As of: February 22, 2024, 8:32 p.m
By: Bettina Menzel
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Speed limit on Austria's roads: According to a new law, extreme speeders will be able to lose their cars in the future (archive image).
© Imago/Daniel Scharinger
Extreme speeders endanger the lives of other road users.
Austria will therefore take away cars from “incorrigible people” in the future – this also applies to holidaymakers.
Vienna – Speeders in Austria have to expect harsh penalties and fines.
From March 1, 2024, the vehicle can also be confiscated in the event of extreme violations of the speed limit.
Austrian National Council passes new law against speeders: “Car becomes a weapon”
The Alpine republic is taking extreme measures against extreme speeders: in the future, cars can be confiscated on the spot, according to a statement from the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy and Mobility.
Extreme speeding endangers the health and lives of uninvolved road users, said Austrian Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler, explaining the background to the decision.
There is a speed at which the car becomes a weapon.
“We are now putting an end to this and ensuring that their murder weapon is immediately and permanently taken out of the hands of the perpetrators in the future,” the minister continued.
The Austrian federal government had already decided on an initial package of measures against extreme lawn racing in 2021.
This included increasing the penalty range to 5,000 euros and doubling the length of time the driver's license could be revoked.
New law from March 1st: an overview of the details
If you exceed the speed limit by more than
60 kilometers per hour in urban areas or 70 kilometers per hour
outside of urban areas, the road supervisory authorities will initially confiscate the vehicle temporarily.
The authorities will then make a decision within two weeks as to whether the speeder will permanently lose his vehicle.
The decisive factor here is whether the driver had already lost his driving license within the last four years due to driving too fast (violations according to Section 7 Paragraph 3 Z 3 or 4 FSG).
Likewise, the car is gone if the speed
is exceeded
by more than 80 km/h in urban areas or 90 km/h outside of urban areas .
In these cases, the car will be auctioned without compensation.
In addition, according to Section 17 VStG, a fine is possible in order to deter the speeder from further violations.
Source: Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility
Around a fifth (22.7 percent) of all fatal traffic accidents on Austria's roads in 2022 were caused by driving too fast, as a look at the statistics shows.
Only carelessness and distraction were responsible for more deaths, accounting for 25.6 percent.
New law against speeders: “If you no longer have a car, you can no longer speed”
The second package of measures, which now includes the possibility of confiscating the car, is scheduled to come into force on March 1, 2024.
It takes effect “when other punishments are no longer effective,” continued Gewessler.
The new law is particularly aimed at reckless repeat offenders who knowingly put the lives of others at risk.
Repeated speeding of more than 60 kilometers per hour in urban areas and 70 kilometers per hour outside of urban areas will be punished with the confiscation of the car if individuals are “completely unteachable,” it said.
“Because if you no longer have a car, you can no longer race,” the minister continued.
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However, if you drive too fast within a town at over 80 kilometers per hour or outside of it at 90 km/h, you could lose your car the first time.
The state then plans to auction off the cars it has picked up.
The owner receives no money.
“In this case, the vehicle will be sold without compensation,” is what it says in official language.
The new rule apparently also applies to tourists and includes racing on motorcycles.
The aim of Austria's road safety strategy is to halve the number of road deaths by 2030.
Meanwhile, the European Parliament is aiming to enforce driving bans across the EU in the future.