Trouble because of replacement tolls

Vignette confusion: How to prevent penalties

(Bild: P. Huber)

Anyone who forgets to re-register the digital vignette for a new license plate must pay the same penalty as someone who deliberately fails to pay it. This injustice not only annoys many "Krone" readers, the ÖAMTC also wants to take action against it.

The vignette dilemma of a driver from Krems caused quite a stir. As reported, the 59-year-old forgot to transfer the digital highway sticker to his new license plate after moving to another district. The result was a fine of 120 euros. ASFINAG justified its actions with the toll regulations, which do not differentiate according to the reason for a "non-purchase".

Legally in order
The demand for a replacement toll is therefore legal, as the ÖAMTC also confirms. "On the one hand, there is a legal right to take the digital vignette with you when changing license plates due to relocation. However, the affected car owners must of course inform ASFINAG in order to benefit from the regulation. Otherwise they will not be aware of it," says Ursula Zelenka. For data protection reasons, no automatic forwarding would take place. 

However, because the automobile club is regularly contacted about the lack of goodwill, it has been campaigning for a customer-friendly solution for some time. The most straightforward approach would be to point out the possible consequences during the registration process or when the new plates are handed over. "We have been trying for years to get the registration offices to take responsibility, as they are directly involved with the people," says the ÖAMTC. During the re-registration process, employees could remind people not to forget to change the digital vignette. "That would be a seamless system. We don't know exactly why this is failing," says the ÖAMTC.