"Particular attention" will be paid to compliance with the prescribed speed limits and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the Ministry of the Interior announced on Thursday. Speeding and alcohol remain among the main causes of fatal traffic accidents.

Other focal points are compliance with seat belt and child safety requirements. This includes monitoring the safety distance when driving in a line and enforcing the ban on using mobile phones (without hands-free devices) while driving.

Appeal from Karner

"Traffic volume is particularly high over the Easter weekend," warned Interior Minister Gerhard Karner (ÖVP). He appealed to road users to be considerate of each other and to adhere to speed limits. "This is not only good for safety but also for the wallet given the current fuel prices."

"The goals of the intensified police controls are to create awareness of dangers, to bring about a sustainable change in behavior among drivers, and to protect other road users from reckless speeders, tailgaters, and drivers under the influence of alcohol and drugs," added Federal Police Director Michael Takács.

Depending on the weather conditions, the control measures will also include popular excursion routes for motorcyclists if necessary, it was announced. The police have at their disposal 2,500 operational vehicles, 400 motorcycles, 100 unmarked patrol cars with video tracking equipment, 430 stationary and mobile speed enforcement devices, ten stationary section control systems, 1,247 laser speed measuring devices, eleven distance measuring systems, 1,385 breathalyzers and 1,429 preliminary alcohol test devices, 86 moped test stands, and 51 red light traffic monitoring systems ("traffic light radar").

Injured and Dead

Last year, during the Easter weekend from Good Friday to Easter Monday inclusive, a total of 450 people were injured and three killed in 373 traffic accidents with personal injury. In 2024, five road users lost their lives in Easter traffic, while in 2023 it was one. From 2020 to 2022, four people were killed each year in road traffic, and in 2019, eight people were killed.

The lowest number of victims since the introduction of the statistics at the Federal Ministry of the Interior in 1968 was recorded with one traffic fatality each in 2013 and 2023. For comparison: In the worst year so far, 1976, 39 deaths were mourned over the Easter weekend. In 2004, 17 people lost their lives in road traffic at Easter.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, in 2025, the police reported 53,348 drivers for exceeding the maximum speed limit at Easter. The police filed 355 reports for intoxication, and another 86 drug-impaired drivers were immediately removed from traffic. In total, 274 drivers had their licenses temporarily revoked over the Easter weekend last year. Five vehicles were temporarily confiscated by the federal police at Easter 2025 due to high-speed violations.

(APA/Red)

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