(BAD!!) Driving: Germany vs. USA | The WORST Drivers?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 พ.ค. 2024
- From the German #Autobahn to the US Interstate System, who has the worst drivers? What is the cost of speeding tickets in Germany or the highest cost of texting while driving in the USA? And what actions will get your der Führerschein or driver's license suspended or revoked in either Germany and the DMV in the United States?
Episode 59 | #lifeingermany and #driving in both Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany | Filmed May 18, 2021
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👉Quick Jump to Your Favorite Topic:
00:00 Intro
01:31 Deutschland Punkt in Flensburg: German Point System
03:07 Driving Rules in USA & Driving Points USA
04:37 Germany's Worst Drivers vs. The WORST Drivers in the US
07:14 How much are speeding tickets in Germany? OR How much are speeding tickets in America? Let's compare!
08:51 Banned from Driving: Revoked or Suspension of Drivers License in USA or Germany
11:42 ....this is embarrassing
13:28 Penalty for Drink Drive Limit in Germany vs. Drunk Driving in USA
16:08: QUIZ TIME: Hilarious Driving Laws in USA or Driving Laws in Germany
23:20: Bloopers
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Originally from the Midwest of the USA, we moved to the #blackforest in 2013 and quickly embraced #expatlife. As American expats living in #Germany, things weren't always easy, but we've grown to love our life in Germany. We started this #travelvlog to share our experiences with friends and family, and to help those who are interested in moving overseas! Whether you are interested in moving abroad, working abroad, studying abroad, raising a family abroad, or just want to #traveleurope, we're here to give you a first person look at what lies ahead. 😊🎥🌎
There have been a few instances when I had to do with the police in Germany and I can confirm that they are your friend and helper. For example: 19 year old Carina has to drive in the middle of the night past an Autobahnkreuz. At that point, I didn't have a navigation system let alone a phone to help me. So I stop on the side of the Autobahn, activate my Warnblinker, pull out my paper maps and try to make sense of where I have to go. Now imagine the police officer tapping on my window and asking if there is a problem, only to be greeted by this young desperate woman and her maps spread out everywhere. He actually called his colleague and they explained to me the proper route. Then they also said that it's illegal to stop like that which now is burned into my brain. But those two guys were a blessing in that horrible, dark and rainy night.
Anyway, kids: Do not stop on the side of the Autobahn to check your route because you put yourself and others in extreme danger. Better go to the next Rastplatz!
This sounds a lot like an experience my dad had recently. He was pulled over on the side of the road (a rural road in the middle of no where).... the officer pulled over and came up to his window asking what as wrong. My dad said "Oh I am lost on my way to an auction and I don't know where I am. I needed to Google some directions, but I didn't want to do that while I was driving." - The officer was nearly dumbfounded that he was stopped because he didn't want to endanger anyone and was so impressed he thanked him for his thoughfulness.
For an American that would be a horrible situation them come to your window and saying: "We are from the government and are here to help."
To think you're sitting in your cozy dry car and they get soaking wet only to be of assistance!
@@TypeAshton Thats the most normal thing, stop and look for further directions
you think cops in Europe are here to shoot you in the head for no reason? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
In my experience the police are always perfectly reasonable provided you are reasonable with them. Like all of us, I've made stupid mistakaes that I'm not proud of, but on each occasion I simply put my hands up, admitted that I was in the wrong, listened to what they had to say and apologised. These guys have a tough job, and if you make life difficult for them, they'll make it difficult for you. Be civil and the chances are you'll get away with it.
As a Brit I once took a work contract in Louisiana and, because we were there more than 6 months, I went to get a US licence. I was a little shocked at how easy it was. As a for instance, one of my colleagues wanted a motorcycle licence. For the practical part he was supposed to be followed once round the block by the examiner. The examiner explained that he had a hangover so asked my colleague to ride round on his own whilst the examiner checked out of the window! 😮
Clearly, in US there is not the emphasis on personal safety as Ashton's seat belt is not properly located. This is noticeable in several other videos where the shoulder belt lies below the shoulder and across the upper arm, this would result in the torso not being properly restrained in an accident. I think that the upper seat belt adjustment is set too low. Jonathon's seat belt wear is exemplary - well done!
When I was on vacation in LA, I decided on a Thursday that I would get a US driver's license. On Friday I went to the test center, took the test with 0 errors, drove 3 times around the block (10 minutes) and got the license. That would be impossible in Germany (fortunately).
Yes in some states the exam is EXTREMELY easy.
Don't forget to NOT shoot anyone while driving around the block .... according to Craig Fergusson. ;-)
I have three driver's licenses. German (old grey one), Mexican ($25 and eye exam, off you go) and California. Now I am no longer current on the requirements in Germany since they came out with the most recent license that is apparently up for renewal after a certain time. Which is the biggest BS, even just to exchange your old one for the new one, if you live abroad. In California, retesting during renewal depends on the violations you may have had. If you had none, all that is needed is an eye exam and off you go.
Now I have a certain luxury when going somewhere as a tourist and even in the US.
I can "play" a little dumb and show any of the license when stopped. I could get into trouble in California with a foreign license since as a resident, I have to have a California driver's license. But legally, that is a minor issue for as long as I have a valid one. I once got into a check point in Germany and showed my Mexican one and had no problems.
My wife failed 5 times on her excams before finally succeding...
@@MBrieger In Germany, they just adopted the EU drivers license (the standardized plastic cards) about 20 years ago. Some things that you were allowed to do with the older ones, but didn't make sense (like driving a 7,5to truck pulling a 14to trailer without taking any test or training or riding a motorbike without limitations if you were older than 25 and had the old grey one) are gone now. If you have an older license, you have to exchange yours, but can keep all the old stuff you were granted back then.
But no, you don't have to re-take your test at any point - once you got your license, you have it for life. Which is a bit problematic concerning older drivers that don't have the reaction time or eyesight anymore, but still insist on driving everywhere themselves.
The only people that have to re-take drivers tests are afaik lorry drivers and drivers of public transportation vehicles above a certain age .
38 years driving in Germany without an accident, then driving on 210 out of Los Angeles and someone crashed into my back. They drive like nuts in L.A.!
Wait they are driving in LA? looked more like camping on the interstate (that sounds like a song name haha)
OH nooooooo. 😬😬😬
Ronnie, I absolutely support your statement. Sharing the same road with them lunatics in California is a hairaiser and btw. no fun at all. I wonder where they have their thinking done.
Fun fact: The MPU in Germany, which you must pass to get your driver's license back, is colloquially called the "Idiotentest" (idiot test). ^^
Haha, because the regular exam for a (first) driver's license is not "Narrensicher" ("fool proof" - "you cannot make anything fool proof because fools are so ingenious")
@@jpdj2715 Yeah, because if you got something fool proof, someone will for sure make a somehow 'better' idiot…
@@jpdj2715 That sentence never gets old!LOl
And I have heard of people who struggle to pass it 😜
@@berndhoffmann7703 So do I!LOL
I think you forgot an important difference Germany vs USA: fines in the USA will cause your car insurance to go up, whereas in Germany the premium only goes up if have an insurance claim (from an accident).
Jonathan and I were JUST talking about this on our walk. You're right this is such an important difference!
Not quite universally true. For example Minnesota has the so-called "Dimler ticket", named after the Dimler Amendment, originally written by State Representative Chuck Dimler in the mid 1980s, which makes minor speeding offenses there (typically up to 5 to 10mph over depending on context) not reportable to insurance by keeping them off a driver's record and further allows officers or courts to amend a ticket down to a level covered by the Dimler amendment. The distinction in Germany is that points on the record don't go to insurance like they do in the US.
