Driving 101

Gutten Morgen and welcome back.

You can see the last seven day of posts by scolling day and anything older then that is in the archieves. This post is a general blog about driving. It is more of a science then an art here and understand it is the exact oppisite in Italy.

Today is Memorial Day so please take a moment to say a prayer for all the great Americans who served and are no longer with us, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we can all live free.

This past Saturday I went to the Porsche Museum as well as the Mercedes Benz Museum. On Sun I took a USO Bus Tour down to the Austrian boarder to see Hitler's Eagles's Nest. I will write up something today and have it posted tomorrow. Until then, I hope you find my piece on driving informative if not amusing.

Driving 101:

In order for me to perform all my official duties, the government has directed me to procure a rental car. Great, I thought, that will sure make it easier to get around. You see, I live 15 minutes away from the base (Kelley Barracks), travel to two other installations on a regular basis, and am required to pickup VIPs at the airport, when required.

HOWEVER...service people who will be driving in Germany and who will be in country for more then 3o days are required to get a European Armed Forces Drivers License. Additionally, I could not register my car with the MPs with out the license and without the registration of the vehicle, I could not get my gasoline ration card. Seems like everything out here is a real nut roll (or soup sandwich as I sometimes say).

First off, let me tell you that driving in Germany in no joke. People take it very, very seriously. Germans are required to attend a certified driving instruction/school and successfully graduate. This course cost around USD $3000 (car not included).

The premise of driving in Germany is that everyone knows the rules/regulations and that they will be obeyed. The logic is that if everyone knows the rules and everyone follows them, everyone knows what the other driver will do. It is all very orderly. If you don't follow the rules....you will not be driving for long here.


I must say that I fit in pretty well here. I like rules, sure who doesn't, and I also like that everyone strictly adheres to them. Jodi (Hi Honey), thinks that I am a "bad" driver. Really, I think I drive in accordance with the standards set by those around me (when in Rome....).

Driving here is truly a privilege and not a right. We talk about driving being a privilege in the US a lot but it seems like lip service with no enforcement of the laws. Ever read a story about the guy who just got his 10th DUI and never been to prison. Guess we need to wait until he kills you or me before we get him off the road.

Here are a few of the laws, all of which are enforced:

You will not turn right on red, ever. Doesn't matter if there are no cars coming and you can see all the way to the horizon (there are a few rare traffic lights where it is permited but only with the green arrow).


Will will always use your blinkers to indicate a lane change (we talk about that a lot in the US too but is really is optional).

You will not pass on the right, no where is this legal (not even on the autobahn, which I will get to in a minute). The only reason for being in the far left lane is to over take someone. When you have completed your pass you will move to the right.

If you expect to be standing/stopped for more then 30 seconds, you will shut your car off. BMW has a feature that shuts the car off automatically if in neutral for 30 seconds. All you need to do is push the "start" button to re fire the engine. This in not really applicable at traffic lights but expected in traffic jams.

Your car is considered parked if left for more then 3 minutes. It is illegal to leave you car unlocked if it is parked.


You can park at a broken meter and not pay. However, you are required to have a little disk on your dashboard (looks like a clock) which indicates when you parked there. If you are over the time limit you will get a ticket. If you don't have a disk, you will get a ticket.


Seat belts: everyone wears one. If you are a passenger and not wearing you seat belt, guess what? You get a ticket for not wearing a seat belt and the driver gets one too. It is the drivers responsiblity to ensure that everyone is wearing a seat belt.

Speed limit within (any) town/city limits is 50 kph (31 mph) and the limit outside city limits is 100 kph (62mph) unless marked other wise. And, you don't get a reminder sign every few blocks. You see it once when entering city limits and then another sign cancelling the 50 kph when you exit the town. Don't forget what the speed limit is. There are lots of radar cameras in these little towns.


Right of way is a really big deal here too. There are many unmarked intersections and the right of way rules apply to traffic circles also. You ALWAYS yield to the right. That means, if you are IN a traffic circle and someone is trying to enter to your right, THEY have the right of way and legally you will yield to them.

There are also around 300 different signs you might expect to see. The expectation is that you will comply with all of them. For the drivers test, we had to know the top 100.

As important as "yield to the right is", there are many instances dictated by signs which change the right of way rules. They are called priority signs. You may see a sign that says you are on a priority road which means you always have right of way. You many see signs that give you priority at JUST the next intersection. You have to really focus, because you only will see each sign once. Don't screw it up because every other driver on the road is counting out you to know your stuff. After all, you have a license, right.


Interestingly, there is a sign that announces that the next intersection is unmarked. Does the sign make it marked? I don't get that one.


What to do when the light turns yellow? Speed up, right? WRONG! It means "if you can safely stop, then you WILL do so". There are countless stop light camera and if you are in the intersection (over the "stop here" line), check you mail in about a week. Lots of radar enforcement also. But, they don't bother chasing you down....smile for the camera.


The Autobahn (I hope no one cheated and skipped to this section). We have all heard about the legendary Autobahn where there is no limit to the speed you care to obtain. Well...it's true to a degree but the places where you can truly "drop the hammer" are not found all that often. If you are in the vicinity of a city, the limit will probably be 130 kph (multiple by .6 for mph or 78 mph for all the Buffalo State College grads). Really not that fast.

Once you move away from the cities, don't be in the left lane (which is illegal unless you are passing anyways) because cars will ROCKET by you. There truly is no limit. Go as fast as you like, just follow these rules: no passing on the left and use you blinkers to indicate a lane change. Contrary to what you see on TV and in the movies, it is illegal to flash you lights to indicate your rapid approach to the car in front of you.


All and all, I like driving in Germany. Everyone knows the rules, everyone follows the rules. It is very orderly and very efficient (are you seeing a trend with my comments). Additionally, if you violate the rules, those around you don't hesitate to tell you that it did not go unnoticed.


I am happy to say that I passed my drivers licensing exam by correctly answering 90 out of 100 questions correctly (need 85% to pass). I really got a 91% because I correctly answered a question but the answer key was wrong. They wanted a certain answer and engineered a question for the answer but it was poorly worded (they agreed with me, probably so I would just move along). A written request to review the question is in the works. I would really like to get credit for the work I did. What if that was my 16th wrong answer. Guess I would be walking or taking the train.


And, don't even think about crossing the street unless the little green guy is telling you it is ok. I don't care if cars are coming or not. You might get away with it if you are out running or on a bike. Good order will be maintained at all times. If you are breaking one rule, what other ones are you breaking? Don't you want to be part of society??

Additionally, the traffic lights seem to be on a very long cycle. Seems like you are sitting there forever. The traffic lights are not hung in the middle of the intersection either. They are mounted on posts, usually on the right. With the height they are at, it seems like they are almost impossible to see. If I am the first car, it is usually cut off by the top of the windsheild or blocked my my rear view mirror. I like the fact that when the light is red, the yellow light will illuminate as a short attention getter, and then turn green. We should have that in the US.

The big difference between driving in Germany and driving in the US is that the laws are actually enforced here.


Bottom line is that patience is a virtue when driving in Germany. Much like I am learning the German anguage, I am learning to be a little more patient. My Ever Luvin' Wife will appreciate both those things.

So, fasten your seat belt, put down your cup of coffee/can of soda/beer, hang up the cell phone, put down the make-up or electric razor, and don't forget you yeild "right before left".

Cheers.

p.s. Coming back from the pick up/drop off point for my trip to the Eagle's Nest, I found a new location of a radar camera. How did I discover this? Flash...click (I hope I was smiling. I'll find out in a week when I get my snap shot in the mail.).