Hey guys! Here is the promised video on driving in Germany! 🚘 I hope you'll find it informative :) Also, excuse the lighting - note to myself: Don't start recording a long ass video when it's about to get dark outside and the second half of the video will only have artificial lighting. AND thank you so much for 60k subscribers!!! 🎉🎉🎉
You used to be able to pump your gas first here as well, unfortunately you can imagine how many people pumped and go. I would believe the German honor system is much better than here in the U.S. also we have inspections to. Once a year in most states. However as long ad the brakes, tires, and emissions are good, you are good to go.
Yes! If the autobahn is empty and you drive 130 mph you still drive right because some random white rusty company van will overtake you with 180 and you dont even know how and why.
@@jimalden9376 They use paddle shifters, which is kind of between manual and automatic. They don't press a clutch when shifting, but they do have to press the paddle to up/downshift. There was one point in time (around early 2000s) when F1's were allowed to be fully automatic, but that was later banned again.
@@VortechBand Yes, you are 100% correct. But that's not what I'm replying to. Baba said "Driving anything but manual isn't really driving" so that includes Paddle shifters which is semi-automatic, or semi-manual depending on your point of view.
@@VortechBand In the US, I have A Ford Escape and it has A paddle shifter, but it is for canceling or initiating the set cruise control speed. When I started driving, the manual transmission was prevalent so that was what I used for several years, but after the automatic's were available I have taken to them like A duck to water, and I am hoping to get to where I can get in my car enter the address of my destination and set back relax and watch utube videos. :)
One nice thing about having manual transmission in the USA is that it is far less likely to be stolen for the simple reason, the thief doesn't know to drive it away.
It’s getting harder and harder to find a new car with a real manual transmission in the US. But as long as it’s practical for me to do so, I will always opt for a car with three pedals. 😁
Manual shift cars are hard to find in the USA. My cars, a 1990 5.0L Mustang, a 2004 350Z and a 2014 Infiniti Q60S all have manual transmissions and everyone who sees them is shocked to see the extra pedal. I absolutely HATE automatic transmissions. In company vehicles as well as a couple past owned personal vehicles, EVERY automatic transmission has failed well before 100K miles. I am basically the 'Pale Horseman" for automatic transmissions.
About the signs I want to add we here in Europe don't have a lot of text because the signs and underling general traffic laws are common in all European countries (small difference here and there) so learning what the sign means it's more practical so you can drive from Portugal to Finland without dealing with unknown signs and rules.
When I was stationed in Germany we had some German friends that we hung out with. One woman told us about getting pulled over for speeding in the states. She was doing about 110mph and was almost at her destination when she got pulled over. She acted like she couldn't speak English and handed the trooper her German license. The trooper just told her to slow down as she wasn't driving on the autobahn. Later that night in a club she felt someone tap her on the shoulder. It was to state trooper that had stopped her earlier. "So I see that you do speak English, good one," he said.
BuffaloSoldier 19D4 I live in Atlanta since the end off 2010. In 2011 i got pulled over by this jackass older cop for driving 82 instead of 65 on the highway. At that time I did not have a GA driver’s license and showed him my german license. He immediately ordered me to step out of my car and arrested me. Ive got released 12 hours later but sure wish that mother fucking cop the worse till this day!
@@garage9283 Are you really mad at a cop for pulling you over when you go 17 mph over the speed limit? Dude just did his job and kept a goon like you from endangering others for a good 12 hours, hooray to that cop.
@@Jixxor well in German the cops react way more calm even if they pull u over because u ware speeding and u wouldn't get Arrested ok but for that speed 1-3 months without a driver Lizenz and 2 points in the system
Small correction about automatic cars and driver's licenses in Germany. There are in fact driving schools that offer automatic cars. But if you take your road test on an automatic car you get a special mark on your license and are only allowed to drive automatic cars.
In Switzerland this was just changed recently...you can take test on automatic but then drive manual shift without extra test or anything ! I don't understand this at all....Also the driving license is UNLIMITED duration. you can take the test on automatic at age 18, never drive any car for 60 years, then buy a 1500 horsepower supercar on manual stick and no official will bat an eye.... absolute madness
From the US, that's pretty logical. That makes sense, especially if one would be able to go back to the state and get recertified for both manual and automatic.
Whey want change this Paragraph in the next future. When You only must show trat You can drive with manual gear and the mark in Your lisence will be closed.
@@quappelle3637 They are every where. When we had just four lanes on I-35, I would often find myself behind a car driving too slow and with a 18wheeler driving too slow(way below speed limit) in the Right lane. Had to drive miles before I could pass before the AH on the left would not speed up to let me pass. That was like the "good old days" when even major highways were two lane and filled with trucks.
I used to hang out at a bar in Ansbach where the owner's daughter, Meri, was keen on getting her license. The price at that time was 2500 marks, which amazed us because for us it was basically free if you attended public school. We established a special tip pool that we labeled "For Meri's Fahrschein".
The german mark (= DM) was replaced by the Euro (=EU or €) 2002 ! Today 2024 I dont think at the contry side you can find a driving school for 2000 Euro for the driving licence anymore (= US$ 2180) . The daughter have to calculate for a driving licence between 3000 Euro and 4000 Euro for the driving licence (appox US$ 3275 and US$ 4370). You wrote ="We established a special tip pool that we labeled "For Meri's Fahrschein". " You have to safe approx US$ 100 every month (or the grandma fill it sometime a little bit up) and within 24 to 36 month you got the money for the driving licence. UPPPS 2 to 3 years constant fill up the tip pool ! AND the daughter have to ask carefully the driving school teacher if he think she can pass the test or take some more practical expensive houres driving lessons (city traffic, parking eben in close areas [=a german parking place is smal for a US person ! Very small ! ], park at the side of the road [a small free place there], county road, nighttime driving, interstate=Autobahn high speed driving) A fail and you need some weeks or a month additional training or theoretical cours for extra money (approx 800 Euro = US$ 873 or more or less money) Depending how many practical drving training hours she need today. And beware = LEARN LEARN and use the digital training course to answer the questions of the personal computer (theoretical test is identical for the licence). Today nearly 50% of the students = fail the driving licence test (theoretical and or practical test). As a germany better be young and you can learn easy and fast ! Older person will have problems with the theoretical test. SCHOOL = State school is usual free. The germans pay a lot of tax ! You buy paper and the pencil and sport shoes and sport cloth and electronic calculator and notebook (or personal computer is very recommend for the schoolwork) . Sometimes you have to buy (or pay) for books (depending of the state where the scholl is) Health system = And if you are a worker or work in an office = if you are pregnant better be in germany ! Very very very very cheap (I dont want to write a lot is free when you are a worker or office worker) The german pay a lot for tax an health insurance (und some condition a few german got a privat health insurance like US persons. But it is expensive) . German health system is cheaper than the US system. A lot is payed with the insurance plastic card (because your boss and you payed the insurence). By the way the doctor or the approved nurse earn less in germany. The US nurse (or doctor) earn tonns of money. Traditional differen paying for the value of the work.
America is stupid af. And the drivers licenses in the US are an absolute joke. You don't learn shit in your tests (If you even have one). We have to accomplish a first aid course, need to remember every road sign there is, and get to practice with simulated situations which help us behave correctly in every situation. You dont even need to drive a car with a body in some states. Wtf is wrong with you guys.
You cant drink, but die for your country, what a stupid thinking! btw at 16 you are allowed to drink beer, at 18 everything in germany, except when you are driving! Well i never drink when i drive, i drink before i drive, LOL! Taxidrivers say, i never drive under 2 permille! Thats a joke! We had 2 taxidrivers a few years ago that had 1.6 to1.8 permille, dsriverslicense gone, taxi license gone! Never drive drunk, its cheaper to go home by taxi than paying the fee and making a new drivers license!
I went to Germany for the first time this past summer (Munich). When I saw the price of gas I couldn’t believe how cheap it was. That was until I realized, it was the price per liter.
