Ghost driver on the Brenner motorway: Driver turns over - what now?

Ghost driver on the Brenner motorway: Driver turns over - what now?

A dramatic incident occurred on the Brenner motorway in Austria when a 55-year-old became a ghost driver at dusk. The man could not pay the toll fee at the Schönberg station because his company credit card was not covered. Instead of waiting or looking for support, he turned and drove in the wrong direction to the Stubai departure. The ASFINAG, which is responsible for the motorway management, explains that in such situations a subsequent payment of the toll is possible and advises to keep calm at such moments. This was emphasized by Alexander Holzedl, a spokesman for ASFINAG, who also added: "Once it happens that someone has no credit card and no money, you can still drive through." He encouraged drivers to press a button in the event of problems at the toll point to contact the toll supervision.

ghost driver and their dangers

A total of 400 reports about ghost drivers were registered on Austria's highways in 2024, which means a decline of ten percent compared to the previous year. This number is accompanied by a decrease in accidents caused by wrong -way trips. Nevertheless, there were tragically two fatalities and 23 slightly injured due to such misconduct. The most common causes of ghost trips are serious misconduct, distractions from smartphones or alcohol -related impairments. According to the statistics, over 90 percent of false drivers were due to their own wrong decisions, which underlines the need to raise awareness of traffic safety.

In order to further improve traffic safety, ASFINAG continuously examines where and why such problems arise. An example of danger spots is the node Villach, where newly designed signs have been installed since summer 2023 to help inattentive drivers not to lose their orientation. Bernhard Lautner, an ASFINAG traffic safety expert, said that it was crucial to take every warning signal in terms of ghost drivers seriously, since it is ultimately about human life.