National Drive Safe | Austria
Key facts
Official language(s)
Currency
Population
Time zone
Calling code
Drive on the
Member of the EU
German
Euro
8,356,707
GMT + 1
43
Right
Yes
Local weather
Vienna
-
Sat-12° | -7° -
Sun-13° | -8° - Mon-12° | -8°
-
Tue-14° | -7°
Speed limits
- Motorways:
- 130kmh (81mph)
- Open roads:
- 100kmh (62mph)
- Towns:
- 50kmh (30mph)
Road Safety
-
Alcohol limit:
- 50mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood
-
Use of mobile phone whilst driving:
- It is illegal to use a hand held mobile phone when driving and can result in an on the spot fine of €30
- It is legal to use a hands free unit
-
Seat belts:
- Compulsory for front and rear seated passengers if already fitted
- Children must be at least 12 years of age to sit in the front of the vehicle unless a special secured seat is fitted
-
Traffic lights regulations:
- On road crossings in general the red/yellow/green traffic light regulation is shown
- Before driving into tunnels, on pedestrian markings, railway crossings, roadworks, etc, light signals can be shown
- Red light is the sign to “stop”
- Red light together with yellow light means “stop”
- Yellow flashing light means “pay attention”
- Green light is the sign to go ahead – if the green light blinks 4 times (phases of a half second), this means the light will change colour imminently
- Yellow non-flashing traffic light is a sign to stop e.g. on pedestrian markings or if you cross a bicycle route
- Green arrows also mean go ahead in the direction shown
Costs
- Road tolls:
- Payable on motorways, designated dual carriageways and designated mountain roads
- A motorway tax disc must be purchased prior to the journey and displayed on the windscreen
- Tolls are charged on the following motorways:
A10 Tauern motorway
A9 Pyhrn motorway
A13 Brenner Motorway
S16 Arlberg Tunnel
- On the spot fines:
- On the spot fines are issued and motorists should always collect a receipt from the issuing officer
General motoring advice
- Rush hour in built up areas:
- A2 – South Austria: between traffic junction Vienna South and Wr. Neudorf
- A4 – Vienna: between traffic junction Vienna Prater and Simmeringer Haide
- A7 – North Austria: between traffic junction Linz and Freistadt
- A9 – Styria: Plabutsch tunnel traffic junction St. Michael /Graz
- A23 – Vienna: between tunnel Kaisermuehlen and Voesendorf
- Fuel:
- Most fuel stations are open from 0800hrs to 2000hrs
- Stations in large cities may be open 24 hrs
- Credit & Debit cards are widely accepted although some drivers may experience difficulties using cards in automatic pumps
- Many garages in rural areas only operate with automatic pumps
- Unleaded petrol 91, 95, & 98 Octane available
- No leaded petrol available although a substitute is available
- Parking advice:
- There are different parking restrictions in some Austrian cities. In Vienna it varies from district to district. Detailed information can be obtained from the Austrian Automobil Association (ÖAMTC)
- In Vienna the districts 1, 4 – 9 and 20 are parking zones
- Parking zones also apply in parts of the districts 2 and 3
- Parking regulations in district 1 is from Mon-Fri 0900 – 1900 hrs with a maximum stay of 1.5 hours
- In all other districts parking regulation apply Mon-Fri 0900 – 2000 hrs with a maximum stay of 2 hours
- Vouchers can be obtained from banks, petrol stations and selected tobacconists and must be clearly displayed on the windscreen of the car
- Parking is forbidden on roads where crosses are marked in front of houses, on narrow roads, on the left of one way streets