The high prices are mainly due to taxes. A lot of people who live near the Austrian border would cross over to fill up on gas there, because it's cheaper. However in recent years, the prices have mostly evened out.
"test" is a big word. I've taken the US driving test, and it's literally a joke. We drove through a 25mph residential zone, the guy made me parallel park (lol, WHY? There's entire towns' worth of parking space here!) in a spot I could have fit a forty foot semi in, and after 5 minutes he'd seen enough and gave me my license. Compared to the hour of grueling driving test I went through in Amsterdam, with an instructor who was looking for any minute mistake, it was truly a joke. People in the US basically get their drivers' license when they buy a pack of butter in the supermarket.
Those dash-cam vids do a lot to expose the woefully inadequate driving lessons & skill of Both American and Eastern block drivers, Just being able to keep it together on a short run around a block on what passes for a "test" doesn't mean by any stretch of the imagination that you can actually drive... Most if not all the Russian eastern block clips you see will probably be down to just blind drunk drivers but the US clips are mainly inability to actually control a vehicle and anticipate whats going to happen, they can go in a straight line and round corners fairly well but if anything goes wrong they are just done they have no idea what to do or how to get out of a situation and just plough into each other. Its sad to damn and damn frightening while driving among them!
@@paulbeckett1256 Eastern block...we're not in the 1960's, mate! Take off that Lenin painting from your bedroom wall! Replace it with Neo-Marx while you're at it!
In germany you will see a lot of cars driving with astandart speed. And you learn that at the gas station the hard way ! if you look at the money amount you earn in germany ... ... you learn it the hard way why german cant afford a own small rubbish US wood house. You rent a flat and need the money from your wife to life well. Beware if she and you lost her incomeing (pregnant or boss dont like the way you work) And logical only a few persons can afford a BMW M5 (or other exotic high power high speed cars) Yes, these cars getting old and than will be cheap. But beware these high efficent engines with high torque and high power output and very very good MPG ... NEED SERVICE AND SPARE PARTS ! e.g. timing chain, some electronic sensors, and and and You learn it the hard way when the free super cheap service station manager sak you if you can pay the amount of ??? Dollar or Euro for the repair (after the first quick view to your super car) After all and young boys still sleeping in the childrens room in the house of the parents ... ... even if they are ABC years old ... ... you will be the BOOM person doing 187 MPH at the german Autobahn. I think the car magazine expert told under 2,6% of all drivers go faster than 160 kmh = 100 miles. Above 200 kmh = 120 miles only some person drive (often for a short test run for some minutes until they start thinking that they have to meet the smiling gasstation owner sooner and pay a lot more for a gallon than the friend on speedlimited US roads) Yes, 200 MPH and a car that was fast very far away is now near and BOOM pass you. But these 200MPG guy have a dramatical short time lifetime on planet earth ! Better there is no other car or only sometimes ONE car ! You cant imagine how long the distance is to reduce to the speed to the speed of the car that entered the lane and the high speed M5 struggle to avoid an high speed impact. BOOOMMMMMMM I know the last fact not ! But I am able to go at Autobahn that speed. I learned to use my brain when I drive and dont rust my eyes. I can not see the ditance between 2 cars in an other lane. Very often the car behind like to pull and unbeliviable how long the distance is to reduce my speed to the speed of the car just entered my lane. Fact = If I see 2 cars and think that the distance between than is maybe and eventually not big ... for pass these cars with your BOOM sound I reduce my speed 40 to 50kmh (=3o MPH). Unbeliaviable if ou drive 30 MPH slower ... ... I can easyer avoid an BOOOMMM impact. The germans are not used to meet at the highway (german Autobahn) very very high speed cars. A lot of driver see far away 2 light. Ok far away then they use the lane you are dirving with high speed. Welcome to the real world. Even on unlimited speed Autobahn in germany the persons with a lot of money and like to risk there health just for fun ... .. prefer to go only fast. But choose carefully the conditions on the road to move with the speed of a plane. Dont try stupid thinks at german Autobahn if you rent a fast car. Never be faster than your guardian angle. Always expect dreaming other drivers and drivers that cant calculate veryvery very high speed cars comeing nearer and nearer with 2 secounds.
Actually as a German, I still find BMW and Mercedes-Benz to consider luxury brands. Munich is just a really rich city, thats also a reason why they are so common there.
In ‘70s, not so expensive to own a 230, but expensive to maintain. Like German Panzer finely engineered but hard to keep running without good maintenance. German mechanics are well trained and well paid.
Well equipped models do cost more, but the basic models from BMW, and Mercedes cost roughly about as much as a Skoda or Seat. I just cringe when I see BMWs and Mercedeses within their lowest tiers. Manual seat adjusters, no comfort seats, and so on. Those models doesn't really suit their brand but at least ppl can tell they drive a 2019 and so BMW or Mercedes.
ja aber du musst das verhältnis sehen. Wenn du in den USA in nem Benz vorfährst ist das wie wenn hier in deutschland jemand mit nem lambo oder nem ferrari um die ecke kommt (grob gesagt, der vergleich hinkt natürlich). sicher sind bmw, mercedes und co auch luxusmarken in deutschland, keine frage. die frequenz ist trotzdem ne ganz andere
@@einfachnurich2304 But sometimes shit goes wrong.. at these speeds you need to concentrate a lot, try to predict things that could happen/other drivers are about to do.. analyzed a lot of accidents, close calls or other dashcam material in order to learn "reading" the traffic.. safed my ass from such situations a lot: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Y3nyrAOQ1pU.html And yes.. thats the same guy like in the other video..
@@chimei-tekinaneko8318 100% true. I learned early to read the traffic. Even in Germany are idiots on the road xD An example: 2 Lanes, you go 200kmh on the right line you can see 2 cars. the first slower than the second. There is a high chance that the second car start overtaking and change on your lane for this. Many people dont look in there mirrors or just dont care that your drive faster. You have to predict this and a lot more. But if your in it no big deal most of the time. Its funny that your can see what people do and going to do before they actual do it by just watch them driving. If someone care there is a video of me driving 150km without speedlimit ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ImprW17c138.html
@@chimei-tekinaneko8318 Regarding video, biker does it correctly.. Always as far right as possible. In Norway for example, he would have moved into middle lane.. (assholes who do that.. Always keep as far right as possible) Left lane and middle lane hoggers are the worst. xD
Actually it's very rare people do it correctly when the traffic stops. I'm driving for about 10 years now and it happend maybe 5 times from 100 total stops on the autobahn.
HAHA kann ich den Witz nochmal in Farbe hören. Wer denk das das in Deutschland gemacht wird kann mir gerne ein paar AV-Blöcke aus dem Verfügungsraum hohlen. Zum Teil einfach nur Witzlos, vor allem mit den Gaffern.
I obtained a copy of the German equivalent to the UK Highway Code when I was in Germany, and having seen the good sense in this, I apply it in Britain if I'm on a road which doesn't have a continuous hard shoulder (which most of our motorways do).
In Germany slow drivers ACTUALLY DO stay to the right and leave left lanes open for faster drivers (very safe). In America everyone drives where they want (even though slow drivers are supposed to stay right but it's never enforced) and faster drivers have to recklessly weave in and out of traffic (really sucks and dangerous).
To be fair, technically those faster drivers are usually going 10 to 20 over speed limit anyway. So the people swerving are speeding, and the people going the speed limit are usually going slower than the flow of traffic
Where in Germany is this? I want to see it. Having been in almost every German state I disagree with you. Its the center lane all these slow drivers hang out because they don't want to pass the trucks who occupy the right lane.
@@bruceketcheson4877 in traffic with 3 lanes or more that makes sense to me. Don't hog the exit lane unless you are a truck going under the speed limit/under the avg speed of traffic, and stay out of the left unless passing.
@@antanis I wish most would follow those rules and it would be a much more efficient system. But as others have shared, the unlimited sections are getting shorter and shorter and the gap between slow and fast is getting too large, at least the same lane mix of those speeds are. I truly have no idea why so many drivers are taught, or ok with, sitting in the center lane on an empty highway regardless of speed...