I remember my driving lessons.
The instructor told me to stop on the side of a road (not on the Autobahn) and asked what the sign infront of us meant.
"It means I am not allowed to stop here."
"Indeed. Now go go go!"
My cousin on the other hand was told by the same instructor to stop on the side of the Autobahn and asked him, when he was allowed to do that (spoiler, he was not allowed to do that in that instance. If the police cuaght them, the instructor would have gotten into trouble.).
I liked that instructor. He wanted us to think while driving and not do so distracted or careless.
Woah I bet that was a bit of reverse psychology. I know when I was practicing to drive my dad took a "sink or swim approach" and had me drive down the highway at rush hour. It made me learn (very quickly) that driving can be overwhelming and you must be extra extra careful.
Driving is more dangerous in the US IMO for a number of reasons that are related to driving laws, lack of efficient local and regional train and bus networks and possibly culture too. It's way too easy for anyone to get a drivers license here also. In Germany (and other EU countries) I've heard it's much more difficult and expensive to get a licsense. Germans respect driving laws a bit more since it is so expensive to have it suspended - and especially revoked.
Dear Ashton, talking about safe driving. I did notice that you wear the seatbelt very low (under your shoulder).
For your own protection the belt should be over your shoulder, like Jonathan does it.
Usually you can adjust the height of upper mount of the belt on your "B" pillar.
Just in case Jonathan does drive like Jason Bourne. ;-)
That is correct. If you have problems with the belt "cutting" into your neck while wearing it correctly, there are "Gurtpolster" available that soften the hard belt on your skin.
I'm quite short and always had this problem. And I was mad at myself that I suffered years and years before I could bring myself to buying these (not even expensive!).
I'll never drive without them again.
@@reginas.3491 You can even sew them yourself if you know how to handle a sewing machine. It's a very quick and easy project.
Thanks! I should have adjusted it when I got into the car share. I'll make sure to do it next time. 😊
Fun Video! The fines for speeding might be lower in Germany, but they balance that out by having speed cameras everywhere, so that the odds that you are going to get a ticket for speeding is much higher in Germany!
YES, true, true.
@@TypeAshton On the other hand, Germany is infamous in Europe for its low fines. Pretty much all our neighbors have higher ones.
In addition, those fines only apply when you get caught and nothing worse has happened - as soon as a situation gets out of hand (not necessarily an accident, there's the famous "Gefährdung") you're facing far worse sentences, in some cases even under criminal law (e.g. "gefährlicher Eingriff in den Straßenverkehr") - means you end up with a criminal record.
@@KaiHenningsen And they have pretty much the same speed trap systems, so the odds of getting caught are about as high.
@@KaiHenningsen Fines shouldn't be a p***s measung contest who got the longest/highest. German roads are safer than all other European roads - there are other ways to make them even more safe, than just upping fines. (Which don't prevent some of the worst driving errors, which aren't even fined in 90% of the cases)
Many people believe that fines for driving offenses in Germany are far too low. The problem is not that the state does not dare to take more from the offenders ... it cannot take more.
The reason is that offenses according to the driving rules are "Ordnungswidrigkeiten" (contravention, a non-criminal offense) and that for this kind of offense there is an upper bound of €1000,- for a fine (Geldbuße), with only few exceptions.
If you wanted to take a higher fine, or a fine related to the income, you'd have to define a "Straftat" (criminal offense) that can be punished with prison or an amercement (Geldstrafe). The problem is that such an offense typically refers to some generally punishable behavior, not to a non-abidance to some rules.
Interestingly, people are surprised to hear that showing the finger to other drivers can be punished harder that running over a red light; the former being an insult (which is considered a Straftat), the latter just a contravention.
Ah this explanation is VERY well done. Thank you for this!!
3:00 There is an option to reduce your points by one single point. You can take a course called "Fahreignungssemiar" once in 5 years and only if you have 5 points or less. The course is offered only by a few certified companies like DEKRA or TÜV and it cost 200-400€
Ah okay, that makes sense. thank you!
I grew up, and obtained my US license in Massachusetts, one state you showed as one of the more/most difficult driving tests. I had to laugh. Compared to my son’s German driving test, it was waaay to simple and could hardly be classified even as a “test”. And still, I lived in Florida for a few years and THAT test was nothing at all.
Awww, I feel you on the carsickness. My son got his license this year here in Germany. He is in his “begleitest” driving year being 17. My husband and I give him every opportunity to gain experience including giving him an extra Fahrsicherheitstraining course. So we visited family 3 hours away and allowed him to drive us from Ulm to Frankfurt. My husband sat up front with my son. I was in the back. I can’t tolerate the back for too long. After 2 hours of perfect driving, I made him pullover so I could settle myself and move to the front. So I really feel you.
Yeah I have always suffered from car sickness. Usually the front seat helps, but it is tough when I am reading notes. The last driving video we stayed mostly in the valley or on the A3. But this time we were doing switch backs in the forest and it proved to be too much.
Great as always. I'm so sorry for Ashton. You are a real hero to go through all the car sickness just for the sake of the video.
Now, a little problem occured: since you talked about bad drivers, no matter what they did, I feel a little awkward. Sometimes I am one of these slightly fast drivers (only once in a blue moon of course) but I don't really feel as a bad driver (of course not - who does). So it would make me very happy if we could agree that drivers who don't drink and never caused an accident in decades can't be bad drivers. 😎
Love the audio! Especially the sound effects and the transition and title music!
Awesome thank you so much!
Hihihi, the confused Ashton in the last blooper was very funny :D
But the snippets of us-american and german roads you did show for us were interesting for me, like, the us-engineers design the roads like smaller version of highways. Wide clearing on both sides, gentle slopes and curves, im not sure, but if i would drive on such "mini-highways", i think, i would unwittingly drive faster, because, i will still feel safe with higher speeds on such roads.
...guter Beitrag! auch das Frage- Antwortspiel am Ende ;-)
Especially truck drivers in germany are required to wear adequate shoes, driving barefoot or in socks is prohibited. A policeman, that pulled a barefoot trucker over, will insist that proper shoes are put on while driving. Sadly there are many drivers, who treat their cabin as their livingroom and do not apply the obligate footwear.
Very nice video with interesting information.
Thank you!
😂 I identify with both of your versions of driving: I never get sick when I'm driving, but as a passenger the slightest stopping and turns make me quite sick.
That was fun and interesting as usual.
Allow me to add one point you might have missed: In Germany, you can get points without/before having a driving license. You can get points as a bicycle driver, and be unable to keep your car license or be prevented to attain it at all.
That's right.
Cause every rule is for every vehicle on the road. The funny part is that pedestrians are seen as vehicles too. So when you cause an accident because your drunken as an pedestrian you can lose your driver license. (I don't know anyone who in fact lost it in cause of that. But i know someone who did lose it cause he was drunken on bicycle)
Because all are part of the traffic/ Verkehrsteilnehmer and responsable
@@yosgarat3623 My previous statement was incorrect, there are situations where even a pedestrian can get points, see below.
Absolutely, I gained my first and only two points in the 70th aged 16 on a bike running a stop singn and causing an accident. Back then there was an 18 point limit. Luckily, never got any further points.
