DRIVING IN AUSTRIA

Austria's alpine roads give some spectacular touring but be careful when setting out between November and May as higher passes can be blocked by snow. Snow chains are compulsory in mountainous areas in winter.

Mountain roads

Give way to buses on mountain roads. When meeting other traffic the vehicle that can give way most easily should stop, so be ready to give way whether you are going up or down.

Vignette

To use Austria's motorway network you must purchase a vignette and display it on your windscreen. Vignettes are available for one year, two months or ten days, and they are available at border crossings and service stations. At the time of writing costs were:

Ten days:   7.60 (car);   4.30 (motorbike)
Two months:   21.80 (car);   10.90 (motorbike)
One year:   72.60 (car);   29.00 (motorbike)

A vignette also allows you 15 per cent discount on some tunnel toll fees.

Parking

At short-term parking zones (Kurzparkzone) you need to purchase a ticket from local shops and fill in your time of arrival. When parking at night you must leave you sidelights on unless street lighting is provided. But look out for red-banded lamp posts - these are extinguished at midnight, whereupon your car might get a ticket if it isn't lit.

Traffic

Traffic is generally not heavy but expect some delays if you're heading across the border towards Hungary, Slovakia or the Czech Republic. Restrictions on car use can be imposed at times when air pollution reaches high levels.    

Speed limits	Urban	Open road	Motorway
Car	50 kph	100 kph	130 kph *
Towing	50 kph	80 kph	100 kph
Traffic regulations
Essential equipment	Warning triangle
Minimum driving age	18 years
Drink-drive limit	50mg alcohol per 100ml blood
Child in front seat	Min 12 years/1.5m unless using child restraint
Seat Belt	Compulsory in front and rear seats
Motorcyclists	Must wear crash helmet and use headlamp at all times
Emergency telephone numbers
Police	112
Fire	112
Ambulance	112

* 110kph limit applies on some motorways at night

Extracted from Haynes Glovebox guide DRIVING ABROAD by Robert Davies
This authoritive guide provides a wealth of information on all aspects of driving abroad. Order from www.haynes.co.uk