There is a chance that in the near future you will be able to move a mechanical vehicle without a traditional document.
There was a government proposal to introduce an e-driving licence. Thanks to him, drivers would not have to carry a normal driving licence with them. Work is already underway on the implementation of changes to the IT system, serving Central Drivers' Records, and enabling driving without document.
The proposed solutions would require amendments to many laws. These include, in particular, traffic law, the Vehicle Drivers Act and the Road Transport Act.
Limitation of papillology
The Ministry of Digital Affairs together with the Ministry of Infrastructure is working on a so-called deregulation package, which will result in many facilitations for drivers. one These are intended to include the introduction of an e-driving licence, and others – enabling driving without registration and OC policy confirmation.
In order to confirm the driver's rights in the framework of the roadside inspection, it will be sufficient to verify the data in the CEPiK database. The police already have access to the records. An officer may check that the driver of the vehicle has the right to do so without the document shown.
All I need to do is enter the name, name and date of birth of the person being checked into the system, and a photograph of her with the photo in the ID will appear.
Unfortunately, according to official information from the Ministry of Digitization, the Central Register of Drivers in the current form does not allow the implementation of the cancellation of the driving licence document while driving. The transmission of data between the local systems and the Central Register is not synchronous, so it is not certain that the status of the driving licence is up to date.
Changes in government applications are also planned in the near future mObywatel. The car owners will be able to use the mVehicle service, i.e. mapping the data from the registration card and the OC policy on the smartphone. The procedures for issuing driving licences will probably remain unchanged for a long time, due to the adaptation of the IT system to the needs of other entities, including police, courts or prosecutors.
No specifics
The proposed solutions would require amendments to many laws. These include, in particular, traffic law, the Vehicle Drivers Act and the Road Transport Act. An important amendment would require a criminal code, for example in connection with the institution of retention of a driving licence and the credit of such a period for the criminal measure in question.
It's hard to predict when exactly the project will come into effect. There is no information on the real work schedule for e-driving. Local authorities have not yet been consulted and agreed on draft legal acts to implement the proposed solutions. The e-driving licence has not yet been given official run, on government pages we will not even find a mention of this, not to mention the draft or even the outline of the bill.
According to unofficial reports, making the necessary changes would require about a year of preparation. Arrangements are currently underway between the actors responsible for the individual elements of the system, which could lead to a shorter implementation date, but still in months rather than weeks.
What about the participants in the traffic collision?
There is a question that raises some doubts. What about the participants in the traffic collision? If they decide not to call the police and the perpetrator of the incident has no ID or driver's license, there will be a problem with his identification.
The injured person would have to regard the data given by the perpetrator as reliable on the proverbial word of honor. The problem, as well as the scale of the phenomenon itself, are serious – according to statistics, every year in the collisions reported to the police participates in Poland over 400,000 persons, but not reported.
Without doubt, the lack of a document in its present form may cause problems for road collision participants, but it will make life easier for ordinary citizens. However, it still takes a long time to implement the changes proposed by the ministry, as the project requires long and costly IT work, and legislative issues have practically remained intact.
Author: Rafał Czepik. Legal advisor, graduate of the Faculty of Law at the University of Warsaw, specialist in economic and civil law.