@@UnExcited42 I stand corrected there are indeed cases where pedestrians can accumulate points:
"Punkte für Fußgänger gibt es nach Angaben des Bundesverkehrsministerium (BMVI) in der Regel bei Zuwiderhandlungen mit Alkohol und Drogen. Aber auch Passanten, die eine geschlossene Schranke an einem Bahnübergang vorsätzlich überqueren, bekommen Punkte. Für diese Regelmissachtung sieht die Punktetabelle Flensburg 1 Punkt vor. Aber auch bei Fußgängern, die sich unerlaubterweise von einem Unfallort entfernen, versteht das Verkehrsrecht keinen Spaß und ahndet solche Verstöße mit 2 Punkten in Flensburg."
But not for crossing a red light.
A short add to the beginner drivers in Germany: The status of the beginners driver lasts 2 years which can be extended to 4 years, and is called "Probezeit". During these two years, the rules to lose your license are stricter. Like you mentioned at the image at 14:31, there is 0,00 aclohol concentration allowed when driving. Also driving more than 21 km/h over the speed limit, too short distance to vehicles in front of you, passing on the right or driving over a red light might lead to a longer Probezeit. The sanctions are based on a 3-step-system: At first, if your violation is strong enough, your Probezeit will be extended to 4 years and you need to take an additional class, called "Aufbauseminar" with theoretical classes and observed driving lessons, which are meant to help you reflect your driving style. If you make another violation after the seminar during your extended Probezeit, you get a written warning and a recommendation for an MPU. If you still make violations after that, your license will be taken away. It may also be taken away if you are ordered to take the Aufbauseminar, but can't show prove you've attended it during the time limit (mostly 2 months). More Infos you will see for example on the homepage of the ADAC, the "Allgemeiner Deutscher Auto-Club", in englisch General automotive Club)
Oh yeah reading while driving is also for me problematic as a passenger. So I feel with you Ashton. 🤢
I'm in the first days of June in the Black Forest with the motorcycle before heading further South.
Wenn ihr schon mal bei dem Thema gute und schlechte Fahrzeugführer seid dann macht doch mal ein aus Spaß eine Theorieprüfung in Deutschland . Es gibt Online Testprüfungen die ihr ohne vorher dafür gelernt zu haben ausprobieren könnt . Würd mich interessieren wie gut ihr seid ? Grüße aus dem Nordwesten Deutschlands .............
Ah that WOULD be a great video (and a good test of our German!) We will add this to the list for future videos.
@@TypeAshton Highly recommended! I did that once. And failed 4 or 5 times until I got to 100% correct. Some things are new to me as a holder of a grey "Lappen" for 49a.
@@TypeAshton If you're adventurous and are willing to spend a bit of money, find a driving instructor willing to be videoed and ask him to do a simulated practical exam.
@@TypeAshton das könnte sehr interessant werden .
Die Prüfungen können auch in englischer Sprache abgelegt werden (und in vielenanderenSprachen). Btw eine ausländische Fahrerlaubnis (aus einem Nicht-EU-Land) kann hier nur für max 185 Tage genutzt werden, danach ist der Erwerb einer deutschen Fahrerlaubnis notwendig, um weiter Auto fahren zu dürfen...
Beautiful scene from the Bourne Identity! 😂
One of our favorite movies.
My instructor was awesome. As a glider pilot, i learned to drive on the airfield at around 15. (Although i have been interested in cars since i was little and i've driven on the lap of my dad on some occasions) He immediatly picked up on that and just let me drive for a bit and then found out on which parts i had to learn a lot. We also did a lot of emergency stuff, like emergency full braking with the ABS, as well as some evasive manoeuvres and high speed driving on the Autobahn (funniest part was, he wanted me to actually reach the cars full speed, which was above 200 km/h and he kept pushing me, while reading a newspaper...he made me recite the things NOT to do when doing higher speeds before and also had me do some emergency braking from very high speeds)
But - 2 weeks after i got my license, i flipped my dads W124 Mercedes three times...i didn't even get a scratch, but the Landstraße had a realtively long stretch (i crashed right on the beginning of it)...and my instructor actually saw the crash, while teaching another student. No practice with rear wheel drive, a wet grass patch on the side, a little to much enthusiasm...and a ditch on the other side sealed the fate of that car. Been driving W124s for 10 years after that and still have one in the shed...these things where built like absolute tanks and i'm fairly certain, i wouldn't have escaped that easy in any other car. Since then i crashed an advertising pillar (German classic, "Werner - Volles Rooäää!!!" like, i kid you not!) on another car due to a technical defect and crashed on the Autobahn head on, because a semi had to pull out without indicating...and i was looking at the clock at that exact moment. Since then, i've never been distracted while driving and have been driving for over 13 years without a crash.
"Duzen" has always to be judged in context. It's not necessarily seen as an insult, it always depends on the circumstances and obvius or not that obvious intentions - to fall into the insult category there has to be an intention to insult someone. If this intention is obvious you don't have to be an official, you can sue the person as well for insulting you. We have freedom of opinion, but not freedom of just insulting other people. A straight forward insult is not an opinion. I can hold the opinion my opposite is an a**hole, i can express that opinion by saying "In my eyes that person over there is an a**hole" but i can't go to the person and call "a**hole" without risking to be sued by that person. Of course in day to day life the risk is very low, but in theory the person could do it.
But of course if you "duz" an official - not only police staff - in a derogatory manner (and if it is seen as derogatory depends firstly on the recieving part) it can be an "insult to officials" for which you indeed can be fined. If you talk to Police you usually don't know the person so you approach the person like any other person you don't know: with "Sie". As to "duz" a person you don't know in an environment that does not encourage to "duz" in a for everyone involved obvious manner, "duzen" in general is taken as rude and confrontational behaviour. So if you approach towards officials as respectful as you approach towards any other person you don't know, you'll always be fine.
On the other hand you don't have to act submissive (like "Yes Sir, sorry Sir"), i would presume our police staff would be a little irritated by such behaviour as well, . I would for sure... :-D In german there's the "Sie" form to establish politeness between people who don't know each other, everything on top is not necessary and is seen as exaggerating. If i - as a german - would answer with "Yes, Sir, no Sir, sorry Sir" to a policeman he would ask if i want to "verarsch" him.
There are cases that to uses "Du" form were seen as respectless and insulting and were punished. In this cases the officer said that the person should use the "Sie" form and the person in question ignored it.
love that 'would be a little irritated'
The only question I have: Does 'Du A-loch' cost more than 'Sie A-loch'?
@@berndhoffmann7703 Lol, yea the classic one. No, not realy.... but it is up to the judge.
@@berndhoffmann7703 i would bet on it.. 😀
so, watched it finally, but what pops up in my mind, dashcamdriversgermany has a good collection of bad driving in germany :) commented and explained in some cases. and to berlin, my theses is, berlin is a international city.. maybe thats why? and the fines in germany are to low, so many are not intimitaded by fines.. the Quiz was awesome and funny :D and i remember, when i was in PA i was not aloud to have beverages, even if they were closed in the front, i had to have it in the trunk, and even put it in a paper bag carrying to the car.. i kinda laughed at the stores clerk for it.. cause in germany, this no problem, as long as it isnt open.. oh and when have a accident in germany while driving barefoot, chance are that the insurance will not pay :)
awesome video again!
I don´t know if that is valid today because I don´t drive that much anymore but back in the days when I was young a common unwritten rule was to become extra cautious when encountering a car with a driver wearing a hat (Fahrer mit Hut) on the streets, because those were always the worst drivers ;-D
As a corollary this also extends to the infamous roll of toilet paper under a crocheted hood in the back window.
The last time I checked the German points system it was possible to reduce your points by taking refresh seminars on your own volition. Not sure, if that is still the case after the last reform. In the system before you had much larger point thresholds and the points taken away by those seminars were miniscule in comparison for a serious offender. But it was still a good gesture to someone crossing over from the green to yellow range of points.
