The truth about driving in Germany

NO SPEED LIMIT, the autobahn, ausfarht, smart cars, tiny roads, red and yellow lights at the same time…these are some of the things you may hear when people talk about driving in Germany. But today I’m going to set all the rumors straight, and give you my point of view as a 18 year old American driver in Germany…

Background

I am currently living overseas in Germany as an American with my family. I lived all my life in Maryland and am a resident there, but living here in Germany made me want to drive really bad…in order to do so though I needed a stateside license.

So I went back to Maryland last summer and got my license and then came back and passed the German test. Now after about 6 months of driving I’m going to tell you what its like…

It ain’t easy

Though I’ve only driven for a few days in the United States, I got my license a few days before coming back to Germany, I can say that driving in Germany is far more difficult than driving in the U.S.

The roads and lanes are a lot wider in the U.S. than in Germany and having even a normal size car is sometimes tough to park in the city or makes driving on roads in little towns exciting.

The Germans have mostly small cars, I’ve never seen so many Volkswagen Golfs in my life! Their cars are small for two reasons: a. Their roads are small (I just said that) and b. Gas is uber expensive!

Driving is also tough because of the German style of driving, even though someone may have a yield sign that doesn’t mean their going to yield. The Germans drive very defensively and you really have to watch out, you’ll often see them driving fast through neighborhoods and speeding around corners, it can be very dangerous and tough for an inexperienced driver.

Quirkly laws

Right-of-way in the U.S. is nothing like it is in Germany. Here the right of way is marked by the priority road signs which show the path of the road and who yields where. If the road is unmarked the driver on the road to the right has the right-of-way. (yes you did read that correctly)

So you could be driving on a main road going 40 MPH when someone from a little sideroad comes out right in front of you because they’re on the right…WEIRD!

In Germany you can also be fined for turning right at a red light, something that is encouraged in the states, I don’t get it, but its frustrating to sit at a red light that I just want to turn right at.

The Cars

Forget about what Americans say about BMW and Mercedes in the United States, for the Germans its all about Ford and Jeep. To them these cars are the sign of a rich person, while a Beamer is simply a Chevy.

Trucks and SUVS = nonexistent…sorry socker Moms (or Fussballe Mutter’s) but unless you want to fork out 1.90 per liter (close to 4$ a gallon) for your gas gullizer, than your SUV just won’t cut it here in Germany. In fact the only SUVs and trucks here are marked with the USA license plate. The Germans also have to pay a tax for air pollution too, so bigger cars = more money all around.

The Smart Car

One of the coolest things I saw when I first got to Germany was the Smart Car. It is one of the best MPG cars available to the Germans and for good reason…look at it.

Do I need to say anymore?

The Autobahn

The Autobahn is something that you hear Americans talk about all the time. Before I got here I pictured it as this long road stretching throughout Germany with no speed limit. But Autobahns are everywhere, in fact they are just highways. As for the speed, there are some stretches of Autobahns with unrestricted speeds, but German law has a recommended speed of 120 KPH. Though no one follows that.

Germany is crazy when it comes to speed, despite having speed limits when you’re out on an Autobahn you have to be above that speed to keep up with traffic flow and you need to watch out for the Ferrari or Lambo that comes cruising up behind you at 150 MPH in the left lane (seriously).

Polizei

Germany is the only place I’ve ever been where people will actually pass the police officers on roads. The police don’t traffic the highways or roads…thats what all the camera’s are for.

If you get snapped going too fast on an Autobahn or running a red light, it could cost you up to 100 Euro.

Cameras are everywhere too, they’re set up on red lights, on overpasses and even hidden in parked cars. You have to watch out!

Driving in Germany quick facts

• Ausfarht isn’t a big city, it means exit
• The older your car is the more money you have to pay in taxes, so most Germans have newer cars and sell older ones to Americans who don’t have to pay the tax
• German cars are not authorized to drive in the U.S. because they do not meet certain safety regulations.
• If you follow a priority road it will always lead you to an autobahn.
• Autobahns are never marked with North, South, East or West.
• Before changing green, the street lights flash red and yellow at the same time.
• European license plates are marked with the country they are from and the city is the first 1-3 letters (1 letter=larger cities ie F-Frankfurt while 3 letters=smaller cities)

In Conclusion

So now that you know the facts, it visiting Germany for the fast speeding autobahn worth it on your next euro trip…I’d say its something everyone should try. But be cautious because it really isn’t anything like the USA.

Check out more pics or driving in Germany here.