Poland's Road safety improved in 2009 but the number of drunk drivers stopped by police went up to more than 173,000 from 168,000 in 2008, Polish police chief said on Friday.
According to Police National Headquarters' statistics, the year 2009 saw 44,000 road accidents with 4,500 fatalities and 55,900 injuries versus
49,000 accidents in 2008 with 5,400 fatalities and 62,000 injuries.
Police Commander-in-Chief General Andrzej Matejuk told reporters that accidents were chiefly caused by speeding, apart from drunken driving.
"It is noteworthy that in 1989 there were more than 8.5 million registered cars with the year seeing more than 67,000 accidents. Over the
years the number of cars exceeded 21 million with the number of accidents falling to 44,000," Matejuk said.
In 2009 some 300 unmarked police cars with video recording equipment ensured safety on roads as did more than 1,200 photo radars, Matejuk added.
Last year, police checked more than 2 million drivers with breathalyzers and more than 20,000 with drug tests.
Police also organized several broadly-launched campaigns promoting road safety among various circles of people.