Still possible. You can do a course once in five years to reduce one point but only if you have less than 5 points. And only a few companies are authorisized to do such a course like Dekra or TÜV. Don't forget years ago max. points were 15, now there are only 8 and you loose points over time. Some after 2.5years for minor breakings of the law, other after 5years and if the cause for the points was a crime including loss of drivers license it takes 10 years.
in new orleans/louisiana they have to-go cups and allow you to drink anywhere in public - just like germany - as well as drive-thru daiquiri shops so it's funny you guys mention this here!
Very entertaining, refreshing and beautifully presented.
I can only guess how much research and presentation work is behind it.
14:26 However, I was surprised that the blood alcohol content in the USA is given in %;
I thought it was given in ‰ (e.g. 0,5 ‰) worldwide. 🤔 Something new again!
Thanks so much! So glad you enjoyed the video!
That was a great video :-)
Some years ago I rode my bike off at a pedestrian light 2 seconds before it turned green. A police car was right next to me and so I was stopped right on the other side of the intersection. I was warned and should pay about 30 DM. I refused and so I got a bill for 180 DM a little later by mail. An expensive mistake, from which I have learned.
(DM = German currency before the euro changeover)
I had heard that you can also get points taken against your driver's license for cycling infractions as well. SUCH a departure from the USA.
In the UK the cost of insurance is likely to rapidly increase not only according to the number of points, but also the type of offence. A speeding offence will result in some premium increases, whereas even going through a red light will result in some steep premium increases, more than that it will seriously cost, just to insure yourself. The worse it is, many companies will decline to quote.
There are voluntary options to reduce your points (if you have 1-5 points). You can take a seminar (Fahreignungsseminar/Punktabbauseminar) to get rid of 1 point. However, you can only do that once every 5 years.
Here in Portugal, not only we arrived late at the points' "show" (the points system was implemented only in 2016) but we also did it the opposite way of everyone else: instead of racking up demerit points, drivers were given 12 points and each time they were caught commiting an infraction ("caught" being key word #1), points between 2 and 6 are subtracted from the DL (depending on the severity of the infraction). When the drivers have 4 points left they're mandated to do a Road Safety Course ("mandatory" being key word #2), when they only have 2 points left they'll have to retake a Theory Test, if they reach 0 points they'll lose the DL for 2 years and after that period of time they'll have to retake a driving test. However, if drivers miss the RSC (because key word #2) or fail the Theory Test, they'll lose the rest of remaining points and the 0 points' rule will be applied to them.
In theory this system should work but in reality it doesn't (because key word #1): a large number of drivers commit enough infractions per day to grant them enough points to lose the DL 2 or 3 times but they don't get caught. The number of drivers who lost all points since 2016, and consequently their DL for 2 years, is so low that if anyone looks at our points system numbers they will think that the portuguese drivers are the best in the world when in reality we're some of the worst.
Fact: Parking and speeding tickets don't affect your insurance premium in Germany.
Causing an accident with one vehicle does not affect your other vehicle's premiums as every vehicle has its separate policy.
That is so, so interesting. Jonathan and I were talking about this today - I should have included it in the video notes.
@@TypeAshton Why don't you make a folloiw up video stating consequences for bad drivers. The sequel.
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Europe doesn't allow vehicles to be underinsured or even uninsured. which is a weird concept for an industrialized country like the US If you have a look at your policy you'll see that you're covered for 100 Million Euros.
Love your well researched and presented videos.
Funny enough, if you try to insure another vehicle after getting into an accident, the higher premiums apply.
If both vehicles are insured at the same insurance I wouldnt be 100% sure, definetly if you damage a vehicle of the same family/ company which another one of this family/ company you will not be insured for your own damage, even in the voll Kasko.
10:53 In Germany, there is a comparable difference: that between "Entzug der Fahrerlaubnis" (drivers licence revoked", and "Fahrverbot" (disqualification from driving").
The chief difference is that the latter is for a set time (1, 2, or 3 months), after which you will automatically get your licence back. (although in certain cases, such as repeated DUI, you may have to pass an "MPU" first, or else possibly have your licence revoked eventualy).
By contrast, if the licence is revoked, the licence document will be physically destroyed and you will have to apply for a new one (after the minimum time set by the judge; the minimum time is at least 6 months, but the law stipulates that the ban can be forever.) You may have to pass an MPU before you get it. In either case, since it is a brand new licence, it will come with a clean points record.
Btw, a "Fahrverbot" is easy to get - just run a red light that has been red for more than 1 second, and you get to be a pedestrian for 4 weeks. Although if it is your 1st offense, you will be alllowed to pick the exact time when to serve your disqualification, within a 4 months window.
This is an awesome explanation! Thank you so much!
Jeff Bridges wore a bathrobe while driving through L.A. in the movie The Big Lebowski, and it didn't seem to get The Dude in trouble. 😅
I get car sick a lot, I didn’t think it was a big deal and used to brush it off to bad drivers/bad roads. But I talked to my doctor one day and I was prescribed a medication for it that works in minutes, and honestly, since I started it, I went from walking ~30k steps aday to the normal 8-10k since now I can take the bus or ride a car… if this is a frequent issue, it is worth discussing with your doctor the solution that works best for you and your body.
In germany it is allowed to drive totally naked. But you should better wear shoes because your naked foot can slip off the brake
Actually in France it is forbidden to wear slippers or flip flops while driving!
Also there is/was a law in France that stated that navigation which included warning for upcoming speed cameras was illegal and would result in a fine and confiscation of that device.
We have goten a fine for parking in front off a post office in France and because we have hard to prenounce and write last name, we had to fill out the ticket ourselves!
In Germany it is called apropriat footweare
Well, actual navigation systems don't show speed cameras in France any more, but warn you of (larger) "danger zones". Problem solved...😉
@@karinland8533 Yes, but (theoretically) in Germany you may drive butt naked - there is no law describing a dress code. Only thing is, you meed to cover up before leaving your car and not expose yourself indecenly...
Hello Ashton, hello Jonathan, happy sunday!
In my personal opinion the fines in Germany are too low. Look for the scandinavian countries or Switzerland. I call myself a good diverse because whenever possible I User public transportion, only for some journies I use my E- car when it's difficult to reach the destination. Best regards Ralf
Hi there Ralf! Happy Sunday! We were also really surprised with how low fines are. Thankfully, we've only had a single speeding ticket from a speed camera - but it was only 30 or 35 euros or something like that. Surprisingly low.
Hi Ashton, yor car sickness, remindes of the three basic rulus in car, from the drivers perspective.
#1 Do not touch any button
#2 The diversen is in Charge of the music
#3 Who vommits in the car, has to buy a new one.
Seriousky, I hope your car sicknes is to Bad and happens often.
Or is it corraleted to Jonathan's driving
I'm German and I would like the normal fines (not the court appointed) like they are in Finnland that are income-related. I remember Kimi Raikonnen had to pay 30000€ because his car was overloaded. They assumed his monthly income was 150000€ and set the fine for 30000€ . If you do the same and earn 1500€ I assume the fine would be 300€ in Finnland. Court appointed fines in Germany are already income related. There are many with big cars that behave like idiots but you hear often enough it's cheaper to pay the fine for driving to fast when getting into a speed trap than to loose a contract of a few thousands. That would change if the fine would be high enough to cut deeply into the profit of that contracts.
