Ministry of Infrastructure is striking at a legal loophole that has been paralyzing the speed camera system for years. The ministry proposes introducing an administrative fee of 7.5 thousand PLN for failing to identify the person driving the vehicle at the time of the offense. This is not another minor flaw in the system, but an attempt to definitively end the practice where the car owner, protecting themselves or their loved ones, simply ignores official summons.

The problem is not new. Already in 2024, there was loud talk about drivers frequently dodging fines by taking advantage of unclear regulations or counting on the lengthiness of proceedings. The current state of affairs makes a photo from a speed camera merely an optional suggestion for many, rather than a legal summons to responsibility. Officials are tired of chasing perpetrators of offenses who deliberately mislead the system or remain silent, hoping for the statute of limitations to expire.

The goal of the changes is to improve the enforceability of traffic regulations, which has recently dropped drastically in the eyes of the ministry. Establishing such a high administrative fee is intended to change the cost-benefit calculation: today, it is often more profitable to risk ignoring a letter from the inspection than to admit to an offense and pay a fine. The new amount is intended to be prohibitive, making avoiding responsibility economically unjustified.

The catch? This solution ricochets against vehicle owners who may actually not remember who they lent their car to a few weeks earlier. For them, 7.5 thousand PLN is a penalty disproportionate to the offense, which may cause social opposition. However, the ministry puts forward a hard thesis: in the era of widespread monitoring and digital systems, the owner is responsible for who they hand the keys to. If they cannot identify the driver, they must bear the administrative costs. The ministry hopes that the specter of a severe penalty will effectively teach drivers to stop obfuscating.

Administrative fee instead of a fine – what is the catch?

The Ministry of Infrastructure has prepared a draft that may turn out to be a brutal awakening for many drivers. The introduced administrative fee for failing to identify the person driving the vehicle at the time the offense was recorded is not just another fine. It is a financial pressure mechanism. The ministry proposes a maximum penalty of 7.5 thousand PLN, which is a significantly higher amount than standard penalties for speeding or other traffic offenses.

The key catch lies in the legal structure itself. Until now, the vehicle owner, ignoring correspondence from the speed camera, often counted on the statute of limitations or the low harmfulness of the act. Now the situation is changing dramatically. Failure to respond to an official letter ceases to be a game of time and becomes the basis for imposing a much stricter financial sanction. Officials are clearly signaling that the time for avoiding responsibility is coming to an end.

This mechanism strikes at the proven way of "dodging" fines, which has been the bane of services for years. Here is what you need to know about the new procedure:

A rigid administrative fee is being introduced, which replaces the existing, often ineffective approach to identifying the perpetrator of an offense.
Failure to respond to an official letter is associated with a penalty much higher than a standard fine, reaching up to 7.5 thousand PLN.
The obligation to identify the driver will become a priority for the vehicle owner, because the cost of failing to perform this action will far exceed the fine for the offense itself.

For the ministry, this is a disciplinary tool intended to seal the law enforcement system. From the driver's perspective, however, it means the end of the margin for error. The strategy of silence before the office ceases to be profitable and can cost the car owner a fortune, regardless of whether they were actually behind the wheel at the moment the speed camera flashed.

Expansion of the speed camera network in Poland

The Ministry of Infrastructure proposes a maximum penalty of 7.5 thousand PLN, which will be imposed as an administrative fee for failing to identify the person driving the vehicle at the time the offense was recorded. This solution is intended to be the final sealing of the system in which "clever" drivers have hitherto avoided responsibility by hiding behind ignorance as to who was behind the wheel. The ministry's draft fits into a broader strategy of increasing the detection of offenses on the roads through the automation of controls.

The speed monitoring system in Poland is no longer just a collection of scattered devices, but a technologically growing network. Already in February 2026, the ministry reported on plans to install 100 new speed cameras, which are successively appearing on national and provincial roads. The investment in automation is intended to minimize the human factor, and thus limit the possibility of questioning the findings of the services. This can be seen, for example, in the case of Lower Silesia, where the monitoring system is being consistently expanded with additional control points.

