Legal questions surrounding tuned, lowered vehicles and roaring exhausts are not uncommon. But what happens when a souped-up Bobby Car whizzes down the sidewalk at 40 km\/h? Is this still harmless tinkering with a child's toy, or does the toy-like appearance of the plastic vintage car not sufficient to meet legal requirements?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A Styrian student had significantly modified a standard "Bobby Car," originally a children's toy. By installing electric motors from a hoverboard and making other technical adjustments, the vehicle reached a speed of around 40 km\/h. Without brakes, lights, or registration, he drove it along a sidewalk at night\u2014straight into the police. The result: 17 charges for violations of the Road Traffic Act (StVO) and the Motor Vehicle Act (KFG).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this case, the question arose as to whether the Bobby Car was still considered a vehicle-like toy or already a "normal" vehicle within the meaning of Section 2 Paragraph 1 Item 19 of the Road Traffic Act. The Road Traffic Act defines a vehicle as a means of transport intended for use on roads or actually used there. Wheelchairs, strollers, wheelbarrows, and small vehicles primarily intended for use off-road are not considered vehicles. A motor vehicle within the meaning of the Motor Vehicles Act is a special type of vehicle: it is also intended for use on the road or is used there, but it also has an engine and is powered by energy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The student initially received support from the Styrian State Administrative Court (LVwG Stmk), which held that a Bobby Car was not a vehicle within the meaning of the Styrian Road Traffic Act. The Higher Administrative Court (VwGH) took a more restrictive interpretation: Toy car or not, with an output of 765 watts and a speed of 40 km\/h, it clearly constituted a vehicle within the meaning of Section 2 of the Car Rental Act (KFG) and Section 2 Paragraph 1 of the Styrian Road Traffic Act (StVO). In its decision, the VwGH drew on findings from previous legal cases concerning e-scooters. More powerful and faster e-scooters should be classified as motor vehicles. The same can apply to a souped-up Bobby Car.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The decision makes it clear that the legal classification of a means of transport is not based solely on its original purpose, but depends significantly on its actual technical characteristics. By modifying a toy into a high-performance vehicle, it is subject to the relevant legal provisions. It emphasizes the need to always consider the actual technical characteristics of a means of transport in the legal assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
15.09.2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Rechtliche Fragen rund um getunte, tiefergelegte Fahrzeuge und r\u00f6hrende Auspuffe stellen keine Seltenheit dar. Doch was passiert, wenn ein aufgemotztes Bobby-Car mit 40km\/h \u00fcber den Gehsteig zischt? Handelt es sich noch um harmlose Bastelei am Kinderspielzeug oder gen\u00fcgt die Spielzeug-Optik des Plastik-Oldtimers nicht, um den gesetzlichen Anforderungen zu entsprechen? Ein steirischer Student hatte ein handels\u00fcbliches […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7712","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-aktuelles"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7712","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7712"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7712\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7788,"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7712\/revisions\/7788"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7712"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7712"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lsr.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7712"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}