As a truck driver in Germany, I have to add to the topic of bare foot driving: While, yes, it isn't directly penalized, and can be fined if found to be a contributing factor to an accident, there is also a separate regulation for truck drivers, or actually any professional drivers, coming from the "trade association" (BG Verkehr), listed in the DGUV Vorschrift 70 "Fahrzeuge", § 44 Abs. 2 Unfallverhütungsvorschrift which states " Der Fahrzeugführer muss zum sicheren Führen des Fahrzeuges den Fuß umschließendes Schuhwerk tragen." In translation, this means that a driver has to wear shoes completely enclosing the foot, which automatically excludes bare foot driving, flip flops, etc.
For professional drivers. The fines for this can vary a lot, and there aren't any publicly available rates, but it can technically be as little as €20 and as high as €30000, as this whole matter falls under "work safety" regulations, and any fines resulting from such violations fit into that bracket, but I might be wrong on that one.
Very interesting topic and fun to watch. I'm sorry about you getting sick Ashton during driving which is a horrible experience. I had a lot to do with my granddaughter's car sickness when she was preschool age.
Another fun fact besides the possibility of getting fined for inappropriate footwear or barefoot driving when being caught in an accident: Did you know that in Germany it is perfectly legal to drive your own car completely naked? You just need to make sure you're dressing up BEFORE leaving your car. And you can be banned and have to leave a public place because you are disturbing the general public with your nudity.
LOL, have you ever tried ?
@@grandmak. LOL, no - but not because of feeling exposed. In the summer, the leather seats in my car can get pretty hot and you can easily get burned. That's not really practical. But would not bother me to see a pretty woman like that. 🤣
Okay so... what about if you're driving a convertible? Or a motorcycle? 😂😂😂 Is that still allowed?
@@Opa_Andre OPA ! Don't let Oma hear that ! 😂
@@TypeAshton I'm not a lawyer, so I don't know for sure, but I don't think so. If I understood it correctly, you need to be "inside" your car - then the same law / rules apply like in your private household. So I don't think this applies to an convertible - and definitely not to a motorcycle.
First off: great video. Informative, interesting, well researched.
Second: what's the title of the rock-style intro-music you used? There are so many good rock-titles on the website it will be difficult to find that specific title.
The worst drivers depend massively on the situation. Anyone coming from the flatlands found in hilly, or heaven forbid, actual mountainous areas is considered a "Flachlandtiroler" by most locals.
Compound the inexperience of driving on curving and/or (somewhat) steeper roads with no knowledge of their prefered touristy destinations these "flat-land mountaineers" are the bane of anyone knowing how to actually drive in those areas, as well as those with knowledge of the local road layout.
The reverse is also true: anyone from the countryside suddenly finding themselves in large cities, often with multiple construction sites and possibly detours, may become unsafe. As they cut from the fourth lane on the right straight over three lanes to take a left-turning lane, often without using their indicators (or at least, using their indicators far too late), or even without checking their mirrors or that the lane they are switching into is actually free. Sometimes they are also overwhelmed by trees along inner-city roads blocking clear sight to street signs or lights that locals will know about, making those 'auswärtige' / 'foreign' drivers another danger due to sudden and unexpected braking.
Sideswipes, t-bones, etc in a city in Germany may be less dangerous due to the much lower average speed here, but still they cause a lot of vehicular damage. With the much harsher enforcement of road-safe vehicle conditions in Germany, even a minor sideswipe can mean repair costs so high to get it back into road-safe condition that totalling it is often the only choice.
The last part is their proximity to other countries with, let's say, a lot more lax concerns for following the road rules than in Germany. Many drivers in the far west of Germany that regularly drive in Belgium or France tend to have a more 'free' approach to interpreting the road rules. Anyone ever having driven in Paris or Brussels will know what I am speaking of. The Parisian round-abouts are NOTHING for the faint-of-heart. It may be difficult to believe, but the round-abouts in Brussels are worse than even the Parisian ones, a LOT worse. The proximity to such countries tends to 'bleed' into the German drivers' minds.
Now combine a few of these factors, and anyone NOT knowing for example Cologne, its layout, its close proximity to both the said countries, coming possíbly from the country-side, failing to have a working navigation system, and you a get a potential recipe for disaster.
On the flip side, the richer a city or even a local countryside area (*cough* Starnberger See, or Königsstein-Falkenstein *cough cough*) is, the higher the chance for high powered, expensive vehicles being bought by its inhabitants.
With high powered vehicles often comes a divide between perceived and actual driving competence.
Many people who can economically afford a high-powered vehicle often are not mentally or phyiscally equipped to HANDLE said vehicles, much less control them during an emergency situation.
The higher the acceleration and top speed of a vehicle the higher the chance for more serious accidents. Heck, even a minor accident with a luxury vehicle or hypercar is instantly going to jump the repair costs from minor dent repair to the equivalent of a one-family home refurbishment.
I am not certain that the GdV normalized their study to include these factors when it comes to calculating the mean, or even median, of the 'worst drivers in Germany'. I would really like to see their raw data before I concede their point. It is abominable how many such 'studies' (for lack of a better word) fail to adhere to even the most basic rules of data collection, normalization, etc.
Because I fear that after these numbers would be normalized, there would be almost the same situation as in the USA: no real discernably wide spread among drivers in Germany. Nothing along the lines of 10+% points off, more along the lines of 1-2% off the mean.
Hi there. The name of the song is "On the Trail" by Tigerblood Jewel.
I too was actually quite surprised by the data on German drivers. Destatis and TÜV usually keep good records on other stats relative to driving - but this one was no only outdated, but they haven't continued to report on it. To the best of my knowledge - their report was gathered by looking at all new applications for driving insurance and then comparing the driving records of those who had applied. They don't give any other indication for normalizing or balancing the study.
Southern Bavaria? Totally plausible to me. I do own a rather fast car, I don't consider myself a slow driver, but what I've seen there beats just about everything. Going slightly above the speed limit, I got passed several times that made me feel I was standing still. And it wasn't very expensive vehicles, it was Golf class.
@@TypeAshton Thanks for the quick return. Always love myself a good, rockin' instrumental.
The statistics by Destatis and TÜV are probably a lot more reliable, as they have little to gain by tweaking the numbers in their favor.
While the GdV would have quite a vested interest in making high powered, potentially high risk vehicles, and their drivers pay more.
Sorry to sound like a conspiracy lunatic, but when it comes to statistics it is far too easy to tweak data by creating even minor bias. Which then is compounded over multiple steps until the data, no matter its origin, will point at least marginally at the 'intended result' of the contractor for the research.
Good cover of the topic.
Some comments:
1) A good indication on where better or worse drivers are living is the Regionalklasse (regional class) of the car insurers as this is based on the number and costs of incidents
2) DWI and DUI may need explanation (driving while intoxicated & driving under influence)
3) I had a few encounters in the USA for speeding in the mid and late 1980 when I lived or visited the USA frequently. However I got off with a warning after a longer conversation ich the cop. Don’t know whether that is a thing today still. But it surely never happened to me in Germany!
4] An MTU I have heard to have been required always to have been required in DUI / DWI
5) Wearing inappropriate footwear can get you a fine as you said but it can result to loosing your insurance as you acted in gross negligence
This is such a great comment! Thank you so much for the additional clarification!
Very interesting facts präsented with Humor
Thank you so much.
Would be great to get s better sound quality, still love your chanel
Yes sorry about that. We bought new microphones and tested them without issue, but for some reason we had new problems here. We will get it fixed.
10:15 same in Germany suspended, You get your license back. Revoked, you might redo the training for drivers after some tests and some amount of time.
