As of: February 22, 2024, 11:53 a.m
By: Moritz Bletzinger
Comments
Press
Split
Complex operation after the accident on the B114 near Hohentauern: an excavator had to free the truck from the pile of snow.
© Judenburg District Fire Brigade Association
The truck was on the road despite the winter driving ban.
Then the accident.
After the near-catastrophe, politicians in Austria are calling for a driving ban and tougher penalties.
Hohentauern – The 40-ton truck lost control on Triebener Straße on a slippery road.
The fully loaded truck slides through the mud into a pile of snow, which prevents anything worse from happening.
An accident with after-effects in Austria.
Outrage after truck accident in Hohentauern – Greens demand year-round driving ban
There is actually a driving ban for trucks on the B114 near Hohentauern in winter. This is often ignored.
Accidents, some serious, occur here again and again.
It's sheer luck that the Schlitter exit of the 40-ton truck went off lightly, politicians from the Greens and NEOS are foaming at the mouth.
“It's a miracle no one was hurt.
But we cannot and must not rely on miracles,” says Green Party transport spokesman Lambert Schönleitner at
meinbezirk.at
.
The Greens are now calling for a year-round driving ban for trucks. “Year-round bans are demonstrably more anchored in people’s minds than seasonal ones,” explains Schönleitner.
Driving ban discussion in Austria: NEOS want higher penalties
The semi-trailer was traveling on the dangerous road without permission.
The rumored punishment for the driver is rather meager.
According to information from the Kleine Zeitung,
he has to
pay 125 euros for the unsuccessful trip.
There is outrage in the comments section of the portal.
Readers' demands range from a lifelong driving ban to a prison sentence for the driver involved in the accident.
And politicians are also calling for tougher penalties for driving ban violations.
The NEOS support the Greens' initiative.
“We finally have to make progress on this issue – before something worse happens,” says Robert Reif to
meinbezirk.at
.
However, the result should not have a negative impact on locals: “More information is needed for shipping companies and, on the other hand, higher penalties,” says Reif.
He warns that a blanket driving ban could also paralyze local companies.
Austria is now taking tough action against reckless drivers; new penalties will apply from March 2024.
And visitors from abroad also have to be careful: driving bans will soon apply across the EU.
(moe)