Traffic rules in the Czech Republic: what the police check from a driver
Speed limits, zero-alcohol rules, child seats, and the police-call threshold after an accident in Czech Republic — quoting zákon č. 361/2000 Sb.
Czech traffic law is built around zákon č. 361/2000 Sb., and it answers most of the questions a visiting driver runs into without much ambiguity: how much you can drink before driving, what speed applies to which type of road, what has to be in the car, and when calling the police after an accident is not optional. This article goes through the rules point by point, quoting the law’s own wording where it matters.
In short. The Czech Republic has an absolute ban on alcohol behind the wheel — not 0.3, not 0.5 per mille, but zero. Speed limits: 50 km/h in a built-up area, 90 km/h outside it, 110 km/h on a road for motor vehicles, 130 km/h on a motorway. Calling the police after an accident is mandatory whenever someone is injured or damage exceeds 200,000 crowns — a threshold that has applied since 1 July 2025.
Speed limits by road type
The law separates four situations, and most confusion happens right at the edge between a town and the open road.
| Situation | Limit |
|---|---|
| Built-up area | 50 km/h |
| Motorway (dálnice) or road for motor vehicles (silnice pro motorová vozidla) within a built-up area | 80 km/h |
| Outside a built-up area, ordinary road | 90 km/h |
| Outside a built-up area, road for motor vehicles | 110 km/h |
| Outside a built-up area, motorway (dálnice) | 130 km/h |
The rule under §18 of zákon č. 361/2000 Sb. makes no exception based on the driver’s nationality or where the car is registered — the law’s wording addresses “řidiči” (drivers) as a whole. There is no separate allowance for a rental car with foreign plates.
There are no stretches of Czech motorway without an upper limit — 130 km/h is a ceiling, not a suggestion, unlike the German Autobahn, where part of the network is regulated differently (covered in the article on neighbouring countries’ driving rules).
Alcohol: not a per-mille limit, but zero
The law sets no permitted blood-alcohol threshold for drivers at all. §5 of zákon č. 361/2000 Sb. prohibits both getting behind the wheel after drinking and drinking while driving — the wording covers “any presence of alcohol in the body,” not a specific figure.
This sets the Czech Republic apart from some of its neighbours, where a statutory threshold of around 0.5 per mille applies. A driver used to thinking “a little is fine” risks a case in the Czech Republic over a fraction of a per mille that would be perfectly legal at home.
Mandatory equipment in the car
The list is shorter than most people assume — part of the requirement was scrapped back in 2018.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| First-aid kit | Mandatory, simplified contents, no need to track the expiry date of individual items |
| Warning triangle | Mandatory |
| Reflective vest | Mandatory in the car; must be worn if you have to step out onto the roadway during a forced stop |
| Spare wheel, jack, wheel wrench | Not mandatory if the car carries a repair kit or a roadside assistance contract |
| Spare bulbs and fuses | Requirement dropped on 1 October 2018 |
| Fire extinguisher | Not required for a passenger car |
The 2018 reform removed spare bulbs and fuses from the list and simplified the first-aid kit requirement — worth keeping in mind if you’re going by an older article or a memory of a trip from a decade ago.
The vest is worth remembering separately: the obligation to wear it doesn’t kick in inside the car, but outside it — if you have to step onto the roadway during a forced stop. Standing on the hard shoulder without a vest in that situation is technically an offence, even if the stop itself was caused by a breakdown rather than anything the driver did.
Lights, phones, child seats
Dipped headlights or daytime running lights must be on year-round, day and night, regardless of visibility — this is a requirement under §32 of the law, not a seasonal recommendation. In reduced visibility, front and rear fog lights or full beam are added as needed.
Holding a phone in your hand while driving is prohibited under §7 of the law; a device mounted in a holder, held by nothing but the mount, is not explicitly named by the law as an offence.
Child seats are regulated by weight and height, not by age as the sole criterion:
- a child under three cannot be carried without a restraint system, full stop;
- a child under 150 cm tall cannot sit in the front seat next to the driver;
- weight up to 36 kg and height up to 150 cm — a child seat matching the child’s parameters is mandatory;
- weight over 36 kg or height over 150 cm — travel on a seatbelt without a seat is allowed.
For a family trip in a rental car, this means one thing: the seat is chosen for the specific child, not for the age printed in a passport.
Child-transport requirements make the difference between a two-door and a four-door body noticeable in practice: fitting a child seat into the back of a coupé and doing the same in a car with proper access to the rear row are not the same task in time or effort. For a family trip, a car with a full second row and a high seating position is more practical — for example, the Mercedes-Benz GLS 400d or the Porsche Macan: both give room for a child seat without acrobatics and enough space for the luggage that comes with it. Current terms and available configurations are on the model page and in the catalogue.
