It seems to be a grey area regarding bikes.
With cars it would seem they are illegal as an aftermarket fitting, but MoT stations don't seem to be consistent.
€200 fine for HIDs in Austria
- Thread starter red1
- Start date
It seems to be a grey area regarding bikes.
With cars it would seem they are illegal as an aftermarket fitting, but MoT stations don't seem to be consistent.
Ill glady scan the ticket when i get back'i dont now why people post on here when all you get is suspicion.??? We werent speeding had the wives on the back, they originally wanted 300 a bike but because we can turn the spots off the said 200 each bike
The polic e we local to landeck we stayed at the Enzian last year and i no a lot of bikers use Landeck a a base so im just posting what has happened to us
The ticket is ticked by this standard offence ( zweihundert offence 37a abs 2z 2 vsig offenbare unmoglichkeil oder erschwerung der strafverfolgung)
Mts
The polic e we local to landeck we stayed at the Enzian last year and i no a lot of bikers use Landeck a a base so im just posting what has happened to us
The ticket is ticked by this standard offence ( zweihundert offence 37a abs 2z 2 vsig offenbare unmoglichkeil oder erschwerung der strafverfolgung)
Mts
The Grey One
Registered user
From my 30 years of experience of the UK motor trade I can tell you that passing an MOT is no proof that the vehicle is legal or indeed safe. Used to say just that on the old fashioned certificates, not seen one for 5 years now so I don't know what the new ones say. Testing stations vary, testers have good days and bad days. Just because a bike with Hids passes a test won't help you if it turns out they do not have approval. Some clarification from the real authorities would be useful here. In the meantime I will try to find out the position here in Austria.
John
I have never had any bother all the years i have been to Austria - Landeck included.
In June 2012 I was pulled over by Austrian police just North of Landeck along with every other bike travellinbg on that road.
HID's blazing away.
The police looked at the tyres and said "zis bike is ok" and waved us on.
So maybe you were just unlucky.
In June 2012 I was pulled over by Austrian police just North of Landeck along with every other bike travellinbg on that road.
HID's blazing away.
The police looked at the tyres and said "zis bike is ok" and waved us on.
So maybe you were just unlucky.
The Grey One
Registered user
I, for one, certainly was not doubting your word, you were there after all! Just asking the question as from my point of view it is always useful to know how the police behave in Austria. I have heard several bad reports from the Tirol and we have personal experience of underhand tactics and heavy fines in that area. I try to give our guests the best advice, I have my own and other guests experience for this region. For other areas info from sites like this is invaluable, hence my question about the circumstances.
John
Not directly regarding HID's in this post but just a general question to those with legal knowledge.
It seems that Austria banned the use of DRL's in 2009, yet all EU member states were required to have all vehicles manufactured from 2011 fitted with said lights.
Scenario:
Rich git with 2012 Reliant Regal fitted with required by law DRL's.
Drives across France and Germany and the gets clobbered in Austria for aforesaid DRL's. Removes them, crosses into Italy and gets clobbered for not having them.
Whole thing just doesn't make sense!
It seems that Austria banned the use of DRL's in 2009, yet all EU member states were required to have all vehicles manufactured from 2011 fitted with said lights.
Scenario:
Rich git with 2012 Reliant Regal fitted with required by law DRL's.
Drives across France and Germany and the gets clobbered in Austria for aforesaid DRL's. Removes them, crosses into Italy and gets clobbered for not having them.
Whole thing just doesn't make sense!
The Grey One
Registered user
Not directly regarding HID's in this post but just a general question to those with legal knowledge.
It seems that Austria banned the use of DRL's in 2009, yet all EU member states were required to have all vehicles manufactured from 2011 fitted with said lights.
Scenario:
Rich git with 2012 Reliant Regal fitted with required by law DRL's.
Drives across France and Germany and the gets clobbered in Austria for aforesaid DRL's. Removes them, crosses into Italy and gets clobbered for not having them.
Whole thing just doesn't make sense!
Not sure about daylight running lights being banned here in Austria. I think you will find that they are simply not compulsory. Most people keep their lights on all the time-makes a lot of sense here with so many tunnels. If we use the autobahn to the regional capital Klagenfurt some 15 kms of the 100 kms are in tunnels, unless you have automatic lights you would be forever turning the things on and off!
Dipped headlights are required for bike though.
