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DRIVING

What are the rules in Austria for having dogs and cats in your car?

If you are taking a road trip with your pets in Austria - or just taking them for a drive within the city - what rules do you need to follow?

Published: 6 February 2024 16:15 CET
Updated: 11 February 2024 08:05 CET
What are the rules in Austria for having dogs and cats in your car?
Dogs are not allowed in the front seat in cars in Austria (Photo by marieke koenders on Unsplash)

Austria is a fairly strict country regarding rules for owning pets. For example, if you have a dog, you need to register the animal (with a chip and EU passport) and pay a yearly tax on it. For some breeds, you might even need a certification – and the rules for pet ownership are about to get stricter in Austria.

However, when it comes to driving with your dog or cat in a car, there is no specific legislation on the correct securing of dogs and other animals in vehicles. Instead, the provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act (KFG) and the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) on load securing apply to them.

READ ALSO: What are Austria’s rules for owning pets?

What are the rules for transporting?

This means that “the load” (in this case, your pet) must be stored or secured by suitable means in such a way that it can “withstand the forces occurring during normal driving” and “the safe operation of the vehicle is not impaired, and nobody is endangered”.

According to the jurisprudence of the Administrative Court, emergency braking is part of “normal driving”, so requirements are rigorous. Even in such an extreme situation, parts of the load (including dogs or cats) must not slip away. 

Additionally, a dog (or other pets) must not be able to move freely in the vehicle. 

Lying unsecured in the rear seat or sitting on the front passenger seat is prohibited, according to the federal government.

What are the fines for wrongly transporting animals?

Violations of the rules can result in a fine of thousands of euros – up to €10,000 in extreme cases. If such inadequate securing results in a road accident with injuries, the driver can also be prosecuted. 

READ ALSO: How to move to Austria with your pets

What is the best way to transport pets?

Austria’s ÖAMTC, the automobile club, has tested several scenarios for transporting pets in cars. 

“The fact is: Both humans and animals are threatened with massive injuries in the event of a sudden braking or evasive manoeuvre if the dog is not properly secured,” summarised ÖAMTC technician Steffan Kerbl.

According to the experts, transporting a dog in the passenger seat is not only illegal but also very unsafe. During test drives on a test site, a dog dummy was placed unsecured in the passenger seat, back seat, and trunk. If the dummy sat in the passenger seat, he flew to the driver’s lap during a sudden evasive manoeuvre and stuck his head between the steering wheel and the legs of the handlebar. The vehicle then hurled uncontrollably from the test track. 

“In real road traffic, a serious accident would have been the almost avoidable consequence,” said Kerbl. He clarifies: “Basically, the passenger seat is completely unsuitable for transporting animals – even if they are secured by belts.”

READ ALSO: Are certain dog and cat breeds banned in Austria?

The best solution, the expert stated, was transporting dogs in a secure box in the trunk. However, if the animal fits comfortably, a box in the rear footrest is also suitable. Boxes should fit the pet (if they are too big, the animal can be injured when hitting its walls) and be strapped in place. 

“For smaller dogs, accommodation in a corresponding box behind the passenger seat is best, they said. Alternatively, special baskets with the vehicle belt attached to the rear seat are a good solution for small and medium-sized dogs”, Kerbl said. If you attach the dog directly to the seat belt system, he should wear a safe and comfortable chest strap.

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For members

DRIVING

What happens if you commit a driving offence outside Austria?

With many travellers opting to drive to their holiday destinations, it's important to know the traffic rules in place and if you can receive a fine in Austria for an offence you committed abroad.

Published: 4 July 2024 13:33 CEST
What happens if you commit a driving offence outside Austria?

Austria’s landlocked location at the heart of Europe means drivers often head abroad by car for a road trip or for work.

But you should probably know the traffic rules of the countries you drive to before getting behind the wheel. 

“Before taking a vacation, you should learn about the local traffic regulations. In principle, what is off limits at home should also be off limits abroad,” said Austria’s driving association ÖAMTC lawyer Verena Pronebner. 

READ ALSO: What are the rules in Austria for having dogs and cats in your car?

If you speed, park incorrectly or drive under the influence of alcohol in places outside Austria, you could face heavy fines, vehicle confiscation or even imprisonment.

Expensive fines and harsh consequences

The ÖAMTC expert warns that driving under the influence of alcohol can have drastic consequences in some of the most popular holiday destinations that Austrians regularly head to. In some cases, you can have your vehicle confiscated in Italy or even face a three-month prison sentence in Spain.

You can also expect heavy fines of around €500 or more in countries like Germany for drink driving offences as well as harsher punishments depending on the seriousness of the offence.

Speeding can also be expensive. In Norway, fines start at €620, in Sweden at €215, and in Finland at least €200 if you exceed the limit by 20 km/h. In Italy, such fines cost at least €175 and even a third more at night.

Another common mistake travellers make is parking in illegal areas. Sometimes, the rules are different, and signs can be confusing. You should learn the regulations beforehand, or the fines can get quite high. According to ÖAMTC, parking fines can reach up to €200 in countries like Spain.

READ ALSO: Everything you need to know about Austria’s driving exam

What happens if I get a fine?

“If you get a fine abroad, it is generally most efficient and cheapest to pay it on the spot,” said the ÖAMTC lawyer. 

In some countries, considerable discounts are also granted if you pay quickly. In Spain, for example, only half the amount is due if the fine is paid within 20 days. In Italy, a discount of 30 percent is possible if the fine is paid within five days of notification – however, if the fine is not paid within 60 days, the fee is doubled.

However, outstanding fines from other EU countries can be enforced in Austria. Foreign driving fines should, therefore, never be ignored. 

Many countries will also claim fines when the car re-enters the destination. So, for example, if you got a speeding ticket with your car in Bosnia but didn’t pay, police might pull you over and claim that fine even years later if you re-enter the country with that same car.

READ ALSO: The six ways you can lose your driving licence in Austria

EU directives

The cross-border enforcement (CBE) directive was first adopted in 2015 after it was found that non-resident drivers were more likely to commit speeding offences. 

The directive partially improved the situation, but according to the Commission 40 percent of traffic violations committed in other EU countries are still unpunished “because the offender is not identified or because the fine is not enforced”.

New rules extend the type of offences that will trigger assistance from another member state and seek to improve collaboration among national authorities to identify and fine offenders.

Now, there are several driving misconducts that require member states to cooperate: speeding, not wearing seat belts, failing to stop at a red traffic light, drink-driving, driving under the effect of drugs, not wearing a helmet (motorcycles / scooters), using a forbidden lane and using a mobile phone or other communication devices while driving. 

Additionally, the list will grow from 2026 with: not keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front, dangerous overtaking, dangerous parking, crossing one or more solid white lines, driving the wrong way down a one way street, not respecting the rules on “emergency corridors” (a clear lane intended for priority vehicles), using an overloaded vehicle, not giving way to emergency service vehicles, not respecting access restrictions or rules at a rail crossings, as well as hit-and-run offences.

READ ALSO: EU countries to extend range of offences foreign drivers can be fined for

For the traffic violations covered by the directive, EU countries have to help each other to find the liable driver. National authorities will have 11 months from the date of the violation to issue the fine to a vehicle from another EU member state. Authorities in the country of the offender will have to reply to requests from another EU member state within two months.

When the amount of the fine is more than €70, and all options to have it paid have been exhausted, the member state where the violation occurred can ask the country of the offender to take over the collection.

EU integration means that if you speed in the Czech Republic, for example, you will get a fine in the mail at your home in Austria. The letter will usually contain a QR code to help with payment (which won’t work if the fine is not in euros) and bank account information for you to make the transfer. 

If you have any questions on how to pay international fines, authorities recommend you go to your bank directly; they will help you make a transfer correctly.

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