Car caught

Drunk driver thunders through town at over 140 km/h

Symbolic image

(Bild: APA/Barbara Gindl (Symbolbild))

After Vienna and Lower Austria, the first vehicle of a speeding driver has now also been confiscated in Vorarlberg since the tightening of traffic penalties on March 1. It remains to be seen whether the drunk driver will ever see his Audi A6 with well over 200 hp again. 

The police did not have to search long for the speeding driver. The man in his thirties thundered towards a police patrol on the L188 at around 3.45 p.m. on Monday afternoon. Apparently, excessive speed had caused him to veer into the oncoming lane and endanger other road users. 

The officers did not hesitate for long and immediately pulled the Audi driver, who was traveling at over 140 km/h in the St. Gallenkirch/Gortipol area, out of traffic. During the check, it also emerged that the driver was not just speeding. The alcohol test revealed a level of well over one per mille. 

Amendment to the Highway Code

The amendment to the Road Traffic Act provides for the temporary confiscation of vehicles if the speed limit is exceeded by more than 60 km/h in the local area or by more than 70 km/h outside the local area. The new regulation has been in force since March 1, 2024.

The driver's license and the speeding driver's vehicle were confiscated due to the high speed limit after consultation with the responsible authorities at the Bludenz BH. "The Audi is currently in a storage facility in the Bregenz area," explained Rudolf Salzgeber, commander of the provincial traffic department. Whether the owner will see his car again will be decided by the district authority.

"They will check whether it has already attracted attention," Salzgeber describes the procedure. If this is the case, the car is gone. If not, there is still a chance that the man from Oberland will get his Audi back. However, he is unlikely to be behind the wheel for some time due to the numerous offenses.