- I know that you transport scrap metal in this trailer.
 But it doesn’t have to look like scrap metal itself. 
Polish roads
If Steven Spielberg wanted to make a sequel
 to “Duel”, he should film it on location in Poland. 
All the necessary props are already here.
Where were you heading to 
before we asked you to pull over? 
- To company headquarters. 
- And before that you had unload your trailer, right?
- Yes.
- It was scrap metal?
- Yeah…
- We’ll now inspect the vehicle.
Switch on the parking lights, please. Okay!
And now the headlights – low beam, high beam. 
And the fog lights.
 This one’s out. Please exit the vehicle.
You can see it for yourself. 
- The bulbs must have burnt out.
- Yeah. They must have, right. 
 Only a single fog light is working. 
And the rear reverse light doesn’t light up either.
The good old method of giving 
it a pat or two seems of no avail. 
- There are some serious problems with the vehicle lights.
There are some wiring problems. 
Take a look here!
 There is a cut in the tyre. 
It should have been scrapped a long time ago. 
A punctured tyre and another worn so
 much that metal cords have been exposed
And then there is the petrol tank, capable of 
holding up to 800 kg of fuel, secured by a single strap. 
- And this tanks, this strap looks… really unprofessional. 
- This is the result of an accident. 
A car hit my fuel tank last week.
So if the driver had known about it for a week,
why hasn’t he done anything to secure it properly?
- I’d like you to switch on the engine now 
and turn the wheels all the way to the left. 
- Where is the door handle?
- The handle? You see it’s like that 
– I have to buy a new one each month. 
But neither the driver’s excuses nor his attempts
 to fix the deficiencies on the spot reassure the inspectors.
This vehicle is a threat to traffic 
safety and the driver himself. 
The inspectors withhold the vehicle registration
 certificate of both the lorry and the trailer. 
- We’ve decided to withhold 
your vehicle registration certificates. 
We will also impose a penalty
 for driving a technically unfit vehicle.
 The maximum penalty for this 
type of offence amounts to PLN 500
 but the inspectors are exceptionally 
lenient and impose only a PLN 200 penalty.
- Can’t you make it a little bit less?
- I’m afraid this is as low as we can get.
 This is already a reduced penalty.
The inspectors are exceptionally forgiving and 
do not require the vehicle to be towed away. 
The driver would be allowed to 
drive to the nearest garage for repairs. 
- Why do you drive a vehicle, which is technically unfit? 
I know you transport scrap metal in this trailer. 
But it doesn’t have to look like scrap metal itself.
- You see, the paint has gone off because…
- This is not about the paint…
- The rear tyre, it was new…
- Okay, maybe it was just an accident,
 but the front tyre is completely…
- I admit, the front tyre needs replacing.
- But overall, this vehicle needs some serious repairs. 
If no repairs are conducted, the inspectors
 or officers would definitely impose
some harsher penalties during
the next inspection.
Have you recorded a road offence or 
an unusual situation? Share it with others. 
Send your email to nadrogach@grupaonet.pl