For me as a german it's nice to hear about my country from another perspektive. Thanks for that.
Glad you enjoyed the video! Thanks for watching!
You should have mentioned that the cost of a drivers license in Germany will run you at least 1500 euros and in most states it’s 35 dollars. So the Germans respect the driving laws ( most anyway. ) more so than in the states, as well as in Germany to get the license takes months and you need to go through extensive driving practice
Its more like 2500 on average now. Everything gets more expensive.
@@eylolallaneeee It was like 2500 on average a year ago. Now it is at least that or often even more like 4000€.
Yes this is an excellent point!
@@eylolallaneeee "at least" vs "on average" ;-)
@ Well, last month someone got it for 1,9k, but that was super cheap. So the Median probably is at around 2,5k for us for now, but climbing fast. The Arithmetic mean is probably at 3,5-4k, since there are some outlyer who are up to 7k.
G’day BFF, thanks again for another well presented video. I was expecting a clip of mr bean to feature in this one . He is always good for a laugh. I had to google where the worst drivers are in Australia. According to a Finder report done before the pandemic, the state with the most reckless drivers was Queensland.
Some of the dangerous driving habits listed in the report include using mobile phones, eating, driving with your knees, applying makeup, being distracted by children and even shaving while driving.
The alcohol limit in Australia for driving is 0.05 the same as Germany. We have a lot of speed cameras here, strict speed limits that are actively enforced by police and hefty penalties making your chance of getting caught more likely. Touch wood, after40 years of driving I am proud to say I have only had one fine back in my early 20’s.
May you always be Safe in your vehicles where ever you are.
So funny story... I (Ashton) have a single speeding fine in Germany... and I wasn't even behind the wheel. The car was registered to me, but Jonathan was driving. So when they snapped the speed camera and saw my first name, they just assumed. So I got a nice fine in the mail to "Mr. Ashton Schottler" with Jonathan's face on it. 😂😂😂
I seem to recall that in my youth, the German limit was 0.08 as mentioned for the US. And also, there are periodically debates about lowering the limit further.
Well, I assume that curvy streets in the black forest will get very many people sick!
On the other hand: was it lately more than before 😉😃
hahah no, no. Just the car sickness. Unfortunately little Jack also suffers from this as well... which has made for.... a bit of a messy clean up the last few road trips. 😬😬😬
Hi Ashton, I feel you. I cannot be in the passenger seat and look at stuff. I get sick after 2 minutes. Funny video
Ugh yes, it's a curse. Unfortunately our son Jack also suffers from car sickness which makes road tripping....difficult... to say the least. haha.
You can get your license suspended in Germany, usually for 30 days, for running a red light, especially if you already have a few points. This is the most likely scenario for how „normal“ people lose their license.
Usually, they let you choose the month when you hand in your license so that you can organise alternative ways to get around or have it coincide with a long holiday when you don‘t need your license anyway.
Hello Black Forest Family,
another good video. Regarding your comparison between bad and good drivers, I would like to tell you the following. In Germany, the rating (good/bad) is not based on the federal states but on the basis of the person's age. Many statistics show that young drivers (age 18 to 25) and old drivers (age 70+) are among the people with the most accidents.
The reason for this is the lack of experience among younger people and the fact that older people are overwhelmed by the rules and the ability to react when there is a high volume of traffic. It has been proven that with increasing age, a person's ability to react and pay attention decreases and he is overwhelmed more quickly.
So make a comparison in terms of age. I think it will also be shown in the USA that states with a very low or very high average age have more accidents.
I would also like to say something about driving with flip-flops or barefoot. When driving privately, it doesn't really matter whether or which shoes you wear, as long as there is no accident.
However, if you are on the road professionally as a driver (taxi driver, truck driver, etc.), it is not allowed to wear sturdy shoes, but is prescribed by law by the trade association.
This is how certain speculations come about.
I advise you to wear good shoes when driving.
In cases where a quick reaction is required and the pedals should be pressed well and safely, flip-flops, high heels or bare feet are not very suitable. This can also be proven by studies.
Finally, a little gimmick about driving in Germany. In Germany, there used to be a program called “The Seventh Sense” that was regularly broadcast on TV. Take a look at it is very funny on the one hand, but unfortunately also very misogynistic, because in the 70s it was still believed that women could not drive a car. Nevertheless, it shows many things that are very instructive on the one hand and funny on the other. Please don't be angry with Ashton when you look at it, we men weren't that far back then :-), today it's been proven that women are better drivers.
So in this sense all the best and keep it up.
Many greetings
Ralf
Here is a really weird rule: On Helgoland it is forbidden to drive a bicycle.
Well, the island is very, very small and there are exceptions.
a MPU also includes a proof of abstinence depending on the severity of the intoxication usually of 6 or 12 months. another thing is, having a drug offence on your record will require you to do the MPU, no matter if you were driving at that point. (or if you don't have a license yet, you first have to get through the MPU to even be able to get one)
furthermore if you are ordered to undergo the MPU process it is assumed that you have an addiction problem, the psychological tests can be failed by answering a question like "you and your friends go out in the evening and you come by a bar, what do you do" with "i just order a water". you have to answer "i won't go into the bar" since even entering could trigger a relapse of your presumed drug/alcohol addiction.
WoW! That is super interesting! I mean, I guess that does make sense since it could show a general lack of responsibility with alcohol.
Driving barefoot is not illegal in Germany. But workers' compensation boards (Berufsgenossenschaften) forbid it for those, who are concerned. I you have an accident as a private driver and they find out, that beeing barefoot somehow caused that accident (e.g. not beeing able to brake as fast and strong as with shoes), it will be disadvantageous for you.
I had a funny encounter with a customs checkpoint on a service station on Autobahn. We were on our way for an information meeting at this very service station. When we left the Autobahn we were stopped by a customs officer (it was in Germany, about 30 km from the swiss border - BLACK MONEY!). When he asked, where we want to go, I answered correctly "here". It took a few minutes, until he believed, that our actual destination was this service station (and not Switzerland for hoarding our nonexistent black money).
Finland introduced means tested fines, mostly used for speeding, and an article i read announced that a nokia executive received a speeding fine in excess of 100,000 euros as a result of his high salary.
I think you get a ticket explaining the offence and that your fine will be calculated in due course and you can go to court if you think its too high
Thats nice, that you say about driving in Germany and the USA, becaus Im from Germany and I make my driving licens in a few months.
I feel with you ashton. ^^ I cant read or use the phone myself while I sit in a driving vehicle. I dont own a car, but when I drive the bus or my mom drives me, I get carsick, too, when I use the phone. ^^
YES, it's a curse. Unfortunately Jack also has the same issues which have made family road trips a bit of a... messy... situation lately. lol.
As an insurance specialist I would like to point out that the data coming from the german insurance association GDV can not show where the worst drivers live. It can only show the number of accidents and the damage done. So other factors like traffic, dangerous crossroads, staged accidents and avarage value of the cars also have an influence.
I can relate regarding the car sickness, I can't read anything or watch anything in the car, if I do that I get sick immediately ^^;
SAME. It's bad... and unfortunately Jack has the same problem too.
Nice Video as ever. A law in Germany is, its illegal to drive a car without a reason, you can get fined up to 100€. So if you get stoped by a cop, never answer oh i just drive for fun, it will be an expensive fun. I also get drive sick as passenger when i'm distracted, specially on the way to Feldberg or Schauinsland.
