16.5 hours behind the wheel

Truck driver ignored driving and rest times

A Greek truck driver who had repeatedly violated the driving and rest times was caught by the Tyrolean police on Saturday at the Fernpass. Apart from the fact that the 52-year-old should not have been driving there, he had been behind the wheel for far too long in the previous 24 hours.

The officers stopped the 52-year-old Greek man on Saturday morning in the municipal area of Nassereith, where the driver was driving south despite the sectoral driving ban in force. During the subsequent check, the police officers also discovered "that the truck driver had been on the road for more than 24 hours without the appropriate driving and rest periods". Specifically, the man had been driving for around 16.5 hours and had driven over 1100 kilometers without taking breaks. 

29 violations of the regulations
After the officers analyzed the data in detail, they found 29 mostly serious violations of the driving and rest times. They banned the 52-year-old from continuing to drive until he had completed the prescribed rest period.

The man was also reported to the public prosecutor's office and the district authority, and he had to pay a security deposit on the spot.