Fines of EUR 220 can be expected in Austria for having a table on the dashboard in a truck. The local police recently carried out checks and punished the truckers for this offence.
As the Austrian Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs explained to the editorial staff of trans.INFO, tables in the windscreen area represent an increased risk of danger due to limited visibility (the so-called „blind spot”). This contravenes the legal requirement of Article 102(2) of the KFG (Kraftfahrgesetz: law on motor vehicles):
The driver must be in an appropriate position behind the wheel. He/she must make sure that the view from this position is sufficient to drive the vehicle safely.”
For violation of this provision, the police may issue a EUR 110 fine to the driver, and collect EUR 110 as a temporary deposit from the vehicle owner. This deposit must be paid on behalf of the vehicle owner, e.g. the carrier, by the driver.
Recently, the Austrian road services carried out checks for compliance with this provision and punished many truck drivers, including those from abroad, who were very surprised by the fines. Due to the lack of knowledge of foreign truckers’ regulations and the language barrier, the staff of the Radfeld / Kundl traffic control centre prepared an information leaflet with illustrations explaining what is at risk of a fine.
The Federal Ministry of Internal Affairs stresses, however, that it is the responsibility of truck drivers and transport companies, as licence holders, to obtain information on the applicable legal status.
Photo: Twitter.com/PolizeiMFR