Police take unsafe trailer off road in St Martin im Sulmtal
Wednesday 28th October 2026 on 07:15 in
Austria
Police took a trailer carrying an unsecured mini excavator off the road in Sankt Martin im Sulmtal on Tuesday after finding serious safety defects, ORF reported. The driver was also travelling at about 70 km/h in a 50 km/h zone.
Officers stopped the vehicle combination on the B74 in the town, in the Deutschlandsberg district, at about 1 p.m. They found that the excavator was not secured against shifting or falling from the trailer.
The trailer also had several lighting failures: its right indicator, right tail light and both brake lights were not working. Its overrun brake, which helps the trailer brake when the towing vehicle slows, was also defective.
Police barred the 66-year-old driver, from the Leibnitz district, from continuing his journey and removed the trailer’s number plate. He faces reports to the relevant authority for several administrative offences.