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From digest.v7.n1139 Sun Feb 15 00:03:01 1998
From: "Edward R. Walker" <erwalker_at_istar.ca>
Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 19:25:59 -0400
Subject: <WOB> Re: <WOB> Mike's Germany trip, grrrrr
Just thought I'd respond to some of Andy's comments regarding
drivers and driving in Germany.
German drivers can be overly aggressive and prone to tailgating.
This prompted the government to put up large billboards along the
sides of the autobahn to remind drivers not to do it. Quite a
few times I had cars come roaring up behind me, signalling to
pass, and sit on my bumper. Of course, they seemed to have not
noticed the 2 or 3 semi's in the right lane and the 5 or 6 cars
in front of me passing them. Many's the time I accelerated back
up to my cruising speed when the traffic cleared to find that the
person who had been so anxious to pass was now rapidly receding
in my mirrors.
On a related note, if you ever got involved in a (low speed)
multi-car accident and you hit the person in front of you, you hoped
like hell that the person behind you bumped in to you. The Polizei
would ticket the people who weren't hit in the rear for following
too close and this would affect your insurance.
The only places I can remember speed limits on the autobahns were
in construction zones and in areas of (potential) traffic congestion,
ie major interchanges.
I think that one of the major reasons for the almost automatic
convictions for photo radar was the fact that they took the picture
from the front with sufficient resolution to be able to easily
identify the driver. I still remember the shot they ran in the
"Stars and Stripes" of a man leaning over to kiss a woman while
he was speeding. He apparently was nailed for undue care and
attention as well. His wife wasn't too impressed as she wasn't
the woman in the picture.
I seem to remember that the law regarding passing on the right
was changed around 1990. It went from being absolutely forbidden
to being allowed as long as the speed differential was very low.
Ed Walker CFB Baden-Soelingen '88-'92
'80 323i
'72 tii
PS Don't "flash to pass" in Germany as it is illegal
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