The fiscal nature of the new penalty, however, raises questions about the real goal of these changes. Is it about safety, or about quickly patching budget holes? Previous attempts to "dodge" fines by car owners are becoming increasingly difficult, which makes automatic recorders a tool that is almost flawless in the hands of the system. If the draft enters into force, the vehicle owner will have to either identify the perpetrator or pay an amount incomparably higher than a standard speeding ticket. This is a radical turn in the state's policy towards drivers who until now could count on a loophole in the regulations. Now this path is closing with a bang, and the cost of disregarding a summons from the office can be painful for any wallet.

Resistance from legal circles and public debate

Judges are already openly expressing opposition to some of the penalty tightenings, as reported by the portal brd24.pl in August 2026. Lawyers point to a dangerous precedent – replacing judicial procedures with automatic administrative fees. Such a move could lead to a situation where the presumption of guilt becomes the standard, and the right to defense becomes illusory.

A heated debate is underway regarding the balance between road safety and the severity of penalties. Supporters of government solutions argue that the current "preferential tariff" for those avoiding responsibility is a mockery of the regulations, especially when speed cameras record more and more violations. Critics, however, respond that such a drastic increase in the administrative fee – to the level of 7.5 thousand PLN – is an attempt to patch the budget at the expense of citizens, not a real improvement in safety.

Many drivers rightly ask where prevention ends and fiscalism begins. The Ministry of Infrastructure must now face accusations of violating constitutional principles in the name of speed of law enforcement. If the draft enters into force in its current form, further protests and likely challenges to the regulations to the Constitutional Tribunal will be inevitable. This situation shows a deep split: the state wants effectiveness at all costs, legal circles warn against the erosion of justice standards. The coming weeks will show whether the ministry will withdraw from such high amounts or maintain a hard course despite growing opposition.

What awaits drivers in the near future?

The Ministry of Infrastructure is bringing out heavy artillery against people who have hitherto avoided consequences for offenses recorded by automatic devices. The ministry has presented a draft of regulations according to which, for failing to identify the person driving the vehicle at the time the offense was recorded, the car owner will have to pay an administrative fee. Its maximum amount has been set at 7.5 thousand PLN. This is an amount that is intended to finally curb the practices of "dodging" fines, often used by motorists in situations where the speed camera takes a photo in which the driver's face is poorly visible or completely covered.

For many drivers, this is a drastic jump in costs. The previous uncertainty about the amount of the penalty for not responding to an official letter will cease to exist, giving way to rigid, high rates. Officials have clearly decided that the current disciplinary mechanisms are too soft to really influence the behavior of road users.

The package of changes that is to enter into force, however, is not just a hit to the pocket. Legislators have prepared a broader list of modifications aimed at sealing the road safety (BRD) system. Here is what else will be included in the new regulations:

Introduction of penalty points without a preferential tariff, which means the end of the possibility of quickly reducing them through re-education courses in their current form.
Mandatory helmets for children, which is another important element of the package of changes in BRD regulations, aimed at minimizing the consequences of potential road incidents.

The introduction of such high administrative penalties is a double-edged sword. On one hand, the state gains an effective tool for law enforcement, on the other – it opens the field for disputes about the constitutionality of such radical rates for merely failing to identify the driver, and not for the traffic offense itself. It can be expected that motoring circles will closely watch the legislative path of this draft.

What this means for you

For drivers, this means the end of easily avoiding fines by not picking up letters or identifying non-existent people. The state budget and road safety will gain, while people counting on legal loopholes, for whom 7.5 thousand PLN will be a very painful lesson, will lose.

Questions and answers

Is 7.5 thousand PLN a fine for speeding itself?

No, this is the maximum administrative fee imposed on the vehicle owner in the event of failing to identify the person who was driving the car at the time of the offense.

When will the new regulations be in effect?

The draft is at the stage of government work, and the ministry informed about the need for changes in August 2026.

Can I avoid the penalty if I don't remember who was driving?

The new regulations aim to seal the system, which means that the obligation to identify the driver will be strictly enforced under the threat of a high financial penalty.

Sources

Article prepared by the Wiadomości PRO editorial team with the support of artificial intelligence. Facts come from the sources listed above.