Philipp Gutlederer from Amstetten is “Ö3ver of the Year”.
Vienna (OTS) – With courage, moral courage and commitment, they ensure more road safety on Austria’s roads and save lives: the heroes of the road! Today they were honored with the Ö3 traffic awards. For their extraordinary efforts on Austria’s roads, Hitradio Ö3, the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology today honored Philipp Gutlederer (“Ö3ver of the Year”), the Plon motorway maintenance department, the district inspectors Thomas Zinner and Christian Pausch and the Ybbs Volunteer Fire Department (“Emergency Helpers of the Year”) and Asfinag (“Idea of the Year”) were awarded the 22nd Ö3 Transport Awards. The Ö3 traffic awards were presented in the Ö3 house on Küniglberg by ORF radio director Ingrid Thurnher, Ö3 station manager Michael Pauser, Federal Minister for Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler and Federal Minister for the Interior Gerhard Karner.
ORF radio director Ingrid Thurnher: “Ö3, the fastest, most reliable and most accurate traffic information in Austria, is not possible without the commitment of many individuals. The Ö3vers and the emergency responders contribute every day to improving safety on Austria’s roads and, through their cooperation, support the ORF in being there for everyone.”
Federal Minister for Climate Protection Leonore Gewessler: “Every day, many people in our country work to ensure that we reach our destination safely and well. From the emergency organizations to the road maintainers to brave road users. At the Ö3 traffic award, the stage belongs to exactly these people. Thank you for your commitment ¬– which has the greatest value for all of us.”
“With the traffic awards, Ö3 invites heroes who have acted selflessly and courageously to stand before the curtain. I am particularly pleased that two motorway police officers, Thomas Zinner and Christian Pausch, are being honored for saving the life of a seven-year-old girl. The two represent all 32,000 police officers who work every day to ensure the safety of Austrians,” says Interior Minister Gerhard Karner.
Ö3 station manager Michael Pauser: “Traffic information on the radio is still in high demand. And with the Ö3 Traffic Award we want to regularly say thank you to people and organizations who support us in providing listeners with the fastest and best traffic information. Together we are making Austria’s streets a safer place. Many thanks to everyone for their commitment!”
Category “Ö3ver of the Year”:
Prize winner: Philipp Gutlederer from Amstetten – The person behind the hero of the highway
Philipp Gutlederer is much more than a firefighter and emergency call coordinator – he is a “safety freak” with a heart of gold. His commitment to others goes beyond his professional life and shapes his everyday life – whether at home, on vacation or at the next party. Some – like his mother – would say he goes a bit overboard by banning candles at Christmas. Others are grateful, like the wedding couple who owe him the best day of their lives because he quickly helped an unconscious wedding guest in church. Even on a well-deserved hiking vacation, his instincts are lightning fast, as in the case of a paraglider who has crashed. But it doesn’t always have to be life-threatening. With over 30,000 kilometers a year on Austria’s roads, Philipp is not only on the road to help, but also to act preventatively. It reports tire parts, storms and traffic jams to the Ö3 traffic radio in order to warn other road users of dangers and avoid unnecessary waiting with children in the heat of summer. Philipp Gutlederer is someone who is not afraid to tackle or speak up. Safety is his calling and his commitment to all road users on our roads is impressed. For his tireless commitment and his willingness to help anytime and anywhere, Philipp Gutlederer received the Ö3 traffic award in the “Ö3ver of the Year” category. It shows that real moral courage and willingness to help know no limits and that each individual can make a difference when they stand up for others.
Category “Employees of the Year”:
Prize winners: Plon motorway maintenance department
Snow chaos on the Brenner: Plon motorway maintenance department defies the winter
On February 23, 2024, the Plon motorway maintenance department will be put to a tough test. Around 76 centimeters of snow falls within a few hours. Two trucks ignore the overtaking ban, block the road and bring traffic to a standstill. An almost 30 kilometer long traffic jam forms, but the employees of the Plon motorway maintenance department are not discouraged and take up the fight against the snow. Around 30 tow trucks and around 60 to 70 people, supported by neighboring road maintenance departments, are working their way through the masses of snow. Truck after truck, 150 in total, are freed one by one and towed away. Finally, the clearing vehicles manage to clear the roadways again. They work tirelessly hour after hour to make the important traffic artery passable again. The Plon motorway maintenance department is coordinating the large-scale operation, while the rescue workers are providing stranded motorists with warm drinks and blankets. Their use is not only a question of road safety, but also of humanity. After hours of hard work, the Brenner motorway is finally open again. The employees of the Plon motorway maintenance department and their supporters have proven once again that they are the true heroes of the road. For their tireless commitment and outstanding performance in the fight against the snow chaos, they deserve the Ö3 traffic award in the “Emergency Helper of the Year” category.
