Just got a speeding summons through from Feb 11th 2014. Rang the relevant authorities in Austria, and got told "as they don't have an agreement with the UK, it will be deleted". Took his name, apologised for the inconvenience and said goodbye.
I always knew that when I drive my UK registered car in Austria, they cant get you for speeding, unless its by a policeman by the side of the road. But not in an Austrian Hire Car.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
It seems to be on the slip roads where the hidden police car pulls you. I managed to get through a week in summer on the bike and a winter in the car without getting a ticket luckily enough, it's all these rapidly changing limits that are a pain though. As you enter a slip it drops to 100, then 80, then often 50kph.
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
How much is the speeding fine in Austria nowadays?
I was caught about 20 years ago going though one of these 200 yard villages where the speed limit drops to 50 kmph. They were pretty much pulling over every other car. Asked if I wanted to pay the fine in Schillings or Deutschmarks I said Deutschmarks and was told it would be 'Funfzig' (ie 50) which was about £15. Not too bad I though and handed over a 50 DM note only to be asked if I didn't have anything smaller. It turns out he only wanted Funfzehn DM or £5!
It hardly seems worth the effort. Can't be much of a deterrent.
olderscot,
For driving 18 km/h over the speed limit in a 50 km/h zone, the speeding fine (in the Steirmark) is now €50. As ScarpaTheSmoocheePoodle says it was one of those sneaky slip road camera's - I only pulled off the motorway to pick up something to eat and thought the speed limit was 80 km/h
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
jafa, I believe it is the same as here in Germany, the driver is charged not the vehicle owner. The vehicle owner is obliged to provide details of the driver though as per the UK. Other than the "sofort Kasse" speed traps, they have to have front phots of the driver to push the prosecution through for German drivers. I'm still reluctant to test the theory though and drive as much as I can on cruise control on the autobahns when the IGL signs are lit up. The allowence is only 3km/h, not 10% as in the UK by the way. When they catch you with the laser pistol you can ask to see the calibration sheet which has to have been carried out that day. Again, never had the chutzpuh to ask and usually just cough up. Luckily it is about 10 years since I was last caught in one of those. The crafty buggers can hide behind anything to catch you, none of this "you must be visible" baloney.
olderscot, last time I got done for being 17km/h over the limit (blooming IGL speed trap on the Tauernautobahn between Hallein and Salzburg-Puch) I was sent a request for 15 Euro if I paid within 10 days of receipt, otherwise 35 Euro and increasing with each reminder.
Our resident "expert" on all thing to do with speeding fines though has to be the male half of flangesax I think he has frequent flyer points with the authorities by now!
The point Im making though is that as soon as they knew I was a "UK " driver, the penalty was waived. It was in an Austrian Car, and Avis sent me something to fill out with the name and address etc of the driver. The authorities said I didn't have to. I was driving at 56km in a 50.
I have had similar requests in the past and paid up. This time as it didn't say what I was being pursued for I rang them first.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
German ones certainly do come with a nice picture on the "fill in the name and licence number of this driver" form
Plenty here got them. Plenty here also got the 1 month hand your licence over (and promptly gone on vacation for 3 weeks).
And since it's all computerised and the points are stored online, you can also get points on (well associated to) a UK or other licence. Except the UK licence is still clean.
Dutch ones used to be an occupational hazard. Once you've filled in and returned the form once, all subsequent giro forms come pre-filled just like any other bill. Sign, date, post it in the payments postbox in your bank. Flatmate used to get RLJ every 3 weeks. Previous tenant forgot to tell centraal justicie incasso about his change of address. Turned out he was also a colleague so we handed over a carrier bag full of bills.
After all it is free
After all it is free
ScarpaTheSmoocheePoodle wrote:
rapidly changing limits that are a pain
That's the bit that really got me. I was constantly staring at the sat nav to see how fast it thought I should be going
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
The best thing about the Austrian traffic cops is that they are allowed to 'guess' how fast you were driving. Used to happen quite a lot, but has become less common now.
I got caught in the slow down to a tunnel, instead of braking as the limit dropped I just let it cruise to slow. Flash went the light. I was in a Hertz hire car. Fine came through for I think €50. I paid a greater fee for the admin with the hire company and the transfer from £ to € with the bank (two transactions one to the authority, one to Hertz) - I could have sent my bank details to them, but they wanted me to fax them so I didn't fancy that.
