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Posted on 11/19/2011 3:23:49 PM PST by Flavius
When we moved to Germany in 1991, there were a lot of open speed places. We retired and left last February, and much had changed, as not many open speed places are left. Probably because every major autobahn is under construction at some point, mostly near cities. I loved driving to Poland through east Germany, as there were a few places left, but they’d be interlaced between areas where the speed was 100 Km/hr (60 m/hr), as well. You have to learn to anticipate them!
We’ve passed BAD accidents there, and the freeper who responded about there being survivors is pretty much on the mark. One friend had a minor accident, went to place his triangle several meters behind the vehicle, as required by law, and was killed walking back to his car.
I wonder how they fill out the police report on a crash like that. Do they try to identify the exact sequence of which car hit which car, or do they just lump it all together as a no-fault type of crash?
If your vehicle insurance is about to expire, your insurance company is required to notify the Polizei 15 days prior. If you renew or change insurance companies, the Polizei is notified immediately. If you allow your insurance to lapse you get a notice in the mail within 15 days to report to the nearest Polizei station with either your new insurance card or your vehicle license plates. If you ignore this, at 30 days the Polizei come to your house and remove the vehicle tags and give you a traffic ticket.
I believe it is the law here in California, but I have never seen it enforced or ever spoke to anyone who had received a ticked for this.
It is especially frustrating on I-5 between the bay the bay area and LA, 250 miles of slowpokes in the fast lane.
That is news to me and I have lived in CO most of my 56 years. We do have a law, that is relatively recent, that on two lane highways you must pull off the road if there are two or three (I don't recall the number) or more cars behind you and you are going slower than the max speed limit. That is primarily for congestion on mountain roads. On the interstates all the lanes are pretty full unless you happen to be on I-25 south of Pueblo on a slow day.
The Germans are dead serious about driver training and the maintenance and insuring of their cars. That means that your adversaries on the road generally know what they are doing, are driving safe cars, and are financially responsible in the event of an accident.
I think these factors are more important than the American obsession with curtailing speed. We have speed limits we do not enforce, insurance requirements that are ignored, and incompetent drivers.
Driving in Germany is generally a much more pleasurable experience. They are after all the folks who invented the motor car. Not far from my house is a world-class automobile Museum set in a pastoral area which traces the evolution of German-made motor vehicles to the present, starting with a wooden motorcycle and presenting examples of every manufacturer for virtually every year.
I've been trying to find out for some time why the steering wheel on all these vehicles change between the years 1927 and 1928 from the right side to the left side. Anyone know?
Cadillac, TX plates pacing me in the left lane.
I punched it up to 90 and moved into his lane just to see if he would pass me on the right.
I eventually slowed down to under 15 in a 75 and he still would not move over.
He eventually did get into the right lane, continuing to pace. I just left him as fast as I could. As soon as I got past his bumper.......back in the left lane he went.
I stopped for fuel 45 miles later, and he passed by STILL in the left lane.
I can hear it now...
"We will do for driver education what we did for health care and child care."
The stretch of I-65 from Clermont to Horse Cave is one of the deadliest stretches of interstate in the country. It is especially bad by Lebanon Junction and again by Bonnieville.
That happens through what’s called “redistribution of wealth from those having to those having-not (according to means and needs and what-not)”.
Rust is not tolerated on any automobile in Europoe.
Automobiles have been required to be in exquisite working-condition in the EU for quite some time. The rules on the books are quite severe for scofflaws. The driver must prove beyond reasonable doubt that said rust is not a detriment to public safety; I’m not certain, but I’m confident that auto insurance surpasses MI no-fault no-limit catrastrophic liability by orders of magnitude.
IF one can own and can afford to maintain / insure one’s automobile, they will pay surcharges for EVERYTHING, e.g., gasoline carbon-tax, insurance, road-fee’s in addition to that integral to automobile registration fees’.
Because of the foregoing, and that notwithstanding, the EU is more whipsawed by gasoline prices than the “evil” USA. I believe that its a good thing that as much as 51% of USA petroleum consumption is met by domestic sources...
Most Americans would be wetting their seat if they were passangers of the common EU driver.
Anybody got hard numbers ‘bout EU insurance actuarials and whatnot?
That happen ONCE in London: you’ll NEVER drive in EU again.
At the very least as a visitor you’ll NEVER drive in London again.
Guaranteed: you’ll pay for your whole vacation to stay out of jail. You gots 24 hrs to pay the equivalent KY Justice of the Peace levy; it increases exponentially by the minute thereafer.
Afterwards you will NEVER drive in EU again; that being by choice.
Find out if and when the roads changed, or more roads were built, or if they acquired a significant new export market...?
Cheers!
It was like that last time I drove through there, but it’s been a few years (2005). There were signs all over the place.
RIP.
One other point, driver’s licenses do not have an expiration date.
Ask me how I know (although I think I've told that story here in the past).
≤}B^)
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