As a dutch guy having driven 100's of miles in the US and 1000's miles in Germany and 100000's miles in The Netherlands. German road etiquette tops both by a country mile.
As a Dutch guy living in Germany I cannot 100% agree, considering agressiveness, a lot of unnecessary honking, "I don't care about cyclists-attitude", driving in the middle lane on the Autobahn attitude, just to name a few examples. Not that the Dutch are doing the most polite drivers, but neither are Germans.
@@Malvlex Yep. We're pretty unforgiving when we see another driver doing a mistake or is stalling or doing something dangerous. They get honked or flashed at. And the people on the Autobahn who insist on driving in the middle lane (or worse left lane if it's a two lane road), even though the right lane is free, are a real problem. As you're not allowed to overtake them from the right, they can "block" the entire road and cause a traffic jam or dangerous situations that can result in collisions. In German we call them "Mittelspurschleicher", middle lane slowpokes. As to why they're doing it, I'm not sure. Either they honestly think they are not allowed to drive more than 100km/h on the rightmost lane, or they try to avoid a bumpy ride. Since the rightmost lane is used by trucks, in some areas the road surface is really damaged and that makes for a bumpy ride in a small car with bad suspension. I must admit that I sometimes illegally overtake them from the right, if there's no traffic. Or I overtake them from the left and then sharply change two lanes at once to the rightmost lane. Often times they seem to wake up and notice their mistake and change to the rightmost lane as well.
@@guffaw1711 Middle lane hogs are a pita here in the UK, I sometimes drive a truck at work and trucks are banned from the outside lane so coming up behind some nugget doing 50mph or less in the middle lane and won't move over to the inside is a real problem. You can actually legally undertake someone here as long as you are already on the inside and haven't moved over just to undertake.
I'm a Dutch living in Italy and drive through Germany 3 times a year to visit my family. And love the German way of driving. (Compared to Dutch or Italian style).
That moment you are on the Autobahn in the 'slow' lane doing 220+ km/h when you are being overtaken by a car going 280+ and your foreign friend goes into a nervous laughter of disbelief.
It really depends on your car how fast is comfortable. My first car was a Lupo and going beyond 100kph would feel like the car was going to fall apart.
My first car was an old Toyota with 1.5 motor and an after market cruise control. First time on the autobahn I tried it out and set it at 140 which felt fast enough. It worked for a while and then broke, meaning it would put the car at full throttle and got stuck. I learned that the top speed of my 1.5 was between 180 and 190 but couldn't stop. With massive breaking I still went 100 and the brakes quickly overheated. It was very scary and it took me a few minutes to figure out what to do. Solution was to get into neutral, turn the engine off and roll out into a Raststatte ( parking place ) With some help I could remove the broken c.c. cable and let the car cool down, and eventually get home.
I was once in a Beemer in Germany, and we were going about 180 on the Autobahn. He and I were talked in and was the type who uses both hands to talk. I keep my eye nervously on his speedometer, but no problem. Two conclusions: 1) blessed the ones who built the Autobahn 2) wondered where I could get a Beemer I could afford.
@@jasperzanovich2504 I really didn't care if the car feels like it is going to fall apart. I know this feeling from an old Ford Fiesta with 50 mighty horses. Autobahn always ment 'full throttle', especially when you expect a big ascent. Sometime on a downhill section I had 185 kph on the speedo and everything was shaking.
That's why teenagers should be encouraged to make their alcohol mistakes at like 14-15, they'll form their own bad habits and won't pass them down to the next generation.
only if your parents are bad drivers or had no patience. all 5 children in my family had to learn from my mother because both of the cars they drove to work were stick shift. We then took the professional lessons on an automatic, but they did not let you drive on highway or parrell park. For the driving test by the license examiner you drove your own car. The examiner was so impressed to see girl who could shift and put her hand out window for turn signals, car was built before they had signal lites, I just did 4 right hand turns around the block and he passed me. Hopefully your parents who are letting you drive their car and paying insurance and any repair bills will care enough to see you learn correctly. None us got a ticket or had an accident until we had left home and bought our own cars. And all of are now over 60 and most have never had a ticket or an accident.
@@simon-pierrelussier2775 In US Parents: "Kids don't drink alcohol". So they sneak out and do it anyway behind parents back, get into lots of trouble cause they have no control over their actions. In my my country in Europe (Slovenia), me and my sister (14&17) told our parents when we gonna get drunk, what drink are We gonna have and who of our friends will be over. That way parents supervised us, watch over us that we didn't do something really terrible or dangerous and if worse to worse came (which never happened) they were around to do something about it. I really doubt that American Teens who do get drunk with no parents around are sensible enough to help anyone in need. As for driving it's pretty much the same as in Germany (except speed limit).
Parents are the worst teachers because they're too busy having a heart attack over every little thing! I know, I'm a grandparent but even I knew better than to try. Driving lessons by professionals is worth every penny. Also helps when they realize they'll need to get a job to pay for a year's worth of car insurance & a solid downpayment for their first car. They'll appreciate the privilege a LOT more😁
Good to hear as Europe we need the same rules to be able to live in peace and unity... The death rate by weapons accident or not n the us is so high that they're the last ones to tell us anything..
This is not a coincidence. There's a European convention (in the sense of written and and signed international agreement) setting common principles of traffic laws. It was adopted before EU was created (1968 to be precise) and many countries signed the Convention before they became EU members and even without ever becoming EU members. As a result even Russian traffic laws and traffic signs are very similar to those in Germany, because USSR was one of the participants. Russians don't have unrestircted Autobahns, but most road signs and intersectons traffic rules are the same, including the one about "car on the right has a priority unless there are road signs or traffic lights".
Same goes for Norway :-) But I only needed 4 hours of driving and my instructor said you are very good technically. But followed the rest of the required classes and nigth driving and driving on water covered track to simulate snow driving (called glattkjøring here). Before that I had about 4 hours of driving with my dad. I drove his VW T2 Baywindow (called Bulli in German) which was the perfect car to learn driving as you sit high, dead slow so you have to plan how to drive, downshift etc at the right point to get up a hill to keep the right momentum. First time I drove a car was at age 8 which was a Volvo Amazon (121 in US), at a beach and did skids etc. Was really fun. As we have a lot of snow here in Norway, I have seen a lot of bad drivers, especially from east europe. Most of them have no clue whatsoever how to drive on snow. And when taking license in the past, almost all did take the license with stickshift, that way you are allowed to drive both manual and auto. But recent trend recent years have been more and more are taking license for automatic gearboxes as they are not intrested to drive a stick, or don't have the skill to drive a stickcar. Btw I took my license in 94' and have always been intrested in cars. And I do hate take public transport and avoid that as much as I can.
Annotation, in Germany there are different classes of vehicles (large and small motorcycles, cars, small and large trucks, etc.) for each class you need a separate theoretical and practical test.
6:00 Important notice: The Green Arrow on a sign act like a STOP sign for right turns. That means you are allowed to turn right but you have to stop and check if you actually can.
@@hairyairey No. A red arrow in traffic lights means no turning right even if the other directions are alowed to go. You can find that on railroad crossings a lot. The lane for turning right or left to cross the railway has a red arrow while the non arrow standard traffic light switches to green. The difference between the green arrow sign and green traffic light arrows creates enough inconsistency. :D
that's only partially true.... This sign says, that all restrictions end here, not only the speed limit. In Austria for example you see these sign too, but the general speed limit is still on top and counting!
@@rolib2200 Elsewhere in the EU, it only ends the local speed limit, reverting to the general limit, which may be _lower_, such as ending a 70km/h stretch and reverting to a general 50km/h (30mph) limit for cities.
I was expecting a girly youtuber with clickbait magazine facts, but I was surprised to see that it was an in-depth well explained video crossing knowledge with experience, and that's always more relatable. I'm from neither of the countries but learned a good sum of info. Thank you
There is one thing I was missing: Rettungsgasse. In Germany it is a rule to move aside for police or ambulance to pass when they are driving with lights and sirens on. On an Autobahn with 2 lanes for instance people have to slow down and stop and move as far as possible to the outer sides of the lane to create a clear lane in the middle, which an ambulance can use to arrive quickly on the scene of accident. While people in Germany are actually complaining that the behaviour got worse a lot and the "Rettungsgasse" is sometimes not done at all (or people driving behind the ambulance, because they dont want to wait), it is still an exemplary behaviour that is not common in many countries.
