From The Who Knew Files: Getting A Driver’s License In Germany

Ah, youth! The Sweet Sixteen party, the highlight of every American girl's life. Boys yearn and long for their 16th birthday like a bunch of yapping dogs in front of a butcher shop. To them, this day holds the promise of freedom and the open road ...unless mom and dad need the family car, that is. What has become a rite of passage to American youths, is still a somber (and sober) occasion for German youngsters.

For starters,
16 or not, the German minimum age to move that lanky teenaged frame behind the wheel of a car is 18. Similarly, open the trunk of most used American cars and, other than a few stains of uncertain history, you will most likely find some pieces of paper, candy wrappers, perhaps a few unpaid parking tickets, dirty socks, and other sundries. Not so in the German car. By law, each German car is to contain a warning triangle (Warndreieck) and a highway first aid kit (Pkw-Verbandkasten). The average 16-year old is not known to pay too close attention to such details.

On to the open road...
We all know the sinking feeling we experience when we look into the rearview mirror and we see the blue and red lights right behind us. Twinkling as happily as a Christmas tree's ornamentations, they yet are the bearers of bad (and costly) news. Yet while the American traffic patrol officer is content with swaggering to the car, telling us that we were driving way too fast (as if we didn't know) and then presenting us with the little yellow ticket that makes for endless explanations and the payout of a variety of fines, German traffic patrol officers also extend their hands: you may choose to pay your fine, right then and there, if it is €50 (ca. $60) or less. If you left home without enough cash, you will have one week to pay up; however, depending on the seriousness of the offense, if you do not have any money to post a suitable bond, you may find yourself walking home. You car will be impounded right then and there.

Leadfoot, beware!
While American defense attorneys have successfully defended drivers who accidentally ran over a pedestrian, especially in case of a jay-walking pedestrian, German courts put the responsibility for the safety of the pedestrian squarely on the driver's shoulders. Partial blame, or contributory blame are almost unheard of and will not be taken into consideration. Hence, it is advisable to exercise the utmost caution when driving in residential areas. Driving schools in Germany actually teach their students that a driver is to remove her/his foot from the gas-pedal when a child or an elderly person is near a street.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic