In the presented situation, are you allowed to continue driving through the pedestrian crossing without stopping?

In the photo, in winter, you are driving on a road outside town and approaching a pedestrian crossing marked with sign D-6; there is no pedestrian on the crossing, on the pavements or nearby. In this situation you may continue driving through the crossing without stopping. The answer is: yes.

The Road Traffic Act states that a driver approaching a pedestrian crossing must exercise particular caution, reduce speed so as not to endanger a pedestrian who is on the crossing or entering it, and give way to such a pedestrian. So the duty to stop arises only when someone is on the crossing or entering it; you drive through an empty crossing without stopping, but not as if it were not there. Particular caution means that you slow down enough to be able to brake if someone does appear, and you watch both ends of the crossing. In winter the braking distance is longer, so the speed margin must be bigger. Stopping before an empty crossing is not required and could surprise the drivers behind you.

Legal basis: Art. 26 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym); § 47 para. 1 and 4 of the Regulation on road signs and signals