@@nedmerrill5705 No doubt there's a state where it's not a law, but I've lived in several states around the country and don't know of any where you're not required to yield right of way to emergency vehicles with their lights and sirens on.
@@butchs.4239 I'm pretty sure that's Nationwide in the United States. Another reason why I think every license driver should have to take the over the road 18-wheeler test , for the CDL . We would have a lot fewer dumbasses on the highway.
as far as I know that is the rule in every place in the US, that is how it works in PA, you are supposed to move over(of course sometimes not always possible) when a siren is on your own side of the road or on a non-divided road. If you are on the other side of a divided interstate though then you don't have to.
a few missing details in what Thellio wrote: to allow police (and similar) to pass, you may even drive across stop lines at red traffic lights (but NOT cross the crossing while doing so), and most importantly the "Rettungsgasse" has not only to be done when you hear sirens, but always when traffic on the Autobahn slows down and comes to a stop (including normal rush hour), to be prepared for emergency vehicles coming at any time. if traffic is still flowing at normal speed and you see/hear emergency vehicles or police, you are not supposed to drive to the left on the left lane and confuse everybody ("Rettungsgasse" applies only to jammed streets), but simply pull over to the right as you are supposed to do when faster cars need to pass you. you even don't need and maybe shouldn't slow down if they can safely pass you on the empty left lane (unless you are now behind a truck :-)
I drive faster in Germany then in US or in my country, but in Germany I don´t exceed speed limits (even in countryside or urban area). Their speed limits are very well set.
I agree. What is weird is that cross the border to France, Switzerland or Denmark, each country is different, with different attitudes and ways to drive. The Italians are the ones who are all racing drivers, its just most Fiats are slooow!
well, considering the cost of a driver's license and the amount of time you invest, it's no wonder that the majority basically abide by the rules.If you are caught too often during the trial period due to driving too fast, the trial period will be extended or he / she has to take an additional test * (+ approx. € 600) * also applies to experienced drivers who, for example, collect too many points to have.
Not allowing to overtake on the right is another reason. Drivers have in first place just to concentrate on their left side. Germany puts also more effort into "road design". The autobahns are never straight *) - even in regions where this would be possible. To keep the attention of the drivers onto the road. And the road surface marking. Before crossings and dangerous curves the dashed central lines become more narrow to trigger the drivers to slow down. *) except for stretches planned to be used as airfields in war times (WW2 and Cold War). Ramstein airbase is actually a former stretch of the autobahn A6.
While on the Autobahn a little old lady in a 750 BMW was travelling at 325 KPH this is totally insane considering she could barely see over the steering wheel . Apparently she had washed her car and was going for a " Blow Dry . "
I drove in Germany for two years. I have over 2,000,000 miles of driving without ever being in an accident (caused by my error). The German system is very good, especially the rule "no passing on the RIGHT". The German people are well disciplined on their roads. You go from unlimited speeds to limited speeds often though, you MUST pay attention. The clusters (modern cars) ALL WARN you with yellow icons about speed changes. You will still see accidents in Germany. Also, in the cities, traffic jams are common so you need to learn to be more kind than in the US. A++ for Germany's system...it seems to work well. In the US we've lost our discipline mostly, highway driving. Slow drivers in the LEFT lane, passing on the RIGHT side...insane.
@@tanzesambamitmir ...that too, but today people "loiter" in the fast lanes, a bad trait that slows down the flow, causes risks that could easily be avoided. Move RIGHT if you are slower...like Europe.
@@tanzesambamitmir Yes they did, people in the U.S. used to drive more respectful on the past. Drivers used to actually stop at a four way and didn't follow the car in front of them through. Also people didn't used to use a turning lane at a stop light to go around traffic.
I'd definitely have to agree with you there. I think it should be a thing that faster traffic be on the left and slow snails on the right. I'd probably be using the middle and left lanes a lot on the Autobahn as I'd prefer be keeping my speed up well above 100 MPH if there is no speed limit or people in the way.🙃
Traffic fatalities (according to Road Safety Annual Report 2019, ITF) 🇩🇪 3,275 in 2018; about 4.0 per 100k inhabitants 🇺🇸 37,133 in 2017; about 11.4 per 100k inhabitants
Also keep in mind how many non-Germans drive on German roads. Basically people from all of Europe drive through that country for several different reasons. Not sure if accidents caused by non-Germans are out of these statistics, but I guess not.
First time for me in the U.S trying to get gas: Me, walking inside: Sir, I think your pump is broken. Guy: Have you even paid? Me *confused* Guy *confused* Me *even more confused* Me and the guy: Interesting conversation about differences in our countries.
So, how does it work then? Are you supposed to say exactly how much you gonna pump? How would you know that? It's not like cars have a display telling you that's how much Liter / Gallon will fit in your tank together with what is still filled.
@@Vardraq I guess if it's like in France you ask for like 30€ or 30L, then go to pump, and if you use only 25€ or 25L instead of the 30 asked they just give you back the money. If you paid with cashyou have to go back inside, if it was with credit card it will be automatic.
Joe Bold The fuel pump is counting how much you are putting into your car. It also shows how much it will cost, as the prices for gas vary. So you go to the fuel pump, fill up your car and then go inside and pay. You just need to know which number your fuel pump has, the rest happens automatically.
@@Vardraq No, if you don't get gas with a credit card, you put down a certain amount you think you need for your car and pay the gas attendant. I think the pump is deactivated when you exceed the amount you paid for. This was in the 90's, but things don't really change like they do in Germany
19:28 It's because Opel was part of GM (sold 2017 to french PSA) and car models labled in Germany as Opel are mostly labled as a Chevy, Buick or an other GM lable in the US. So in Germany for example we have the Opel Corsa but it's a Chevrolet Corsa in the US. Here we have the Opel Insignia but it's a Buick Regal in the US.
It was a classic quote, until you think about it and realize how accurate she was. Germans really believe and protect their fast drive privilege as something fundamentally and culturally German and view it as an inalienable right that they would fight for to protect
Coming from the older generation, I learned on a stick & prefer them. My grandsons are going to learn using a stick because if you can drive a stick, you can drive any vehicle. Thank you for making these videos. I'll probably never get to Europe but I enjoy watching these videos & it's a fun way to learn about other countries.
@Olga Miller, I agree. I taught all three of my kids to drive a stick before they drove an automatic. Unfortunately, my grandson already started out with an automatic. It has been a challenge getting to learn to drive my little cavalier.
When self-service gas pumps became the norm in the U.S., it was common to pump your gas first and then go inside to pay. However, a lot of dishonest people would fill their car with gas and then drive off without paying. It became such a problem that pre-paying became almost universal. And when they introduced gas pumps with credit card readers, it pretty much sealed the deal.
since stations don't earn much from selling fuel, they like to guide people through the shopping part of the station on their way to the cash registers :-) also remember that in germany, cash is still used quite often, and people like to fully fuel up (for an undetermined amount of gas and money), thus would require people to go into the station twice and block the pumps a lot longer. it also would require people to deposit at least 100€ even when needing only a few liters or being short on cash ...
I didn't pre-pay for gas until Pay at the Pump was a thing. I learned to Drive in Utah and they seemed to be one of the last to require pre-pay. I would travel a lot outside of Utah to other states and I was confused as to why I couldn't "get gas" and the cashier looked at me like "duh, you have to pay first"... lol
My 1st job was at a Gas station (1972) I checked the tires, oil, lights, pumped gas, brake fluid, transmission fluid and cleaned the windows. All for 25 cents a gallon.
From Iowa and I always go to Casey's because I pay with cash and it's the only gas station that you can fill up first then pay. Even some Casey's don't have that option though.
