Turned around in a traffic jam

Few reports of wrong-way driving in emergency lane

Drivers turned in the wrong direction to escape the traffic jam through the emergency lane.(Bild: zVG, Krone KREATIV)

Unbelievable scenes took place on August 11 on the A8 near Meggenhofen, where several drivers turned around in a traffic jam and fled through the emergency lane. The police investigation into the case is now complete. There are fewer reports than originally assumed.

"Brazen and irresponsible behavior", or "This can also cost lives" - the action of impatient drivers three weeks ago on the A8 near Meggenhofen caused a lot of outrage among "Krone" readers.

According to reports from eyewitnesses, around 50 drivers turned their vehicles around in a traffic jam on the highway and fled through the emergency lane as wrong-way drivers - the "Krone" reported. However, the legal consequences are not as numerous as the outraged reactions, as some of the allegedly brazen drivers spotted are likely to have been genuine "ghost" drivers who literally vanished into thin air.

The more serious offense is ghost driving, where a driver's license suspension and retraining are planned.

Johann Thumfart, stv. Leiter der Landesverkehrsabteilung OÖ

Charges in the single-digit range
"The number of cases has decreased, 50 drivers could not be verified," says Johann Thumfart, Deputy Head of the Upper Austrian Provincial Traffic Department. This means that the number of charges resulting from the incident is in the single-digit range. It is likely that three or four wrong-way drivers have actually been identified. They were identified on the basis of witness statements and photos.

Offenders each face two charges
The drivers now face two charges each, explains Thumfart: "Only special vehicles are allowed to drive in the emergency lane" - for which fines of 70 euros or more are due. "The second, more serious offense is wrong-way driving, for which a driver's license will be revoked and retraining will be required."

The amount of the fine will be decided by the responsible district authority, although no official reports have been received to date. According to Thumfart, the police have concluded their investigations.