I looked into this, as it seemed strange to me. The only thing I could find was "Unnützes hin- und herfahren" according to §30 StVO. This rule only applies in very specific circumstances, namely inside of towns, and if people are bothered by it. Wikipedia says that it's basically impossible to prove, and it would require you to drive through pedestiran areas at low speeds repeatedly to the point where people were bothered by your existence alone. Is this the rule that you mean?
Because you can definitely drive for fun. Your post made it sound like having a nice drive through the countryside was illegal.
@@DarkDodger yes thats the one I ment. I was fined long time ago for this reason, posing, by a young " Dorfsheriff ". And i was the one who answered I just drive for fun. Sorry that I made it sound like a rule everyone gets fined, but it's possible if you are as stupid as me in my young years.
one way to find out where in germany are the worst drivers from, is to look at the insurance company, they charge you the most in the most dangerous region (but also the young drivers, foreigners ect) but carefully this includes also rental cars, and they by practice are a big amount of accidents cause many reasons...
and for who is harder on law, look a bit south, Switzerland and others are not a autoparadies...
addition to the driving with not propper shoes: when you drive comercially like a Truck or Taxi, this can revoce your license or the insurance, and driving without insurance is illegal in germany
Oh! About Berlin. It’s probably also because it’s the city with 5he most pedestrians and bikes crammed together with public transport, cars, mopeds, etc. I would never drive a car in Berlin but I love biking there.
Yeah, motion sickness... I have it too.
Car, Bus or Train - doesn't matter.
Sooo, welcome to the club 😉😅
Disregarding traffic rules as a cyclist can (depending on severity of course) also get you points in Flensburg, thus impacting a suspension etc.
There is also a limit to the points you're allwoed to have as a parent/adult who accompanies a young driver below 18. This can lead to some funny situations at home when teenagers want to list their parents as driving supervisors and then find out that they have too many points to be allowed to do that :-D
Jonathan was talking to me about this with cyclists! This is really super interesting!!
Cycling while intoxicated can cause you to loose your license and not be allowed to drive a car.
12:40 Ooohh that's from the Bourne identity, I just watched it the other night! Great fun actually!
14:27 Blood alcohol limit is .03% in Germany, it used to be .05%, but they changed it.
Also it's net null for anyone below the age of 21 and for drivers who have passed their licence 3 years prior or less.
To put that into perspective, .05% is a small glass of wine, .03% is about a beer and so legally if you want to drink while driving,
you should consider not finishing your beer or drinking a Radler instead.. which kinda equates that you can't drink while driving...
You can, but not a terrible lot.
19:40 -ish, Insulting an officer is illegal, yeah except it's not "Polizeibeamtenbeleidigung",
but "beamtenbeleidigung", that you're referring to, here. It's not only police officers,
but also teachers, the people at the Rathaus, even some mailmen have the status of "Beamte".
Of course you might get in trouble for insulting anybody in Germany, but anyone with a "Verbeamtung" is especially off limits.
But just imagine, you say your mailman is being a douche and he gets at you with Beamtenbeleidigung,
it doesn't really happen, but the fact that it could is hilarious ^^
You forgot to mention that if your license is confiscated longer than 2 years at a time in germany (maybe while you failed your first mpu or else) your license expires completely and you have to go to drivers school again (of course only with passed mpu if required). The good thing about this is that all your points in Flensburg also disappear. The points are "glued" to the license and not on the person. If the license expires the points also expires.
Oh wow I didn't know that!! That is really, really interesting.
So ... you can get points driving a bike or even as a pedestrian because the points are bound to the person, not the license. And if the license expires, the points also expire, because they're bound to the license, not the person.
Something doesn't quite feel right there.
@@ManOfSt33l Actually, I've lived in Germany for 62 years now. But in any case, I understood what *you* said, I pointed out that this directly conflicts with what *others* said. And it still does. They said that you can, in fact, get points while not having a license.
Now, I don't know who's right, I was never interested in driving a car, so not all that much interested in the details of how the point system works. But I can compare what different people say and see that there's a conflict.
To reduce car or sea sickness, try anything with ginger e. g. ginger tea, ginger water or ginger drops you can get them in every Rossmann, dm, pharmacy or grocery store. You have to try what suits you best. Nowadays there are even ginger shots available in the vegetable/salad section of mayor grocery stores but I don't know how good these are.
I will give that a try! I normally take something called Bodine in the USA - but I forgot to take it this time around.
@@TypeAshton There are products similar to Bonine in Germany. Look for "Reisetabletten" in the pharmacy or order from Amazon, but these products can produce side effects. Ginger might be a little weaker than those chemicals at least its natural.
I wonder if Ginger might be okay to give to little ones. I always hesitate to give Jack medicine since he's under two - but we have a road trip coming up soon and little guy has puked 4 times now on short car rides.
@@TypeAshton Ginger might be too spicy for Jack, maybe if you dilute it enough or try Chamomile tea. Unfortunately remedies for toddlers are mostly chemicals only older kids are able to handle Ginger candies. If you search for "natural remedies for motion sickness in toddlers" you will find a few tips. I'm not sure if these will help since I am no expert in toddlers or kids but its worth a try. My sister always plays a lot with her kids to tire them out or let them go all out on the playground. Once they get on the highway the fall asleep automatically.
In Pennsylvania if you are on a dark country road at night you are supposed to stop every mile and shoot a flare up towards the sky then wait 10 minutes till moving on.
Okay so I read that while I was researching for this video and I wasn't sure if that was a real thing. That's CRAZY! Has anyone ever been fined for not doing that?
@@TypeAshton Not that I am aware of, it was to warn livestock to stay away, back before fencing in your herd was more popular, but I think it was just forgotten about in the present day so its technically still on the books.
Another one that is still "somewhat" enforced is 16 women can not live in a house together cause that is classified as a brothel. Sororities in college do get fined for this on occasion
I currently live in Switzerland: here some fines are based on your income! Famous example is a guy that sold his company for tens of millions, bought a Ferrari and went out to test it out. Obviously drove way too fast (around 30 km/h too fast) and got stopped. Because in that particular year he had a huge income out of the sale of his company, the fine he got was in the millions!!
Grund für Car-Sickness ist oft, ebenso wie bei der Seekrankheit, wenn man nicht nach draussen sieht, etwas liest oder ins Handy schaut. Das liegt daran, dass die Eindrücke des Gleichgewichtsorgans im Ohr, nicht mit den Sinneswahrnehmungen der Augen (stehendes Bild) übereinstimmen! Also bei solchen Symptomen, nach Draussen (an den Horizont) sehen oder kurz anhalten!
Ja, ich leide auch sehr stark unter Seekrankheit.
Lights also turn yellow before turning green again, unlike in US.
12:23 omg, if you are prone to getting car sick, do not read while the car moves. I am usually not getting sea sick, but when reading that is a totally different story..
As far as I know, germany may be pretty cheap in regard of fines, but countries like switzerland are expensive. I would really like a system where your fines are based on your income. But I guess thats too hard to implement technical wise and especially in regards of dataprotection.
My brother wasn't able to pass the MPU until today, which is approx. 15 years.
He was drunk, crashed a fence and ran away
Ashton I am actually very often on German Autobahn travelling from south of Bavaria to the North of Bavaria. And During the last two month I had to travel a lot because of my job. I hat been to Cologne and Frankfurt as well starting from the south of Bavaria so und about 2000 km in 8 weeks. What I am experienced very often. Imagine there is a Speed Limit and nobody cares. There is one rule which is or seemed to be equal in the US and Germany. You should avoid to be caught By Police or any speedcamera 😉😉😄😄😄
there's a difference between barefoot and flip flops. driving barefoot is much less of a problem than driving in flip flops. It is actually adviced to drive barefoot if the only other option you have are flip flops or similar shoes that could slip off or get tangled between the pedals.