About that TÜV thingie: When I was studying in Germany, most of the students fortunate enough to have a car in the first place drove old rust buckets. The TÜV was DREADED! If the inspector found that your car was unsafe (most frequently due to rust), he handed your registration back to you with a corner cut off -- and your next job was to figure out how to get your darling to the junkyard!
Funny how you can perceive thing so differently. I find the Autobahn with no speed limit rather relaxing. The main reason for this is that I can ignore the speedometer and just concentrate on the traffic. Yes, you have to check your rear view mirror every other second but that is not a problem for me. My normal cruising speed on the Autobahn is something like 130-140 km/h, just like your example. People going 200+ are rare, particularly so if there is a lot of traffic. But yes, they do exist and thus you check the mirrors all the time.
My uncle is from Germany and we visit eachother quite often. The average speed on the Autobahn in the unrestricted zones depend heavily on traffic. With no traffic, I cruise around 200-220km/h. With a lot of traffic, I'd even go below 130km/h and just stick to the right lane. With medium traffic, it's usually around 160-180km/h. My car is quite fast, so getting up to speed goes very quickly with little gas. My uncle, a true German, according to him, he usually cruises around 200km/h. What we do have in common is, that I get overtaken quite often even at ~200-220km/h. It also depends on where in Germany you drive.
I remember a story that my horn professor told me about being stopped for speeding in the U.S. (Ich spiele Horn.) When the State Trooper pulled him over, the officer recognized that he was German and talked about the Autobahn. Since the officer had been stationed there in the military, he understood and just gave my professor a warning instead of a ticket. Nice thing to do.
@sheik DE There are planes and helicopters in certain states in the US that catch people for speeding or drones as well now. You will see signs saying "speed limits enforced by aircraft" or something.
Had that when I was stationed in El Paso, TX. Cop pulled me over while driving 90 on the interstate when 70 was allowed. After seeing my german drivers license, he said "Sir, this is not a german autobahn" with a big grin in his face. My reply "I know, but it looks like one and I had to go faster" just made that grin a bit bigger. :D He let me off with a warning. I was lucky to get pulled over by a very very friendly and relaxed cop.
Yeah, the same happened to us as we were on a visit and driving from New Jersey to Maine! I was driving along for some hours with my fresh driving license as I just turned 18 and obeyed the speed limit. As soon as I switched with my dad, not even 15 minutes later a cop pulled us over as my dad was driving his usual speed like in Germany - as the cop saw the drivers license he then also just issued a verbal warning and reminded my dad that he was not on the Autobahn anymore over here... :D
@@ElGreco291 LOL very lucky and a chance the Cop who pulled you over was in the military and stationed overseas in Germany at one time. Then you have to try to figure our MPH as to KPH. 60 MPH is a vast difference between 60 KPH. Back about what 20 years ago, when they were trying to get the US on the metic system. you would see MPH in large numbers and KPH in smaller numbers to identify the difference between the two.
Well one addition to the parking spots: The main reason why parking in Germany is such a pain and the spots are so small is that we have a standardized parking lot size. This standard is based on an outdated model of the Golf 2 which was much smaller compared to modern cars.
Spent 29 months in Germany the Autobahn was one of my favorite aspects of this country great country to drive in and great country to meet folks and enjoy life
first time in Germany, i was going 240km/h on the left lane, thinking it was fine, that i would see anyone coming with plenty time...'till i saw a flash in my rearview mirror, just had time to signal right and move to the middle lane while a lamborghini flew by me like i was in slow motion!
Yep. You think you're going fast and then find out very abruptly that you need to go a lot faster or change lanes in a heartbeat. I would say that's kind of stressful. Here in the US the closest thing we have to that experience is driving on the Capital Beltway. I was not ready for that level of intense driving because I was just visiting a nearby area.
9:32 And thats exactly why on the left side there is a second traffic light so you dont have to look on the one above your head. It all makes sense ^^ The one above is for the cars who are farther away, the one on the side for the ones who are closer to the traffic light.
I agree, too. My ex is German, and she's a trained translator/interpreter for the U.S. forces in Germany. She's been working with them for almost 40 years now, and she has NO accent. The young lady here has a little one, and you can tell that the way she talks is very "German." However, as someone who spent 25b years with the military in Germany, and someone who's fluent in German (my German is as good as her English), I can tell you that this young lady's English is indeed well "advanced." I, too, am impressed, #GermanGirlinAmerica.
@Peter Mortensen Yeah we all read it and thought he was talking about her rotary motion. Maybe start reading and understanding en DOT wiktionary DOT org/wiki/communication or en.wiktionary.org/wiki/communication. Communication is about getting a message across, grammar people are only trying to get things right which aren't wrong.
If you have traffic lights above, you have them also on the right side in 2m high sometimes also of the left side. And if you can't see them above, try to stop 1 or 1,5 m before the stopline. So you can see the Trafficlight
When I was stationed in Germany in the 1980's I had to take a 100 question written exam which covered all the signs, then I had to take a road test. it took me four times to pass the written exam, and four times to pass the road exam! But-it made me a much better driver. Just as you find stop signs confusing I found the whole "priority road" concept confusing. You had to constantly be aware of whether or not you were on a priority road. Although they had signs at regular intervals, sometimes the priority road ends and you're no longer on a priority road! besides watching for other cars and obstacles you have to constantly keep in mind whether or not you have priority. By the end of my second year it was all second nature though. Great video, thanks for covering this topic.
When we came in 1970, no road test was required by military. When My children got to legal age, they were fortunated to be trained by a German who trained kids, since the DoDDS schools did not have driving classes. Much better than Poppa!
As a Dutch guy I do drive in Germany every now and then. I would like to suggest one more topic and one addition. On the freeway, if there IS a speedlimit, most Germans will stick to that exactly. Especially during road works. If it says 80, they will all slow down immediately to 80 and not 81. We Dutch tend to drive 10% over the limit all the time. Also you can add a bit about the Umwetzone stickers. To enter a lot of cities in Germany, your car needs a sticker to proof which pollution class (1 to 4) it is in. Within the Umweltzone only cars in the cleanest class (4) are allowed in the city centre. Love to watch your channel. Doing a great job Feli.
@@Myrtone Jeah they are, but of course you dont know where the speed camera is. Driving with >5km/h will get you a ticket, it gets pricier with every 5km/h above the limit. With >21km/h you can loose your license. There are differences for speeding inside a city and outside (like country road or Autobahn).
Nice, didn't know that about the Netherlands. We have a similar thing in Poland - but it's a 10 km/h - it's an officialy accepted 'margin of error' and you won't be stopped or otherwise penalized unless you go at least 11 km/h over the limit :)
As someone who likes to drive manual in the US, the red-yellow light would be so helpful. Sometimes, the cross lights are visible, but often they're not. It's not usually a problem, except when people - reasonably, I suppose - assume I'm in an automatic and then get impatient when I'm still trying to get into gear.
As a 'neutral' in this discussion- I'm from Scotland and have driven frequently in both The USA and Germany - give me Germany any day, for several reasons. These are my opinions, 1 - My chances of dying are around 3 times greater on US roads! 2 - The vast majority of German drivers are much more observant and competent in their road craft. They have to be to get a licence to drive. They are also, in general, much better than UK drivers, so, no!, I'm not biased against Americans. 3 - Comparing like for like - Interstates and Autobahns - the autobahns are generally better maintained, have better safety features, and, due to better driving standards, are much more relaxing to drive on. 4 - Yes, on much of the autobahn there is no speed 'limit'. However, you are required to drive intelligently - within your own limits, the limits of your car and the road conditions at the time. I have seen many drivers on the autobahn stopped for driving dangerously, as I would be if I drove my 1litre Daihatsu Sirion at its maximum speed! 5 - Personally, I like the UK traffic light system where lights are duplicated at both sides of the junction. This tends to make them more visible in all vehicle positions. 6 - I don't know the specific rule in Germany but, in the UK, if you pass your driving test on an automatic transmission car, you are only licenced for auto trans. You would have to pass a separate practical test for a manual shift licence. 7 - German road signs are pretty standard with those around the rest of the EU and Western Europe in general - much superior to those in the USA. Clear, unambiguous signage makes for more relaxed and safer driving.