Accidents: when calling the police is mandatory
The threshold changed recently, and some sources online still haven’t caught up. Since 1 July 2025, calling the police is mandatory whenever an accident injures or kills someone, or when material damage to one of the vehicles involved (including goods being carried) exceeds 200,000 crowns. Before that date, the threshold was 100,000 crowns.
The obligation also arises in two further cases: damage to the property of a third party not involved in the accident as a party, or damage to a piece of road infrastructure — a barrier, a sign, a structural part of the road.
If none of these conditions apply, the parties handle the accident themselves: they fill in and sign a joint “Záznam o dopravní nehodě” (accident report) form and hand it to the insurer, without calling the police to the scene.
For a rental car driver, the sensible sequence is simple: first assess whether anyone is hurt or the damage is obviously large — if so, call the police straight away rather than spending time trying to sort things out on the spot. If none of the call-in conditions apply and both parties agree on what happened, the rest can be handled without police, by recording the damage and the other party’s details.
What the police check from a driver
On request from a police officer, a driver must produce a valid driving licence and the vehicle registration certificate (osvědčení o registraci vozidla). That is the complete list for a basic check — a separate document proving third-party liability insurance is not on it.
A power of attorney or rental agreement authorising you to drive someone else’s car is not required by Czech law as a mandatory document. Carrying one in practice is a sensible idea — it makes it easier to explain why the person behind the wheel isn’t the car’s owner — but there is no fine for not having it, within the Czech Republic itself. Crossing into some neighbouring countries is a different matter, covered in the article on taking a rental car across the border.
Documents get regularly confused with insurance. Third-party liability cover is mandatory for any registered car in the Czech Republic and applies automatically once the car is lawfully registered, but you don’t need to prove it on paper to a police officer during a routine road check — that item simply isn’t on the §6 list.
Common misconceptions
“You can have a bit to drink in the Czech Republic, like in Germany.” No: the law sets no per-mille threshold at all — any presence of alcohol is prohibited.
“The police-call threshold for an accident is 100,000 crowns.” Outdated. Since 1 July 2025 the threshold has been raised to 200,000 crowns, though some official pages hadn’t been updated at the time this material was prepared and still quote the old figure.
“The ‘European accident statement’ is a separate legal institution.” The law’s text contains no direct mention of the term: handling an accident without the police is described as a recommended procedure, not as a separately named legal institution.
“Rules are more lenient for foreign drivers.” Every clause checked here addresses the driver without exception for nationality or the country where the car is registered.
“A power of attorney for someone else’s car is always mandatory.” Not within the Czech Republic itself — it’s a recommendation, not a legal requirement. Whether it’s mandatory in specific neighbouring countries is a separate question.
“You need to carry a paper liability insurance policy for a police check.” Third-party insurance documentation is not on the list of items police are entitled to request under §6.
What changes, and how to check
The police-call threshold for accidents has already changed once in recent years, and the rule could well be revised again — it’s worth checking the current version of the law before a trip rather than relying on a figure from an article online. Equipment requirements work the same way: part of the list was scrapped in 2018, and the next revision could happen without much news coverage. The current text of the law and official guidance are published by the Ministerstvo dopravy ČR, and enforcement practice by the Policie ČR.
This article covers only the traffic rules themselves. The separate question of winter tyres is covered in full in the article on winter tyres — here it’s enough to know that the requirement exists and is tied to both the calendar and the weather at once. Road charges — vignettes and tolls — aren’t retold here either; they’re covered in full in the article on vignettes and tolls.
Frequently asked questions
Can I have one glass of wine before a short trip around town? No. Czech law sets no permitted per-mille threshold — driving with any alcohol in your system is prohibited, and one glass doesn’t get around that.
What’s the speed limit on a Czech motorway? 130 km/h outside a built-up area. Within city limits, even where the road is formally a motorway, the limit drops to 80 km/h.
Do I need to carry a fire extinguisher in the car? Not for a passenger car. A first-aid kit, a warning triangle, and a reflective vest are mandatory; a fire extinguisher is required for buses and certain categories of special-purpose vehicles.
From what age can a child travel without a car seat? Age alone isn’t the criterion: a seat matching the child’s parameters is mandatory until weight exceeds 36 kg or height exceeds 150 cm. After that, a seatbelt without a seat is allowed.
When is calling the police after an accident mandatory? Always, if someone is injured or killed. For material damage — if it exceeds 200,000 crowns on one of the vehicles involved, or if someone else’s car or road infrastructure is affected.
Do I need to carry a power of attorney for a rental car? Under Czech law it isn’t a mandatory document to show the police. In practice, having it makes explaining the situation at a check easier, and requirements may differ when crossing into certain neighbouring countries.
Can I use a phone mounted in a holder while driving? Holding a phone in your hand while driving is prohibited. A device mounted in a holder, held by nothing but the mount, isn’t separately named by the law as an offence.
What does the police check when stopping a rental car driver? A valid driving licence and the vehicle registration certificate. Third-party liability insurance documentation is not on the mandatory list.