Polish police use drones to monitor truck overtaking on S7

The Szydłowiec District Police Headquarters conducted a specialized enforcement operation titled ‘Truck – Wyprzedzanie’ on the S7 expressway. The operation utilized drone technology, provided by the Radom Voivodeship Police Headquarters, to monitor and record heavy goods vehicles (N2 or N3 category, exceeding 3.5 tons) performing overtaking maneuvers.

Under current Polish regulations, overtaking is prohibited for these vehicle categories on motorways and expressways with only two lanes in one direction. The drone footage allows ground patrols to verify violations and issue fines, which can reach 1,000 PLN and 8 penalty points. While the police have not released the specific number of drivers penalized during this action, they have announced that further controls will be conducted to improve traffic flow and road safety.

The use of drone technology has raised discussions regarding the precision of enforcement, specifically concerning whether the speed differential between vehicles meets the legal exceptions for overtaking.