Police step up checks again around Easter weekend in Austria

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Around the extended Easter weekend, the police intensified their traffic controls as part of the “Safe in Easter Traffic” campaign.

In order to monitor Easter traffic, the police are stepping up their priority campaigns during Holy Week up to and including the Tuesday after Easter. Officers will be paying particular attention to compliance with the speed limit and driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The measures aim to increase road safety and reduce serious accidents, especially on main traffic routes, in local traffic, and on popular excursion routes.

Over 50,000 speeding offenders were reported around Easter last year
According to the Ministry of the Interior’s statistics, exactly 53,180 drivers were fined for speeding at Easter 2024 alone. In 258 cases, driving licenses were temporarily revoked, and four vehicles were confiscated by the police due to extreme speeding.

There were also 303 charges for driving under the influence of alcohol and 76 for driving under the influence of drugs. All those involved were immediately taken off the road.

Police in heavy use over the Easter weekend
For the priority campaigns around Easter, the police deployed 2,500 emergency vehicles, 400 motorcycles, 100 civilian patrols with video technology, around 1,250 laser measuring devices, and over 1,400 breathalyzers. Traffic light radars, distance measurement systems, and moped test stands are also used.

Interior Minister Gerhard Karner emphasized the importance of such checks: “The police want to provide the best possible protection for all those who follow the rules on the road. Speeding drivers and tailgaters are consistently taken off the road.”

Five fatalities in traffic accidents over Easter in 2024
Despite the measures, five people lost their lives in traffic accidents over Easter 2024. 329 people were injured in a total of 278 accidents with personal injury. This puts the number of road deaths above 2023, when there was only one fatality. In previous years, the number fluctuated between four (2020-2022) and eight (2019).

However, a comparison with previous decades shows a clear trend: in 1976, 39 people died on the roads over Easter, compared to 17 in 2004. The lowest level to date was reached in 2013 and 2023, with only one death in each year.