John
Last edited:
Achim
Registered user
That's why I no longer visit Austria by bike or car. Application of road laws by the local police can be very arbitrary: A few years back I got done for speeding in my Morgan +8 by an Austrian cop who visually estimated my speed. To be clear: he had no radar/laser/vascar equipment in his car when he was parked by the side of the road near the Reschenpass. Austria is the only EU country where this is possible.
BTW: most European countries have laws against after-market HIDs. The UK is very tolerant in this respect. The way to avoid collecting an "HID ticket" is to point out to the copper that one's bike has passed a UK MOT and consequently is road-legal in the whole of the EU - and to refuse to pay any fine. Take your MOT certificate with you to shut up the EU/Austrian bureaucrats.
HTH,
Achim
Hi
I was one of the GSA riders who hit done with HID lights first let me say the police were not friendly at all in fact a little off! To say they were motorcyclists ? I mentioned we had just been up the Stelvio and tried to break out some light conversation but all they were hell bent on was
I was one of the GSA riders who hit done with HID lights first let me say the police were not friendly at all in fact a little off! To say they were motorcyclists ? I mentioned we had just been up the Stelvio and tried to break out some light conversation but all they were hell bent on was
No, french gendarmes can estimate your speed and give you a ticket. IIRC so can UK police, in principle at least.
I thought that a vehicle that is legal in one EU country was, by right, legal in another?
My german and knowledge of Austrian road law isn't sufficient to decipher this - Grey One, can you identify specifically what the offence was? A scan of the ticket would help us all understand what has occurred.
The Grey One
Registered user
That's a bit like someone from Europe saying they won't come back to the UK because of an incedent a few years ago with the North Wales Constabulary.
If you want to ride/drive like a twat stay away please otherwise come and enjoy the roads-with a little restraint and a bit of common sense you should have no problems at least around here.
And your MOT certificate won't get you out of trouble in the UK let alone in Europe. It only means the vehicle met certain criteria on one day, no more.
John
John
Google translate gives " two hundred offense 37a abs 2 z 2 WTL apparent impossibility or difficulty of law enforcement"
I read that as "200 hundred offences, but they had to make the laws up."
Apologies if I have missed this, were these additional lights to the standard ones? Were they on when you got stopped? If so, was this during the day or night?
Not wanting to give anyone a job 
Would it be a sensible idea for someone to contact the Landeck local police and ask what "The Rules and regs are" so future visitors to the area and Austria would be with the knowledge before they decode to use the area
Quite a lot of folk visit this area and I am sure they would like a bit of guidance
I would be thinking of asking Klaus at Enzian or John At his lovely hotel
http://www.hochalmspitze.com before I went again
I cant speak english well - so German is a nochancer for me
Would it be a sensible idea for someone to contact the Landeck local police and ask what "The Rules and regs are" so future visitors to the area and Austria would be with the knowledge before they decode to use the area
Quite a lot of folk visit this area and I am sure they would like a bit of guidance
I would be thinking of asking Klaus at Enzian or John At his lovely hotel
http://www.hochalmspitze.com before I went again
I cant speak english well - so German is a nochancer for me
Our lights were on it was about 17.00hrs all we were was easy pickings for two Austrian bully policemen! They had no concern about anything social and what made it worse was the fact the policeman who dealt with Mick let him pay his
Seems to only be posting half of what I am writing
The Grey One
Registered user
Apparent impossibility or difficulty (I think it will have said "unmöglichkeit" with a t on the end not an l) of complying with the law
I think it simply means that the lights did not meet the regulations. For anything other than simple words Google translate really is a chocolate teapot!
I am still looking to find the regulations here but it might need someone with better German than me. These things are often hard enough to understand in your native language.
John
only post the second half then
Sounds like you were unlucky and had a couple of jobsworths. Perhaps they just didn't like the spots blazing away in broad daylight.
I got stopped for speeding between 2 villages in Austria a few years and I have to say it was the nicest speeding ticket I've paid. I was banged to rights and the cops were very friendly and warned me that all their friends were out so to be careful. I was doing 87kph in a 50kph and was expecting a huge fine and when he said 35 euro's, I couldn't get my money out quick enough
Yellow Peril
Registered user
As Paul says can some one clarify the above point? Additional lights to GSA fogs or GSA Fogs converted?