Last edited by Ski the Net with snowHeads on Tue 13-05-14 17:09; edited 1 time in total
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Samerberg Sue wrote:
jafa, I believe it is the same as here in Germany, the driver is charged not the vehicle owner.
Suspect it is different in Austria - hence the reason why the Austrian speed cameras take a picture from behind and not from the front as they do in Germany.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
hammerite wrote:
I got caught in the slow down to a tunnel, instead of breaking as the limit dropped I just let it cruise to slow. Flash went the light.
Yes there are very few warnings (e.g. 100 km/h in 2km) and the speed changes are often such that you have to brake rather than let the car cruise.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
whoops, I meant brake not break!
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
DB, still think the driver at the time is the main target, they just don't need a picture to prove who was or wasn't driving. flangesax, knows the ins and outs of it all extremely well
We do have to cough up at the Sofortkasse speed traps though I got caught at one of the rapidly changing speed limit sections on the B311 as it goes through/past St Johann im Pongau, they apologised when they saw it was a right-hand drive car, but because of my German number plate they still took 400 Schilling off me Sounded way more painful that it actually was, I think the exchange rate back then was about 15 schilling to the pound! Trying to claim I did not know any German and that I was just a visitor passing through was laughed at, particularly as one of the 2 coppers was a member of my Stammtisch in the area (I did not recognise him in uniform)
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Samerberg Sue, Indeed, he collected another speeding ticket just the other day. Ange
flangesax, at least he is making sure he is up to date with the latest legislation! Which one was it this time, one of the tunnel ones or the IG-L bugger by Puch? He'll own that section of motorway soon!
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Samerberg Sue wrote:
DB, still think the driver at the time is the main target, they just don't need a picture to prove who was or wasn't driving.
I'm pretty sure it's the owner.
Whilst on road trips with my old uni canoe club in uni minibuses in the UK we got away with several speeding tickets, as by the time they came through no-one could remember who was driving (there were 5 or 6 possibilities) at the time.
Over here, if the owner can't remember who they gave permission to drive their car to at the time when the ticket was issued, they have to pay themselves. At least as far as I understand it/have been told.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Tue 13-05-14 22:29; edited 1 time in total
holidayloverxx,
Mine's from the 23 March and I just got the paperwork yesterday.
Samerberg Sue / clarky999,
Reading through the paperwork in Detail - it's addressed to me the car owner. If I pay the fine within 4 weeks they will accept the payment and nobody is identified as the culprit. The paperwork does not ask me to confirm I was the driver or not. Not sure what would happen if I said someone else was driving the car and they couldn't obtain payment from him / her.
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
What do you get in Austria for being 130 over on a bike?
After all it is free
After all it is free
I got caught by a road side policeman in Austria - I was driving a Czech hire car. and was 10kph over the urban limit. I did try the " I don't understand" routine (I did) they then tried Czech (which I don't speak at all) and finally that universal word "Passport".. Seeing I had a British one they simply said "15 Euros please" and waggled their fingers through my window...
I paid.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
The Austrian police excel in "undedecation". If you make it a bit of hassle while being polite then most give up. I once went through an amber traffic light which is the equivalent of red (I didn't realise this beforehand) near to a police station.
Their traffic light system works like this .....
Green = go
Flashing green = stop if you can (quivalent to amber in the UK)
Orange = Stop
Red = Stop
After a long discussion I asked them why they had 3 lights when they only needed two. They were stumped and let me go with a warning (even though I also had the paperwork for the wrong car with me). I think my request for a written explanation in English really put them off.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
I think he has frequent flyer points with the authorities by now! 
I got caught at one of the rapidly changing speed limit sections on the B311 as it goes through/past St Johann im Pongau, they apologised when they saw it was a right-hand drive car, but because of my German number plate they still took 400 Schilling off me 
Sounded way more painful that it actually was, I think the exchange rate back then was about 15 schilling to the pound! Trying to claim I did not know any German and that I was just a visitor passing through was laughed at, particularly as one of the 2 coppers was a member of my Stammtisch in the area (I did not recognise him in uniform) 