1974: Introduction of a Car-Free Day

While four statutory car-free Sundays had already been established in November and December of 1973 in the Federal Republic of Germany as a reaction to the first oil crisis, cars in Austria had to bear a Pickerl, a sticker, as of January 1974. For five weeks, a large-lettered sticker indicated which day of the week drivers had to leave their car in the garage. Additionally, the speed limit on highways was temporarily reduced.

Since then, there have been various initiatives to reintroduce a car-free day. Since 2000, an action day initiated by the European Commission has taken place throughout Europe every September.