Austria to Confiscate and Sell 'Racers' Cars

Austria intends to tackle reckless drivers by confiscating their vehicles and selling them at auction, according to The Telegraph. In the proposed legislation, Vienna has promised to take a hard stance against drivers who "refuse to learn". As per Leonore Gewessler, the country's Transport Minister, starting from March of next year, anyone who exceeds the speed limit by 60 km/h (37 mph) in urban areas or towns will have their vehicle immediately confiscated.

The same will apply to those who breach the speed limit by 70 km/h (43 mph) on rural roads or highways. The authorities will then have two weeks to decide whether to return the vehicle or sell it at auction. Any decision on whether to permanently seize a vehicle will depend on the driver's prior record and the severity of the speed violation.

Ms Gewessler warns that people caught moving at extreme speeds may have their car taken away at the first offence. "People make mistakes, speed can be broken. But that's not what this is about. This is about extreme speeding and risk to the lives of innocent people," she said. "Anyone who races down the highway at 230 km/h (143 mph) is not doing it by accident."

The majority of the money obtained from the sale of the car at auction will be invested in road safety, with the remainder going to the local community where the violation occurred.

Austria's second-largest automobile club, ARBÖ, has criticised the proposed law, calling it "massive interference with property rights" and predicted it will be challenged in the country's constitutional court. However, VCÖ, a lobbying group for environmentally friendly travel, stated that the limits are set too high.

"People who race through the city at 90 km/h (56 mph) are also a danger to life. This is also a speed that does not just happen. You have to consciously step on the gas," said Christian Gratzer, a spokesperson for VCÖ.

Like most EU countries, Austria has nearly halved road fatalities since the turn of the century. Nevertheless, last year the alpine nation recorded forty deaths per million people, almost twice the number of those who die on Britain's streets.

According to statistics, the lowest road accident mortality rates in Europe are in Sweden, the UK, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway - less than 3 deaths per 100,000 population. The highest mortality rates are in Albania, Lithuania, and Belarus - more than 10 deaths per 100,000 population.