Czech Republic

This is a ROADPOL country driving guide to help drivers visiting the Czech Republic.

Visitor Information: 

• Capital: Prague
• Number of Inhabitants in the Czech Republic: cca 10 500 000 inhabitants.
• The Czech Republic is divided into 14 self-governing units called „regions“.
• The Police of the Czech Republic follows this self-governing division and so it consists of 14 Regional Police Directorates. The whole police is managed by the Police Presidium of the Czech Republic.   
• The Czech Republic has following neighbours: in the west it is Germany, in the north Poland, in the east the Slovak Republic and in the south Austria.
• Currency: Czech Crown.
• The entire area of roads is approx. 55 600 kms.
• The entire area of highways is from the year 2016 approx. 1 200 kms.
• Number of registered motor vehicles in the Czech Republic: at the end of 2015 it was in total cca 7 000 000 motor vehicles.Number of driving licences holders: cca 40 000.
• In the Czech Republic there is the points system. When the driver achieves 12 penalty points he/she loses the qualification to drive motor vehicles at the territory of the Czech Republic.
• The international mark of the Czech Republic on the signplates is „CZ“.

Collision & Breakdown Information: 

• You are obliged to announce any traffic accident to the police in the Czech Republic:

- if it concerns the death or injury of persons,
- if it concerns the damage evidently exceeding 100 000 CZK (cca 3 500 EUR),
- if the road/communication or its part is damaged or invaded,
- if there is the damage of the property of the third person except the motor vehicle, which participated in the accident,
- if  participants of the traffic accident are not able to restore the fluency of the road traffic themselves.

• In case of any traffic accident the driver has to pull on the reflecting vest and to mark the place of the traffic accident with  the warning triangle. This applies also e.g.  during the emergency standing.
• If such a situation happens in the highway or road for motor vehicles, the occupants have to leave the highway immediately.
• Participants of any traffic accident are obliged to write a record on the traffic accident together and in the meantime to provide to each other  the necessary data for the announcement of a traffic accident.
• Emergancy Numbers
• Police of the Czech Republic  158
• Fire Brigades  150
• Rescue Service  155
• Universal Number  to call Integrated Rescue System  112
• Municipal Police  156

Useful Phrase 1 - English: 

Call the Police!

Useful Phrase 1 - Destination: 

Zavolejte policii!

Useful Phrase 2 - English: 

Do you speak English?

Useful Phrase 2 - Destination: 

Mluvíte anglicky?

Useful Phrase 3 - English: 

Where is the nearest fuel station?

Useful Phrase 3 - Destination: 

Kde je nejbližší čerpací stanice?

Useful Phrase 4 - English: 

I am lost.

Useful Phrase 4 - Destination: 

Ztratil jsem se.

Useful Phrase 5 - English: 

My car has broken down.

Useful Phrase 5 - Destination: 

Mé vozidlo má poruchu.

Useful Phrase 6 - English: 

Thank you.

Useful Phrase 6 - Destination: 

Děkuji.

Road Traffic Policing: 

• The police officer in the uniform is authorised to stop motor vehicles both on the spot and during the drive (in the police car or civilian one).
• He/she is authorised to check documents.
• He/she is authorised to control drivers regarding the usage of alcohol or drugs and to ask him/her to undergo the taking of the biological material.
• He/she is authorised to impose financial penalties on the spot (the driver can pay also by means of payment data terminal).
• He/she is authorised to impose the bail on the spot as the guarantee that the person will come to the administrative proceedings.
• If the bail is not paid the police officer can to secure the motor vehicle or documents of the motor vehicle. The bail in majority of cases is paid in cash and in the Czech currency.
• He/she is authorised to withdraw the driving licence in the specifid cases.
• He/she is authorised to check the technical condition of motor vehicles and to order the control of the technical condition of the certain motor vehicle.
• If there are serious or dangerous defects on the motor vehicle he/she is authorised to shorten or withdraw the technical eligibility of the motor vehicle and in extreme cases also to apprehend the certificate of the registration of the motor vehicle.
• Hešhe is authorised to order the driver the direction of the drive or to change the direction of the drive.
• He/she is authorised to forbid the further drive with the motor vehicle.
• He/she is authorised to fix to the motor vehicle the technical mean which prevent the motor vehicle to depart or in the specified cases to secure this motor vehicle.
• He/she is authorised to use the violent mean to stop the motor vehicle (stopping line) if the driver does not stop after the directive of the police officer.
• He/she is authorised to regulate the road traffic directly.

Road Traffic Enforcement: 

Police of the Czech Republic www.policie.cz

BESIP – Security of Road Traffic (prevetion) www.ibesip.cz

Ministry of Transport: www.mdcr.cz

Ministry of Interior: www.mvcr.cz

Traffic News: http://www.dopravniinfo.cz/

Individual limits and specific driving requirements: 

For more information about driving in the Czech Republic please see the European Commission Road Safety Link - 'Going Abroad':

http://ec.europa.eu/transport/road_safety/going_abroad/czech_republic/index_en.htm