AUSTRIA – SPEEDS, TOLLS, TRAFFIC REGULATIONS

GENERAL INFORMATION

The country is known for its great ski slopes and beautiful castles. Austria is often a transit country when traveling to southern Europe. So it’s worth knowing the rules and regulations of the road to guard against hefty fines.

Necessary equipment

• first aid kit
• warning triangle
• there is an obligation to have a reflective vest and to use it when exiting a vehicle on all roads outside built-up areas
• Seat belts for all passengers

REGULATIONS AND PENALTIES

• persons who are at least 18 years old are authorized to drive a vehicle
• The maximum permissible blood alcohol content is 0.5 per mille. If a driver has more than 0.5 per mille, he or she can be fined between €135 and €6,000 and even have their license revoked.
• The use of dipped headlights is not mandatory unless there are severe weather conditions that limit visibility
• in winter conditions, from November 1 to April 15, cars, station wagons and trucks with a gross vehicle weight of up to 3.5 tons must be equipped with winter tires on all wheels or chains on the drive wheels (chains may replace winter tires only when driving on snow).
• The police, in the event of an inspection, have the right to meticulously inspect the technical condition of the vehicle and, in particular, the brakes, tires and the possession of a first aid kit, triangle and vest. If the vehicle is in poor condition, police can impose a hefty fine and even keep the license plates.
• if a traveler is fined and does not have enough money to cover the fine, the police have the right to take for deposit an item with a value close to the amount of the fine.

PERMISSIBLE BLOOD ALCOHOL CONTENT

0,5

MINIMUM FINE FOR DRUNK DRIVING

135 Euros

MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF DRUNK DRIVING FINE

6,000 Euros

PERMISSIBLE WIDTH OF VEHICLES

2,55 m

PERMISSIBLE HEIGHT OF VEHICLES

4 m

PERMISSIBLE LENGTH OF THE VEHICLE COMBINATION

18,75 m

ROAD TOLLS

There are tolls on highways and expressways in Austria. In order to travel on toll highways, one must purchase a so-called “toll road”. A vignette, or sticker, which is affixed to the windshield of the vehicle. The price of a vignette depends on the category of the vehicle, and we can purchase them at a gas station or border crossing. In addition to the vignette we have, we have to pay an additional fee for some highway sections and tunnel travel. Also paid for are alpine road trips.

SPEED LIMITS

In a built-up area, the speed limit is 50km/h, and the other limits are shown below.

Cars and trucks up to 3.5 tons:

• highways – 130km/h
• other roads – 100km/h

Cars and vans up to 3.5 tons with trailers and coaches:

• Freeways – 100km/h other roads – 80km/h

Trucks:

• highways – 80 km/h
• other roads – 70 km/h