Image: VOLKER Weihbold
The Ministry of the Interior announced on Friday that “consistent action would be taken” against speeders, pushers, alcohol and drug drivers. In the previous year, more than 70,000 speeding violations were punished and around 570 alcohol and 80 drug drivers were pulled out of the traffic.
The authorities are particularly focused on main traffic routes, accident-prone routes, popular excursion routes and local and leisure traffic, including in the secondary road network. The police officers have 2,500 emergency vehicles, 350 motorcycles, around 100 civilian patrol vehicles with video tracking devices, 370 stationary and mobile radar devices, 16 section control systems, 1,247 laser speed measuring devices, eleven distance measuring systems, 1,385 alcohol dispensers and 1,429 alcohol pre-test devices, 86 moped test stands and 51 red light traffic surveillance systems (“traffic light radar”) are available.
Last year, on the Pentecost weekend from Friday to Pentecost Monday inclusive, 520 people were injured and four people were killed in 469 traffic accidents with personal injury. One road user died in 2021 – the lowest number since statistics were introduced by the Interior Ministry in 1967 – two in 2020, nine in 2019, eight in 2018, six in 2017, four in 2016 and four in 2015 nine people were fatally injured. For comparison: in 1979, 45 people lost their lives over the Pentecost weekend, in 1984 there were 44 dead.
“Very excessive speed, alcohol or telephoning at the wheel are still among the greatest sources of danger and endanger the safety of all road users,” stated Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP), who announced a “safety campaign” in Pentecost travel. This is “an important contribution to reducing accidents on the road and increasing safety”.
Source: Nachrichten