If you're getting your license with auto transmission, you are only allowed to drive auto trans cars, at least here in Switzerland, and German traffic law is quite similar.
As far as i know, most driving scools in germany dont even offer lessons with automatic transmission. Except for people with disabilitys... for obvious reasons.
@@thomasmost6044 Ok, I'm mocking you, scools in most civilized countries, and with spell check, spell scool the correct way, school. Better read that driving book 3 times.
I would not say strictly neutral but I agree with most of what you say. Yes I am from the USA. Passing a test with an automatic or a manual and limiting you to drive that type only, seems over the top to me. I understand the Road signs in the USA are not the same as in Europe and I find the road signs in the USA clear and unambiguous. There is also wee bit of water between the USA and Europe so the difference in signs. Have you driven in Canada or Mexico, they use the same signs as the USA. If you do not like USA signs go drive in the Ukraine and Russia. LOL
As an American who has driven close to one million miles in the US, you are pretty much right. German drivers are much, much better. So are their roads.
When you drive 300 km/h, better you stay in the middle line.... maybe someone overpass you! No joke! I drove with my car 260 km/h on the middle line and a porsche overpassed me! 😅
@@daswunder1901 from a test driver, the only one who survived for over 30 yeras. Because he is intelligent. Sample: he didnt drive a Koenigsegg because of the worse brakes. He installed better brake himself. He didnt drive on test areas build on unstable ground. Only for that reason he survived.
I drove from Stuttgart to Wein in about 6 hours. An amazing drive, I found German drivers to be some of the best in the world, yes they drive fast but they pay attention. So you need to as well. You're right there are speed cameras everywhere. Also when speed limits change there is not no advance warning, the speed limit sign is the warning.
When I was a teenager in Southern California my mother was a traveling companion to a blind woman when she made appearances for International Guiding Eyes. I met her family and she had a young daughter who was 14 years old. Her daughter was licensed to drive because she had to provide her mother transportation for her every day activities.
In germany impossible to get an driving licence if you are not 18. Under some conditions with an adult beside a 17 years old driver with theoretical test and and and Ok i think if your dad or mother is disabeled it is possible to get a german driving licence when these persons sit in the car. Without an adult and under 17 years (I THINK) it is illegal. Not necessary to know these exeptions for a german drivinglicence. These caseses are very very very rar. Never in my lifw I saw a 17 year old person driving a car.
STAU STAU STAU!! especially in the summer. Many parts of the Autobahn are now regulated by electronic speed limit signs. There are very few areas of Germany left where there are no speed limits.
Great video! I discovered you just a few days ago and really like the way you present the differences between Germany and the USA. On the topic of "big cars"... my neighbor recently got a Dodge Ram and, since it did non fit inside his garage, parks it on the side of the road. Because the street is to small, however, he recently got a fine because the garbage truck could not pass through and most likely fire trucks or ambulances would not be able to fit as well. So now he has to rent a parking spot around 600 meters away from his house. And I'm just sitting there in my small VW up! and have to chuckle every time I see him walk to/from his car. So, yeah... do not get a HUGE car in Germany.
When my wife first came to Germany, she and some friends went for a day trip to the country outside of Munich. Later someone asked her how her day had been and where they had visited. As my wife spoke no German then, she told them that she had gone to a place called Ausfahrt.....For non-German speakers "Ausfahrt" is simply the sign saying exit from the autobahn!
There is a similar "story" about someone who was visiting a German city and wanted to see some tourist attraction, and noticed there were direction signs with "Einbahnstraße". So they followed these signs until they ended up somewhere in the outskirts of the city and got lost, still not seeing anything!
Opel used to be here in the U.S. I had a 1973 Opel GT. It had an in line 4 cylinder engine, 4 speed transmission, and was shaped similar to a Corvette. I loved that car! I put fat tires on the rear, a larger carburetor, and it was tuned aggressively. It was a joy to drive!
Opel was owned by GM for nearly a century. If I remember correctly they used the Opel brand more for Europe and GM more for America. Opel has been in the red nearly every year since 1999. GM sold it in 2017 but Opel still isn't doing great today.
Yeah, they also tried to bring the Diplomat to the US. After they made the V8 in it from GM 'autobahn-worthy'. It's the motor with the same parts, they put in the most performance oriented corvette. In Rüsselsheim the hardend the motor driving from hamburg to munich (500 miles) through the night at full throttle, which took some tries until the car made it to munich and some more before it let the 300SL 6.3 (the competitor from mercedes) in the dust behind. The car looked american but it had a great suspension, all around disc brakes and at least 300HP at the wheels. The official 230HP were meassured at very low rpm to keep the insurance happy. Sadly the thing was too expensive for the US market as it was placed as a luxury car and not a muscle car.
"Rettunggasse" is mandatory while stuck in "STAU" on Autobahn. You should watch for it, if you see emergency vehicle from behind, you should move as right or as left as possible to make space fo them to pass. This is a very very cool idea, and in case that you do not yield to this, it can be quite expensive!
@@guybrushthreepwood9024 Actually - no! I was driving on German autobahn, and NO ONE makes "rettunggase" unless needed! Driving would be very unsafe, if one would stick to mid fence!
@@guybrushthreepwood9024 Of course. Stau itself does not form into rettunggasse. As the name suggests. There is always space to form it because all lines, even when fully occupied, have space on the side. You got lost somewhere, obviously...
@@guybrushthreepwood9024 Actually - if you THINK you know better then all the people on the Autobahn, then - a cookie for you! I was in several situations, which required rettunggasse, and I was in Stau countless times... And that "someone is WRONG on the internet" attitude is fascinating!
Me and my family drove from enschede, netherlands to vienna. Was driving a BMW 7 series. The autobahn was a dream to drive. The car did not disappoint. Miss driving in Europe in general. Was using an international drivers license. Made a stop at munich for 4 days.
As a Dutch person I remember my first drive through Germany to Denmark. Since the Dutch have an equally difficult drivers license system as the Germans have, I was very well taught to keep looking in the mirrors and I did when I wanted to take over the car in fron of me.. The road was reasonably empty (sunday summer evening) I checked the mirror and saw something in the rear mirror, but it was so far back, I could hardly see it, therefore I thought it was pretty ok to start taking over and I was driving 220kmph. I assumed the car I was trying to take over drove at around 130 which is indeed pretty average. I barely made it, just as I passed the car in front of me and went back to the right I was passed by another car like I was standing still and I could feel the wind shaking my car eventhough I was driving a Renault Megane Coupe 2l sport, which even for todays standard was quite an aerodynamic car and sturdy on the roads.. it scared the shit out of me..Now, many years later and many many kilometers on the German autobahn, it doesn't scare me anymore, but I am definately still aware of the speed differences
10:10 The first time, I went to the US (August 2001), though I had no license yet, I went directly to the next Police station to ask, what the difficult were f.ex. in traffic and what I should be aware of; I mean, I was 18 yo, it was logical to me to go to the cops by having unanswered questions. Cause in Germany, when you need help, always ask the cops as being your "Freund & Helfer" (friend & helper). One of those cops there, grew up in the nearby of the Ramstein Air Base, so he re-improved his German-speaking skills and took the journey off to explain me everything needful to (keep a)live in the US and gave me by that, my first real impressions of the States by driving me in an unmarked CV through NYC - and in return I answered him all questions he wanted to know about the region, we were mainly both from. Were the best 5 hours of my live on my premiere of being on another continent - pre-9/11.
Half the time I forget that the speed limit in Europe automatically drops when you enter a city, whether it's posted or not. Thankfully I've always had a European with me to remind me. If I ever drive on my own I'm SO going to get a ticket!
just remember that a "start of town" sign is implicitly also a "50 km/h limit" sign (unless a different speed limit sign is right next to it) and you not only have to slow down when passing the sign, but you need to have finished slowing down at the sign (it is big and visible enough from the distance), and similarly "end of town" is implicitly an "end of limit" sign so that the general limit of 100 km/h applies again (or no limit on the Autobahn). of course, all this video and what i wrote applies to cars and motorbikes, but many general limits for trucks are lower.
