Despite the decrease in traffic, almost as many drivers were caught using their mobile phones at the wheel in the 2020 corona year as in 2019 and significantly more than in 2018, the VCÖ points out. On average, every four and a half minutes, a cell phone offense in traffic was punished by the executive. In six federal states, the number of cell phone offenses even increased.
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In the 2020 corona year in Austria, 121,211 drivers were caught using prohibited cell phone calls at the wheel, as the VCÖ referred to data from the Ministry of the Interior. The number of cell phone violations was only 2,677 lower than in 2019 and even more than 12,000 higher than five years earlier in 2015, reported the VCÖ. And the actual number of offenses is likely to be many times higher, according to the VCÖ.
How many offenses are punished mainly depends on the density of controls. In six federal states, the number of cell phone violations even increased despite the decline in traffic in the Corona year 2020. The executive in Vienna punished most of the cases with 27,244, followed closely by Lower Austria with 24,578 and, at a clear distance, Upper Austria (16,606) and Styria (15,871), reported the VCÖ.
“Anyone who speaks on the phone with a cell phone to their ear reacts as badly as an alcoholic with 0.8 per mille. Motorists using cell phones react about half a second later. In road traffic, where a fraction of a second often decides whether an accident will occur or not, that can have fatal consequences, “said VCÖ expert Michael Schwendinger. If you write messages on your mobile phone while driving, you can even fly blind for up to two seconds.
According to the VCÖ, the current penalty of 50 euros bears no relation to the potential risk of the offense. “In Europe Austria is one of those countries where the amount of fines is very low. In Italy the amount of fines is more than three times as high at 165 euros as in Austria, in Spain and Denmark with 200 euros each and around four times as high in the Netherlands 240 euros, almost five times as high. In Germany there is not only a 100 euros fine, but also a point in the points driving license. This can be used to raise awareness among those who do not adhere to the ban on cell phones, “said Schwendinger. The expert advocated that cell phones at the wheel should also be included in the reservation system in Austria.
