In 2021, the Federal Police in Austria reported a total of 5,115,525 speeding violations or punished them as penal orders. About 4.2 million of these violations were measured by radar devices, another 640,000 drivers were caught with laser measuring devices and about 270,000 by civilian patrols and by section control systems. This means a small increase of 2.6 percent compared to the previous year (year 2020: 4,984,064).
“The tasks for the police officers in 2021 were also mainly shaped by the corona pandemic,” says Interior Minister Gerhard Karner. “Despite these burdens, this balance sheet also shows that traditional tasks such as traffic monitoring have not been neglected and must not be neglected in the future either. I would therefore like to thank all police officers for their flexible and sustainable commitment to safety on our roads in this special time year,” stresses the Minister of the Interior.
Reports of alcohol and drug driving increased
In 2021, a total of 1,387,955 alcohol tests (Alkomattests and Alkovortests) were carried out by the federal police, an increase of 13.5% compared to 2020 (1,222,681). The number of reports of drunk driving rose by 10.9% from 25,705 in 2020 to 28,498 in 2021. In addition, 6,338 drivers were reported for driving under the influence of drugs in the past year, a significant increase of 14.8% (2020: 5.519). The increase is due, among other things, to improved training of law enforcement officials in the use of saliva pre-test devices to identify potential drug traffickers and the operative use of public health officers in priority actions.
Too small distance: slight decrease
In 104,888 cases, the executive determined that the prescribed safety distance when driving in a row was too small. This was a decrease of 7.4% compared to the previous year’s figure of 113,315. This monitoring area is of great importance, since reckless speeders and pushers endanger the vast majority of responsible road users.
Seat belts, child safety, making phone calls: more awareness-raising needed
In 2021, 88,709 violations of the seat belt requirement were recorded across Austria, an increase of 2.6%. 128,489 drivers were reported for using the phone at the wheel without a hands-free device or were fined on the spot with a criminal injunction, which means an increase of 6 percent compared to 2020. There was also an increase in the number of complaints about inadequate child safety measures: 6,448 notifications, which also resulted in a reservation in the reservation system, are 14.3% more than in the previous year. It turns out that in these areas, despite the high level of control, a corresponding awareness raising among the vehicle drivers is necessary.
Heavy traffic: Significantly more advertisements
In the heavy vehicle sector, a total of 246,551 reports and penalties under the Motor Vehicle Act were filed for roadside checks of trucks and buses in 2021 (2020: 211,852), which is an increase of 16.4%. The majority of these related to non-compliance with the legal driving and rest time requirements in commercial goods and passenger transport (94,078), followed by technical vehicle defects in the body, brakes and tires (81,032), overloading (33,165) and inadequate load securing (5,824). A total of 28,319 trucks and buses had to be prohibited from continuing their journey by the control bodies due to serious violations or defects or due to imminent danger (2020: 26,046), an increase of 8.7%.
Dangerous goods: Almost 8,000 controls
In the dangerous goods sector, 7,959 dangerous goods transports (transport units) were subjected to intensive controls in 2021 (2020: 8,134). Overall, the federal police had to prohibit 509 transport units from continuing their journey due to imminent danger (2020: 561).
Nine stationary section control systems are currently in operation across Austria: in Carinthia on the A2 south autobahn in the Ehrentalerberg tunnel, in Lower Austria on the A2 south autobahn in the alternating section and on the B37 – Kremser federal road at the Gföhler Berg, in Upper Austria on the A7 of the Mühlkreis autobahn at the Hummelhof, in Styria on the A9 Pyhrn autobahn in the Plabutsch tunnel, in Salzburg on the B 311 in the Schönberg tunnel and in the Schmitten tunnel near Zell am See, in Tyrol/Vorarlberg on the S 16-Arlberg expressway in the Arlberg tunnel and in Vienna on the A22 Donauuferautobahn in the Kaisermühlen tunnel.
In addition, in 2021, additional mobile section control systems were used temporarily in various construction site areas on motorways and expressways. The systems measure the average speed of vehicles within a specific stretch of road that is precisely defined by regulation. All section control systems have handlebar documentation.
The Federal Police currently have 334 stationary and mobile radar devices available for traffic service. 80 stationary radar systems are equipped with driver photo units, especially on transit routes. In 2018-2021 all radars were replaced with stationary laser speedometers. In some cases, the old radar devices remain in operation in addition to the new laser devices until they are retired.
Popp: “High density of checks is important”
“The statistics clearly show the importance of a high density of road traffic controls in order to take preventive action to ensure the safety of all road users on Lower Austrian roads,” says State Police Director Franz Popp.
Lower Austria balance sheet in numbers:
- Violations Speed: 1,073,076
- Alkovortests and Alkomattests: 256,257
- Alcohol reports: 4,772
- Drug reports: 1,194
- Violation belt: 23,536
- Display child seat: 847
- Violation Telephoning: 27,098