Glen Hunt also just think about town=people. There are children running around, people want to live in a quiet are etc. it would be very dangerous and careless to just keep driving with like 90km/h
Opels were common in the US in the 1960s and early 1970s, and were sold by Buick dealers. The Opel GT was a cool 2 seat sports car. You almost never see those cars today as they all rusted away.
I'm old enough to have seen the old days, when the Autobahn still was more like the myth surrounding it, not as a driver, but as a kid sitting in the family car. Back in the 80s there were basically 2 times a year when the Autobahn was congested, when people (especially the Dutch with their back then notorious caravans) drove south to their Mediterranean summer vacations and when they came back. At every other time of the year, the Autobahn was pretty free, at least compared to nowadays. 4 developments in modern times have changed that: A: All the commercial, European East-West traffic running through Germany. B: The lack of road tolls in Germany making it attractive for foreign traffic to detour over Germany, even if they otherwise would have had no reason to drive through Germany. (For example a French truck will, en route to Belgium or the Netherlands, drive through Germany to avoid paying tolls in France and Belgium on the direct route.) C: Industry saving money by applying a On Time Delivery system for their intermediary products. Instead of building and maintaining large storage units, factories just have everything they need delivered just when they need it. Effectively that means they turned the Autobahn and the road system into their storage units. Of course that causes much more trucks to drive around than they would otherwise. D: All that extra traffic not only clogs up the roads, but also wears them down faster, which makes more construction work necessary and makes everything much worse. Before the Iron Curtain fell, there wasn't much traffic on the East-West axis. Most of it happened on the North-South axis, with industry in the center and south of Germany shipping their products up north, to load them on to ships and export them to the world. On that North-South axis, you could transport a much bigger percentage on rivers and rails. Rivers, because they generally flow from south to north in Germany, down from the Alps to the North Sea and rail transport works better in that direction because you have to switch to a different wheel base width standard they have in the former Soviet Satellite States, which makes shipping stuff by train on that axis awkward and slow.
@Alexander Ocazio-Cortes The truck toll was introduced in 2005 (which, obviously, was 15 years ago) and only applies to big trucks and is lower than the tolls in most neighboring countries, as far as I know.
When i was driving in US for 3 weeks (i live in sweden normally) i noticed a few bad things about US driving.. 1. 4-way stops are really ineffective way to handle traffic and I cant understand how that can still be used. 2: US drivers pay very little attention to their driving, i saw many people eating at the wheel, putting on makeup, talking in the phone and even reading a newspaper! I also saw 3 accidents happen in the 3 weeks i was there and a few near misses. To put that in perspective, i have NEVER seen an accident happen in Sweden during my 25 years beind the wheel but i have seen accidents though... I think US needs way harder driving tests... I was also hit from behind during my 3 weeks there... at a red light ( been red for maybe 30 secs) their excuse was " well you know, its slippery when the roads are wet" ... most idiotic thing i have ever heard.... otherwise my trip were nice! I like the US for most parts... :)
I bet its probably because automatic cars spoiled them so much >D. When you driving an automatic car it feels like you are sitting on a couch, of course you'll start doing stupid things while driving (cause you can). On the other hand its almost impossible to be texting on the phone/read newspaper, when you have to use your right hand to actually shift gears in a manual car :D
@@wisew4932 I drive automatic here in Germany. I think, it depends on the car. I drive since a year an 30-year old Audi 80 with automatic . Before that, I drove only cars with manual transmission. And now I think you can more concentrate on traffic. And its easier drive in a traffic jam. Before I buy an automatic car, I was sometimes afraid to lose my clutch in the traffic jam. But everyone as he likes.
Sweden is the only country where drivers stop for you WELL BEFORE you step out on to a foot crossing! German drivers are well trained and (normally) well disciplined. They are impatient but do give non German cars a bit of 'wiggle room"! However there have been well publicised cases of big - fast cars bullying smaller slower cars OFF the autobahn - sometimes resulting in fatalities. I have driven 1000s of miles on German Highways in my big (by European standards) X TRAIL with UK plates. and been hassled at 80mph - I just let them have their heart attack in peace and drive at the 'advised' limit - they soon get the message.
You're not wrong, 4 way stops are terrible traffic management, Also yeah I don't think that harder tests will fix the issues with bad drivers in the US, The problem is, from a young age, we are basically encouraged to do really well for a testing situation, and then not care otherwise. I do think they should be harder. I don't contest that, I just don't feel like that will fix the problem. People here have a mindset that leads to stupid behavior. "Roads are slippery when wet." My response to that driver "Yeah, they are, so why were you going too fast to control your vehicle?" People don't slow down in bad road conditions here. I have a 30 minute drive to work, If it's good weather all week I will see one or two accidents per week. On any given day if it is raining, that day alone I'll see 3 or 4 both on the drive in and on the drive back (not combined, each way).
Great video! I spent time in the late 60's and 70's in Germany while serving in the U.S. Army and loved it! I've been back a few times on vacation and spent time in Munich in the Spring of 2019. The deal about getting gasoline reminded me of other things I noticed. At service stations they have portable devices that you use to put air in your tires. They are very handy. People use them and then put them back on the stand. In the U.S. they wouldn't last a day before someone stole them. Another item has to do with public transit on buses. At bus stops they have ticket machines where you buy your ticket based on what zone you are traveling to, then when the bus comes you simply get on. You don't show your ticket, it is just assumed that you have one. Well, once a month controllers get on the bus to spot check for tickets. American G.I.s were the only ones they would catch without tickets. Germans pretty much follow the rules, while we are always looking for ways to beat the system.
Germans just grow up with some random guys who will hop on the bus to Check your Ticket so we learn to Spot them when they get on and just get off haha
I was in the US Army in Germany from 1973 to 1976. What I remember about driving is when you see flashing lights behind you on the autobahn is move to the right VERY quickly because the flashing lights means "Look out because here I come."
@Fred Jansen They do use them here in the Netherlands. Signaling your left blinker when behind some one is an unofficial way to indicate that you want to pass and that the person in front of you should make space. As the blinker and the flash lights are controlled with the same lever, a single diagonal pull is used to employ both simultaneously. I don't drive a BMW, but know some who do and this is what they told me :)
Way back in my youth we had Drivers Ed as part of Health class in high school during sophomore year complete with simulators & learning stick shift a requirement. Enjoyed the video. Enjoy your day!
Your analysis of the german autobahn is really on point :) . The speed difference on strips of autobahn without a speed limit can really be a pain, especially if there is dense traffic; just like you described it!
One important thing that was mentioned but not stressed enough is the fact that PASSING A VEHICLE ON THE AUTOBAHN OR OTHER MULTI-LANE HIGHWAY O N T H E R I G H T H A N D S I D E IS AN ABSOLUTE NO NO IN GERMANY !! If you are caught by Autobahn Police (in unmarked and really powerful cars) or “flashed” by a hidden camera, you will pay a hefty fine and/or have your license suspended or taken away on the spot (in case of the Autobahn Police) and, if absolutely reckless and extremely dangerous, have your car impounded and be ordered to appear in court at a later date. You may even face jail, if someone gets injured or killed by your action! Passing on the RIGHT, jumping lanes back and forth and cutting off other drivers aggressively during the process (i.e. driving zick-zack) like some insane person or tailgating at high speeds (all of it applies in particular to the B.C. Lower Mainland of British Columbia, B.C., but - to a lesser degree - also to other parts of America, WILL NOT BE TOLERATED !!
On the east coast passing on the right is never enforced. I watched a police car follow a car in the left lane and eventually just passed on the right.
On the other hand: German police also enforces, that drivers do not occupy center/left lane if they are not overtaking - because obligation of not overtaking on the right side must be always connected with duty of taking the most right lane (if not overtaking).
