There was a lot of discussion in advance about the new paragraph 99a of the road traffic regulations, which has been in force since March 1: this allows the authorities to temporarily confiscate vehicles from extreme speed offenders. A first interim report from the Ministry of the Interior is now available…
In the first month, no fewer than 21 cars were seized by the federal police. The leader in the field of ‘lead feet’ is Lower Austria, where seven cars have been seized – only the state of Salzburg still has a clean slate.
At 95 km/h through the 30 zone
One of the first speed offenders to feel the impact of the amendment was a 39-year-old Hungarian motorist from the Leoben district. He drove in the Eisenerz area at 95 km/h over the speed limit of 30. The police confiscated his ticket and his car and wrote a report on top of that.
Raser had his daughter (7) with him in the backseat
At the beginning of March, police in Upper Austria caught a 31-year-old driver during a reckless overtaking maneuver. The man was driving at a speed of 157 km/h. Particularly tragic: his seven-year-old daughter was in the backseat without a suitable booster seat. His driver’s license was confiscated and he was allowed to keep his car.
Flashed 230 km/h in a luxury BMW
A 36-year-old Serb living in Switzerland drove at 230 km/h on the western highway in mid-March and his BMW was seized thanks to the new law. The man describes the personal reason for the frenzy in an interview with the “Krone”.
Often there is no auction
But: The fact that the police temporarily separate a driver from his car does not mean that an auction will actually take place. Already in the initial phase it became clear that in most cases the seizure was lifted. Partly because the car owner and driver were not the same person or the vehicle was leased.
Lawyer criticizes loopholes in the law
It must be decided within 14 days whether the speeding offender is also the owner of the car. And that’s where it gets strange, says Klagenfurt lawyer Michael Sommer: “Apparently the legislator has not taken into account that, especially with fast and expensive cars, the driver is not always the direct owner. And then the sanction, which is purely based on private property, does not apply.”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
