CITA President Visits Austria for RSI Insights
Last week, CITA President Gerhard Müller was invited by Mr. Georg Hönig, Head of the Department of Technical Vehicle Affairs at the State Government of Lower Austria, for a two-day technical visit focused on Roadside Inspections (RSI). Mr. Hönig, who oversees all vehicle inspections in the region, including RSI, organized a comprehensive program showcasing Austria’s inspection practices.
Day 1: Roadside Inspection Practices for Trucks and Special Vehicles / The first day began with a visit to a steady inspection site along the highway connecting the Czech Republic to Vienna. From a control room, trucks were automatically diverted using special traffic signals, then weighed and measured while driving at 25 km/h through a dedicated lane. Vehicles showing irregularities—or those selected by the police—were directed to the inspection area for a full technical check. President Müller joined an RSI of a truck transporting hazardous goods, which fortunately revealed only minor defects.
The program continued at a mobile inspection site, where police targeted smaller trucks with trailers (N1 with O2). Suspicious vehicles detected from the highway were escorted to the site. Two significant cases were observed: a trailer with completely non-functioning brakes, and a vehicle combination overloaded by several hundred kilos.
Later, Mr. Müller visited the brand-new governmental inspection centre in Wolkersdorf (KFZ-Prüfstelle Wolkersdorf), dedicated to special vehicle appraisals, such as modifications and technical changes.
Day 2: Motorcycle Roadside Inspections / The second day focused on motorcycle inspections. At a mobile site set up on a popular curvy road for motorcyclists, police conducted random stops. After checking documents, government technical experts carried out full inspections, including emissions and noise tests.
Roadside Inspection Organization in Austria / In Austria, RSI is a joint effort between the regional governments and the police. The police is responsible for identifying and stopping vehicles, conducting initial checks, and directing suspicious cases to inspection sites. Then, specially trained technical experts from the regional governments perform thorough inspections. Lower Austria operates steady inspection sites along highways, as well as mobile sites for trucks, passenger cars, and motorcycles.
Visit to ÖAMTC Driving Safety Center / In addition to the RSI program, CITA member ÖAMTC welcomed President Müller to its Driving Safety Center in Melk. The center provides a wide range of training courses for drivers, motorcyclists, and emergency services. As a passionate motorcyclist himself, President Müller even participated in a special motorcycle training session.