Crossing animalsPoland
36. Crossing animals
An animals-crossing warning indicates a place or road section where wild animals, livestock or ridden animals may enter or cross the road. Animals may appear suddenly, move unpredictably or be difficult to see in darkness, vegetation or poor weather.
Drivers should reduce speed, scan both sides of the road and remain prepared to stop. The warning sign does not itself give animals priority or impose a numerical speed limit, but drivers must avoid frightening, endangering or colliding with them.
Wikimedia.org • Mariochom • CC BY-SA
Which animals might drivers encounter on roads in Poland?
Depending on the locality, drivers may meet deer, elk and wild boar on wooded rural routes. Roadside animal-warning signs and local hazard information indicate where extra care may be needed; do not assume the hazard ends immediately after a sign.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 3, 19–20, 23–24, 49; Signs 3–12
Warning for cattle on the road.
English • Traffic sign A-18a • Livestock. Signs A-18a, Livestock, and A-18b, Wild animals, warn that animals may be encountered on the road.
Polski • A-18a • zwierzęta gospodarskie. Znaki: A-18a „zwierzęta gospodarskie”, A-18b „zwierzęta dzikie” ostrzegają o możliwości napotkania na drodze zwierząt.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Eli.gov.pl • § 9 ust. 3
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Paweł Grzywocz • Public domain • Original revision 2025-10-07. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Polish official sign catalogue, Dz.U. 2019 poz. 2310: Eli.gov.pl • A-18a, PDF page 41, with amendments 2021/433, 2021/2065, 2022/2372 and 2026/133 checked. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
Warning for crossing deer.
English • Traffic sign A-18b • Wild animals. Signs A-18a, Livestock, and A-18b, Wild animals, warn that animals may be encountered on the road.
Polski • A-18b • zwierzęta dzikie. Znaki: A-1 8a „zwierzęta gospodarskie”, A-18b „zwierzęta dzikie” ostrzegają o możliwości napotkania na drodze zwierząt.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Eli.gov.pl • § 9 ust.
SVG source: Commons.wikimedia.org • Original SVG
Paweł Grzywocz • Public domain • Original revision 2025-10-07. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Artwork reviewed against the Polish official sign catalogue, Dz.U. 2019 poz. 2310: Eli.gov.pl • A-18b, PDF page 41, with amendments 2021/433, 2021/2065, 2022/2372 and 2026/133 checked. Catalogue-equivalent illustration; intentional update from the previous PNG. This is an educational illustration, not a manufacturing specification.
Does an animal-crossing warning sign in Poland set a new speed limit?
A warning of animals is not, by itself, a numerical speed-limit sign. Continue to obey the applicable speed limit, but slow down whenever animals could enter the road or visibility is poor. A separate regulatory speed sign must also be obeyed.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 3, 19–20, 23–24, 49; Signs 3–12
What should you do if an animal enters the road in Poland?
Ease off the accelerator, assess the traffic behind and brake smoothly if necessary. Avoid abrupt swerving into opposing traffic or off the road. Give farm animals and ridden animals room, avoid frightening them with unnecessary horn use, and be alert for more animals following.
🔗 eli.gov.pl • Poland, Road Traffic Law — articles 3, 19–20, 23–24, 49; Signs 3–12

Traffic rules
Poland