Prize winners: Ybbs Volunteer Fire Department
Cucumber chaos on the A1: Ybbs volunteer fire department keeps a cool head
On April 2, 2024, the Westautobahn (A1) near Ybbs will turn into a battlefield of cucumbers. A fully loaded truck with 22 tons of cucumbers overturns and blocks all lanes in the direction of Salzburg, causing a kilometer-long traffic jam. But the Ybbs Volunteer Fire Department keeps a cool head. She coordinates the entire operation, redirects traffic and ensures that the countless cucumbers are cleared from the road. Around 50 emergency services remove the cucumbers first with telescopic handlers and then by hand. The overturned truck must first be unloaded and only then can it be recovered using a special crane from the FF Amstetten. The traffic jam now extends 20 kilometers to Melk and only slowly clears up in the evening. The Ybbs Volunteer Fire Department has once again proven that it ensures a smooth flow of traffic even in unusual situations. For their work in the cucumber chaos on the A1, they deserve the Ö3 traffic award in the category “Employees of the Year”.
Prize winners: District inspectors Thomas Zinner and Christian Pausch (Gleinalm motorway police station)
Breathless on the Pyhrnautobahn: lifesavers in uniform
On Saturday evening, August 19, 2023, around 9:45 p.m., the Pyhrnautobahn near Traboch in Styria will be the scene of a dramatic rescue operation. A German family on the way home from vacation experiences a nightmare: their seven-year-old daughter suddenly can’t breathe while driving. Luckily, the officers from the Gleinalm motorway police station, district inspectors Thomas Zinner and Christian Pausch, arrived quickly. Zinner, an experienced emergency paramedic, and his colleague Pausch react immediately. With the Heimlich hand grip and targeted blows between the shoulder blades, they save the girl from suffocation. The seven-year-old is ultimately taken to hospital and is soon able to leave thanks to the police officers’ quick response and professional care. During this operation, Thomas Zinner and Christan Pausch once again proved that as police officers they are not just law enforcement – they are life savers who keep a cool head in critical situations. For their heroic efforts, district inspectors Zinner and Pausch deserve the Ö3 traffic award in the “Employees of the Year” category.
“Idea of the Year” category:
Prize winner: Asfinag
Red asphalt: Asfinag’s innovative idea for more safety and energy efficiency
Asfinag sets new standards in terms of traffic safety and sustainability. By introducing red asphalt in tunnels and galleries, the highway operator is ensuring better visibility while reducing energy consumption. This simple but ingenious idea does not involve any additional construction costs as the change is achieved using color pigments. Red asphalt reflects light better than traditional gray asphalt, meaning less artificial lighting is needed. This saves energy costs, increases the attention of road users – and therefore significantly improves road safety. The first pilot projects, such as the renovation of the Simmeringgalerie on the A12 Inntal motorway, have already shown that Asfinag’s innovative idea works. By using red asphalt, up to 30 percent of energy could be saved. Asfinag plans to use the red roadway color in all upcoming tunnel renovations and thus make a valuable contribution to environmental and climate protection and to greater traffic safety. For this innovative and sustainable idea, Asfinag received the Ö3 traffic award in the “Idea of the Year” category.
During the award ceremony, innovation in traffic information was also discussed:
“AI is on everyone’s lips! – Artificial intelligence in Ö3 traffic information – absolutely an issue. The Ö3 AI assistant now supports the Ö3 traffic editorial team in evaluating traffic events. The Ö3 AI assistant can derive a trend value from the automatically generated delay times in road traffic – calculated from traffic situation images – which is included as a forecast value in the current Ö3 traffic information. The Ö3 AI assistant is moving forward: in the second half of the year, the Ö3 AI assistant should be able to calculate a traffic situation from images from a traffic camera in the event of a traffic disruption, for example. The traffic editors not only receive the corresponding camera image, the Ö3 AI assistant also generates a message suggestion in the background,” says Thomas Ruthner, head of the Ö3 traffic editorial team.
Questions & Contact:
Hitradio Ö3 public relations
Petra Kulis-Jesenko
01/87878/19120
petra. backdrop@orf.at