Is the vehicle driver obliged to signal the stop of a motor vehicle or trailer as a result of damage or an accident on the highway?

The illustration shows a red reflective warning triangle - a mandatory item of a car's equipment. The driver is obliged to signal that a power-driven vehicle or trailer is stationary due to a breakdown or accident on a motorway. The answer is: yes.

The Road Traffic Act requires the driver to signal that a power-driven vehicle or trailer is stationary due to a breakdown or accident on a motorway or expressway in every case - regardless of whether the vehicle is on the roadway or on the emergency lane (hard shoulder), and whether it is clearly visible. On a motorway, you signal the stationary vehicle by switching on the hazard warning lights (and if the vehicle does not have them - the sidelights) and placing the reflective warning triangle 100 m behind the vehicle, on the roadway or the shoulder, depending on where the vehicle came to a standstill; the signalling applies for the whole time the vehicle is stationary. One hundred metres is about 130 steps of an adult - that is what a driver travelling at 140 km/h needs to notice an obstacle and react. You carry the triangle while walking along the shoulder, wearing a reflective vest, and after you set it up you do not go back to the car, but wait for help behind the barrier, away from the roadway.

Legal basis: Art. 50 para. 1 point 1, para. 2 point 1 and para. 3 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)