“More typical” Raser is male and 20 to 25 years old

“Would you like a little more?” It’s not just in the delicatessen department that many Austrians don’t take things too seriously; there’s apparently a similar mentality in road traffic. This is what current figures from the Interior Ministry show: With more than 6.16 million speeders caught, a record was reached last year. The number of reports and organ mandates increased by 0.6 percent compared to 2022. However, the national trend does not apply to Upper Austria: Fines for speeding in this country have fallen from 960,179 (2022) to 880,029 (2023).

Several cars confiscated

Traffic psychologist Peter Jonas believes that the executive branch has also been able to confiscate cars from speeders since March 1st – the OÖN reported “highly effective punishment”. The measure is carried out in the event of serious offenses. Most recently, it hit a 44-year-old on Wednesday who was traveling at 178 km/h instead of the permitted 100 km/h in the Korneuburg district. The Lower Austrian not only lost his driver’s license, but also his car.

“Such speeders are a minority, but they can cause extremely great damage”says Christian Gratzer from the Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ). The confiscation has one “important deterrent effect”.

But how do you bring them with the mentality “It can be a little more” to reason? Many high-speed drivers are not aware that a higher speed means a longer stopping distance, says Gratzer, and calculates: “On average it takes 0.8 seconds to react. The faster you drive, the more meters you cover in this time.” This can have fatal consequences: speeding is the most common cause of fatal accidents. Gratzer advocates raising awareness. Speed ​​limits should in no way be viewed as a minimum speed, but rather as the highest permitted speed.

• Pros & Cons on the topic: Are the speed limits too high?

He laments that “sometimes very high tolerance limits” on Austria’s streets. He recommends that parents take their role model seriously, including when driving. “You will also sleep better when your child travels by car later.” He says that the consequences of speeding should also be emphasized more strongly during driving license training. According to traffic psychologist Peter Jonas, the 20 to 25 year old age group is the most prone to speeding “endangered”but even middle-aged drivers, mostly men, often do not stick to the limits.

Preliminary tests expose drug drivers

Penalties would bring about a change in behavior if they met three criteria: They should be issued within two weeks and should not be perceived as bad luck (“This is why monitoring density is important”) and ultimately neither too low nor too high. “Otherwise they will either be considered ridiculous or not accepted”says Jonas.

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An increase was also recorded in drug drivers in 2023 (plus 15.7 percent). According to the Interior Ministry, this is due, among other things, to the newly tested saliva pre-test devices. But significantly more drivers were also negligent when it came to wearing seat belts and child safety devices.

There were 1,520 reports on Upper Austria’s streets alone because children were inadequately secured. These are not trivial offenses: they result in an entry in the reservation system.

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