Austria study visit on speed management 2025
A delegation with representatives from the Ministry for Construction and Transport and the Traffic Police in Hungary, as well as the Ministry of Transport in Czechia, accompanied by the European Transport Safety Council (ETSC), participated in a study visit focused on speed management in Austria on 13 – 14 March 2025.
The visit was hosted by Austria’s Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK) and supported by the Federal Ministry of the Interior, KFV, and ASFiNAG, as part of the EU Road Safety Exchange project (EURSE).
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
The first day began at the BMK with a welcome from the Head of the Directorate for Infrastructure Procedures and Road Safety, Sabine Kühschelm, who shared with the participants an overview of Austria’s most recent road safety developments, as well as the latest statistics.
She also provided details about Austria’s participation in the EURSE project, the country sharing good practices with other countries since its inception, back in 2019.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
This was followed by a presentation on Austria’s key road safety structures, including recent organisational changes within the ministry and the role of the Traffic Safety Advisory Board, established in 2012 to strengthen cooperation among national stakeholders.
The Austrian Road Safety Fund was also presented, explaining its role in managing customised number plates and specific traffic fines, with revenue generated used to finance awareness-raising campaigns, road safety research and studies, among other road safety work.
The focus then shifted to Austria’s road safety strategy and its action plan on speed. With a goal of promoting climate friendly and safe transport, the strategy places significant emphasis on speed reduction, as excessive speed remains a key factor in road crashes, accounting for two-thirds of all deaths on rural roads.
The action plan consists of more than 20 measures across six priority areas, covering topics from safe infrastructure to increased enforcement. Key objectives include incorporating excessive speeding into the demerit point system, increasing enforcement in rural areas, and expanding section controls in high-risk locations.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
The KFV (Austrian Road Safety Board) representative presented a scientific analysis of speeding in Austria. Data indicate high levels of public acceptance of speeding, with young male drivers (aged 18-25) being particularly overrepresented in speed related crashed.
Some key good practices for tackling speeding, as the introduction of 30 km/h zones, lowering the tolerance limit for speed controls, and the development of self-explaining and forgiving road infrastructure were presented. Austria’s use of bend markings for motorcyclists has already proven to be an effective measure and has since been adopted in other EU countries.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
Austria’s work to raise public awareness on the issue with speeding was discussed, with a presentation on key road safety awareness campaigns targeting the most relevant group, young drivers, with a message to embrace life, not speed.
The discussions focused on the importance of campaign evaluations and understanding of the right audience, media channels and practical impact in the short and long-term.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
In the afternoon, the delegation visited the headquarters of ASFiNAG, Austria’s motorway operator, where representatives of the company provided an overview of their road safety strategy, speed enforcement activities, and section control systems.
As the entity responsible for constructing and maintaining speed enforcement infrastructure, ASFiNAG provides technical support for speed control, while federal authorities manage the processing of fines. Participants discussed the criteria for implementing section controls, maintenance procedures and costs, and their effectiveness in construction zones on highways and high-risk areas.
On the second day, the delegation received an overview of recent amendments to Austria’s Road Traffic Act. The 34th and 35th amendments, which primarily target speeding, include significantly higher fines and the possibility of vehicle confiscation for the most extreme offences. These measures also aim to address illegal street racing, a growing issue in several EU countries.
The most recent 35th amendment further focuses on tackling urban speeding, improving safety for vulnerable road users and enabling municipalities to implement speed-related measures.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
Meanwhile, the 33rd amendment introduced measures to support active mobility. Among the measures are the introduction of green arrows for cyclists at intersections, or minimum safe overtaking distances for overtaking cyclists.
The introduction of school streets in Austria provides an opportunity for children to learn about and experience road traffic safety in a safe environment, as well as increase their mobility.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
The programme continued with a roundtable discussion, where participants shared key insights, main developments, and concerns regarding speeding and speed management in Czechia, Hungary and Austria.
Many similar opinions were voiced regarding the importance of decreasing speeds and better enforcing the speed limits.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
The study visit concluded with a trip to the Traffic Police headquarters in Vienna, where participants had the opportunity to observe and hear from police officers about their work in enforcing speed limits.
They were also shown the equipment used in these efforts, including speed cameras, laser devices, unmarked vehicles, and other tools by officers to monitor and control speeding.
The study visit provided a valuable opportunity to learn from Austria’s approach to tackling speed-related road safety issues.
The good practices presented by the Austrian partners highlight the importance of tackling the issue of speeding – which as agreed by all the participants remains a key factor for road crashes and road deaths on EU roads.
Fotocredit: BMK / LLH
