A priest joined police in carrying out vehicle checks and reminding drivers of road safety as part of an annual traditional marking the feast day of St Christopher – patron saint of transportation and travel – in the small Polish town of Słupca.
Father Hieronim Szczepaniak joined officers from the local police’s traffic department as they carried out routine inspections of cars, motorbikes, trucks and even a tractor. They also took the opportunity to remind drivers about road safety and the issue of drink driving.
The priest handed out cards bearing the image of St Christopher and containing advice for drivers. The tradition takes place annually in Słupca, a town of 14,000 in central Poland, on 25 July, which is celebrated as St Christopher’s Day in the Catholic church.
This week, Poland’s Catholic church as a whole is holding its annual National Week of St Christopher for the 24th time To mark the occasion, the national chaplain of drivers, Father Marian Midura, appealed for people to use the roads safely and respectfully.
In a number of parishes, priests also blessed drivers and their cars with holy water. This ceremony is intended “to mobilise us to use our vehicles wisely and to comply with road safety rules and remind us of our responsibility before God”, said Jan Piotrowski, the bishop of Kielce.
Poświęcenie pojazdów i błogosławieństwo kierowców w Stalowej Woli. pic.twitter.com/Dfj9FcWmqJ
— Diecezja Sandomierska (@d_sandomierska) July 23, 2023
Last month, Poland won the European Transport Safety Council’s (ETSC) annual award for road safety in recognition of measures it has taken to reduce road deaths by almost half over the last decade.
Between 2012 and 2022, such deaths in Poland fell by 47%, the second largest decline in the EU over that period and more than double the bloc’s average of 22%.
However, in absolute terms, Poland’s roads still remain relatively dangerous. Its 2020 figure of 50 road deaths per million inhabitants was above the EU average of 46.
Poland has won the European Transport Safety Council’s annual award after reducing road deaths by 47% in the last decade, more than double the EU average of 22%.
"Poland has set an example on how to take this issue seriously," says @ETSC_EU https://t.co/mIvS7LF6va
— Notes from Poland 🇵🇱 (@notesfrompoland) June 21, 2023
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Main image credit: Komenda Powiatowa Policji w Słupcy/Facebook
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