The share of drivers with past traffic offenses is not a good way of aligning driving skill. Basically, the northern states in the US enforce traffic standards more than states in the South -- with the exception of the comically easy drivers tests in some northern states. I find as I drive south the level of recklessness generally rises and the level of consideration for other motorists generally drops, although there are areas in the northern US where certain kinds of driving pathology (e.g. grossly excessive speed in the Chicago metro) are concentrated.
Hey guys, thank you for the video.
I saw that you are driving ice car. Did you decide against an electric vehicle or are you just waiting for cars with better range?
This is a car share. We officially have a car on order and will pick it up mid next month. We ended up going with an Auto Abo through Volvo. Includes all maintenance and insurance and we can get newer EVs as they come in. We figured it kind of takes the stress out of new tech and improvements.
Nice Music @ the beginning. Sound like John Lee Hookers boom boom. I was so glad to hear him in 1991.
Berlin a lot of bad Traffic and two different tradition in traffic.
Funfact but in german. In Westberlin war das deutsche Linksabbiegen an einer Kreuzung üblich. In Ostberlin wurde amerikanisch abgebogen, wie überall in Deutschland egal ob west oder ost.
Thanks! We liked it a lot too.
really surpriced how low the fine is for drinking and driving in DE. Here in DK : 0.5-1.2 per thousand You have to take a new theory and driving test, get a fine and have to take an ANT course. 1.2 - 2.0 per thousand You will lose your driving license for three years, be fined and have to take an ANT course. Over 2.0 alcohol per thousand You lose your driving license for at least three years. Fines, probation and your car can be confiscated. is in messured in promille 0/000 so 0.5 is 0.05 0/00
ANT course stands for Alcohol, Drug and Traffic Course
The course consists of 4 lessons of 3 hours duration, i.e. 12 hours in total.
On the course, you will be taught in e.g. facts about alcohol and drugs, prevention of drink- and drug-driving, etc.
The course costs DKK 3,200, around 427€ which you must pay yourself
and this is for a first defences. goes up to 10 years and life if repeated
The 'Spirzenstrasse' is not the road for someone I would recommend for soomeone who gets perhaps carsick! I drove this way far too often and I'm convinced that
the area behind the guardrails will be well fertilized every year by co-drivers who have the same problem as you, Ashton (Hope this isn't too harsh), especially in winter
when it is snowing. The fresh snow makes this road a nightmare because you can't see the track anymore (And driving by hearing is by far not the safest way)!
Btw.: The 0.05% blood alcohol concentration applies only if you drive without any abnormality. In this case you commit an infringement.
If you're driving conspuciously (commiting an accident, weaving, too high or too low speed...) the limit is 0,03% and you're commiting a crime!
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There is a big difference between bare footed and flip flops - you actually use both feet all the time in Europe (manual gear)
Och, I get car sick, too. Especially when it’s been a really long one. I’m like: Franz! Slow down! And he’s: I am driving slowly! Me: it’s not slow enough for me right now. Do we really have to argue right now about this…? 🤢
The Miss Daisy and the other clip were hilarious!
hahaha I watched the Miss Daisy clip at least 5 times because it's just so relatable.
Hi Jonathan, is this an Aston-Martin/ Jonathan😀😀😀😀
I saw a sign on the entrance of a lion park in Australia, where u can drive thru with your car......"Poms on Pushbikes FREE".........But if that was an official one????????
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At least compared to Switzerland, German fines are also really low. But I think for residents the point system is what counts more in the end.
What I like about the Swiss system is that it allows for variability in fines. Let's say you have a really rich driver, any normal fine will just be pocket money for them. There have been such cases with fines surpassing 10'000 CHF. This ofc on top of other additional punishments you might get for repeated offenses.
I like that social inequality in regards to the height of fines is addressed and the system allows for adjustments if necessary.
Day fines (that's the official term) are the norm in criminal trials, just not with regular traffic fines.
The myth about insulting police officers is that there is a special offense called "Beamtenbeleidigung" (insulting a public employee / officer). There is no such thing. What's true is that insulting people in general is illegal, but if and how this is enforced depends on the circumstances. And it can only be prosecuted if the insulted person bothers to report it, which usually isn't the case. The big exception to that is obviously when you're dealing with police officers in the first place.
Honestly, if you really want to know, wether you are a good driver or not, than go to an ADAC Sicherheitstraining, and afterwards, you will have learned a lot and will still know, that you have to learn much more, to be a good driver and will attend such safety trainings maybe some times more.
I've looked through most of the comments now, but haven't found one reference to ADAC safety training. I find now already zeimlich disappointing that within more than a year no one has come on it to point you times on it.
7:00 As a Berliner and a car driver my self (for 15 years by now ), I unfortunately have to admit:
no, the bad driving result is not because of the size of Berlin and the large population (for the most part at least).
Instead its actually really because of the large amount of bad car drivers, which either ignore on purpose the traffic laws (for example: don’t stoping on Zebras crossings, driving while using their cellphones, don’t doing the „Schulterblick“ at turns or while passing lanes, notorious parking on bicycle lanes and tailgating)
or they just simply cannot really drive (for example: being totally overwhelmed with the slightest weather changes like snowfall / mist / rain and at multi-lane roundabouts or direction changes at roadworks)
Also another huge reason for many accidents here in berlin are the cyclists thinking they are indestructible and so acting like rowdies on the streets (or even sidewalks with full of pedestrians), they usually didn’t care if a traffic light is red for them when crossing intersections, driving drunk or under the influence of other substances (This also applies to car drivers) and often riding their bikes at night without any kind of light or reflectors.
And I can say that the driving schools are one of the biggest reasons, it's not about preparing you for the streets, it's about how much money they can make without really doing anything! Many driving schools never teach simple things like a motorway, roundabout navigation, and driving on inclines.
Berlin is also the stronghold of clan crime, sometimes you only have to pay a certain amount of money and you get all the papers... And of course, there are many more reasons
I want to mention a personal experience of a BAD DRIVER.
I have a friend who claimed to be an excellent driver who at the time was in lost license condition having far exceeded points limit, 12 , all gained by several speeding instances over a three month period all from 40 kph to 80 kph over limit with one instance of 70kph over suburban residential street limit 60 kph. He in fact was still driving using a license from another state as then police records were not shared between states. He actually had three licenses from several states.
He had past record of writing off/wrecking four cars over a five year period all in single vehicle crashes.
His personal opinion was that he was and excellent safe driver, and did not regard his driving at all wrong. In fact he was stating good drivers all go well over speed limits. To me he represented someone who should NEVER be given a license again. Since that time he has had six 'accidents', he denies causing. Hardly ever gets point balance under 6 points and has further crashed Motorbikes twice.
To me a perfect case of BAD, BAD DRIVER.
I don't know if this is still valid: at least in the past you could - within a certain time period - selecet the date of giving your driver's licence to the authorities.
If you are planning to go on holiday or the hospital soon you can (could?) give away the licence during your holiday, ...
I think this is still possible if you have to hand in your license for only one month. The reason is that for a lot of people their job is directly or indirectly depending on the fact if you have a drivers license or not. If you are living in a rural area for example a drivers license is vital.
And in germany, I think that you can loose your weapons possesion allowance or the hunting allowance when you loose your drivers licence (because you showed that you cannot be trusted to act responsibly). But I don't know for sure.