@@BnORailFan Passing on the right is legal in both CT and MA and I think NH. CT has tons of left exits on major highways, I do not see how it could be otherwise at least there.
My German brother-in-law once explained if you take a long drive you'll average 120km/hr no matter what you do, even though the autobahn has no speed limits. So I tried it out a few times, and unless you're driving between about midnight and 3am, he turned out to be right. You spend so much time either getting out of the way of faster people, or waiting behind lines of trucks as they pass each other.
In Austra you are only allowed to drive 130 kmh. In Germany you can't drive faster than 130 kmh - due to traffic density :) When I m going from Austria to visit my parents in Germany, it's a 750 km drive .. which takes about 6,5h - with a break. Picking the right time of the day to travel I prefer 160 kmh with cruise control. Keeps you way more relaxed. But bigger cities, rush hour traffic might be as bad as in the US
I was told but maybe it changed but trucks cannot pass each other on the Autobahn. Sure wish they had that here in USA. Too many times the LEFT lane can become hazardous because someone in left lane takes forever to pass another truck or Motorcoach.
@@robertadams6606 Long-haul trucks (LKWs to the Germans) are limited to 80 kph, but they can and do pass each other...it takes a long time and it always forms a stack of cars behind them, but they do it anyway. They're the main reason that one only averages 120km/hr on any trip more than 30 minutes or so during normal hours, no matter what you do.
@@njhoepner Ok .maybe the one who told me was mistaken about it. It has the same effect here in USA. Especially bad on a Highway with less than 3 lanes. There was also Military Vehicles that would convoy together causing big congestion. They cannot go fast I believe, but I don't see as many as I used to.
@@robertadams6606 The Army is smaller now than it was back then, so fewer convoys of us...but yeah, they top out slower than civilian cars and do cause things pile up a bit.
One thing I feel is worth mentioning: yes, you are allowed to drive as fast as you want in germany in certain areas, but only if there isn’t so much traffic that you endanger someone. If you are driving at night, feel free to drive fast, but no one is driving 300km/h at rush hour. It also says in german traffic law that if you are involved in an accident, even if it tecnically „wasn’t your fault“ that could have been avoided if you were driving 130km/h you can get a „teilschuld“ wich means that you are partly responsible because of your driving speed
Driving on the unrestricted roads in the Isle of Man is extra exciting when we have our two motorcycle racing events. There are huge numbers of motorbikes on the roads between the events. The British bikers overtake on the right and the European bikers (mainly German) overtake on the left. Some of those bikes can touch 320kph/200mph so it's pure instinct. You just hold your line and pray...
I always tell people this about driving on the autobahn when they ask me. “It doesn’t matter how fast you are driving on the Autobahn, there will always be someone faster coming up behind you.” I live in the U.K. at the moment and people find it weird that when a speed camera catches you that it takes a picture of your face as well. I’ve had some really funny “mugshots” in the past, smiling away while driving. 😅 another thing Brits find strange is that in Germany they hide the speed cameras in the weirdest places. The weirdest one I’ve seen is in a bush and also in a wheelie bin( Americans call this dumpster?) by the side of the road.
Until recently Opel was owned by GM. They are found throughout Europe. Many European cars are made in different countries - or parts are. This an Opel might have its engine made in Germany but be assembled in the UK. You cannot buy a new Opel in the UK because they are branded Vauxhall but essentially identical to the equivalent Opel model except that the steering wheel is on the right (because we drive on the correct side of the road!).
GM spent most of the time they owned Opel trying to ruin it. Every time they’d come out with a world class car the Americans would come over and “optimize “ it until it was shit.
In my state in the US, the "right before left" rule applies at intersections with 4-way stop signs when two cars stop at the same time or so close that it's not obvious who stopped first.
And when two vehicles facing stop at stop signs at the same time, only one has priority if the other is taking a left turn. Does the rule of the order they arrive apply if they arrive at different time? Priority rules mentioned in the video concern convergence between vehicles approaching an intersection from different streets, nothing about vehicles in opposite directions on the same street?
@@Myrtone If two cars are approaching an intersection from opposite directions and both have stop signs, the one who arrives first goes first even if they are turning left in front of the other one. If both arrive at the same time I believe the one going straight has the right of way.
Hab bis jetzt 3 Videos von dir gesehen und auch wenn ich nicht deine direkte zielgruppe bin als Deutscher, finde ich deine Videos echt informativ ! weiter so!
*dis guy got it!* Then again, atleast it's not the Netherlands, 130 limit, then 3km later 100, then 800 meters later 120, then 90, then 50 because there's congestion (in a 130), then when the congestion is finally over you're about to get back to 130 and there you go 80 zone. In the Netherlands I don't think there's a single stretch of road where the same speed limit is maintained for longer then 6 km's 😅
Stationed in Germany from '72-'74. To get my license to drive there (not my military license) all I had to do was take a 100 question test on signs, show my US (in my case Virginia) license, and then I could drive what the US Forces called a POV (Privately Owned Vehicle). Had a '57 VW Beetle with a roller wheel for the gas instead of a flat plate. Enjoy your videos. Sehr gut!
In Virginia and some other states, annual safety and emissions testing is required just like Germany. The safety inspector applies a sticker on the windshield with month and year of inspection.
Tüv is the pinical of safety inspections, tyre older then 10 years fail, tyreand rims other then standard fail, tyre with to lower speedindex then the car can drive fail.
In UK every car or lorry must go and past inspection test every year included emissions limits. Only cars older than 50 years are not necessary which does not make sense.
I really miss having a car with a manual transmission. I learned to drive with that, and the first few cars I owned were all manuals. It's just more fun to drive a manual. But, my wife prefers automatics, even though she knows how to drive a manual, so that's what we have.
Manual transmissions are slow compared to the new-gen pdk 8 speed transmissions (e.g. the 2023 C8 Z06) that you'll also see in other high-end sports and hyper-cars.
@@bartmullin8018 Fantastic! Lemme just run right on out and buy a brand-freaking-new hypercar! Awesome! (I couldn't afford one even if I wanted one, so I'll stick to pining for a clutch pedal.)
WOW. Great video! I didn't know any of that about German roads, and driving! I always learn something from you. You'd make a great instructor. 60K is a large number, but it's not stopping there. Just try to be ready, and to be a superstar.
I don't know when it ended, but in 1980 nearly everyone in Florida took a semester of driver's education in high school. That's over a 100 hours of instruction.
We had that in PA too (I don't think every school district offered it) but it was not a requirement from the DOT. It was really just to give young drivers more knowledge / experience and completing it would usually contribute to lower insurance premiums. The state changed things significantly in the 90's so I'm not sure how things are now.
Early in my driving, I stopped at a cross street when I didn’t have a stop sign; the cross street had a stop sign. I don’t know why I stopped, but then a bicycle rider flew across, running the stop sign. He didn’t even notice me. I’m so glad I didn’t take the right of way and splatter him.
So much better than no captions at all and I found very few spelling mistakes so I'll definitely take that over a video with auto-generated captions or, worse, no captions at all
I did the captions that way to fit in the interspersion of German in her videos, such as the use of 'Hallo' and 'Serwus' at the beginning and 'tschüss' at the end. There is also something in the description that ends with 'danke'. Unfortunately, community submissions were removed and for quite a dubious reason.
What a wonderful job you did on the driving laws, driving, roads, gas etc. it was very educational, and enjoyable. As an EMT who has driven and attended patients in ambulances for many years, I really appreciated some of The differences. Your preparation and enthusiasm were excellent and thoroughly enjoyed!!!!!! Keep up the good work!,😎👍👍
When my daughters learned to drive, at the "School of Dad", they were required to learn stick-shifting as part of Dad's driving school curriculum. Bless You Felicia, you are a real charmer.
All three of my kids learned to drive on a manual and I am about to introduce my grandson to the Mysteries of The Clutch. If you can drive a stick, you drive damn near anything with wheels.
Hopefully you have learned that when the light in front of you turns green, you wait for those last couple of cars who have run the red light to get through the intersection.
