@@SauceOnChickenBall I am pretty sure that only applies if you are an ADAC or AvD Member. If you are, roadside assistance is free, but you need to pay for material (gas in this case). Otherwise I have never heard that a call to a tow company did not end in a "Leerfahrt" charge. Typically about half the cost of towing.
All it takes is someone pushing their luck and a place the size of Texas. Not that I’ve ever run out of gas, but it happens to people. It ain’t nothin really
They made a mistake: They have to get out the car with the safety vest already on! Only a few people know this, but it is illegal to store them in the back.
Not in Germany. You don't even need to put them on. It's not a law. However, in Germany you only need to have one safety vest in your car, No Matter how many seats there are
Running out of fuel is illegal in most of Europe. In the UK it's illegal to join a motorway if you KNOW your car is in an unsafe condition and might not make it.
As a German, not only is this the law, for every passenger there must be a hi vis vest but it actually feels like common sense. Feels actually foolish to stop on the road side of a highway
They probably didn't have enough space to put it 150m behind the car since they are not on the Autobahn, but on a normal city street. inside of cities u have to place it around 50 m.
@@Niger999-te4io good estimate is 1 large step or the distance from the end of your fingers to your nose (the old standard was that but on some french king if I remember)
This is how it works in Europe in general, not just Germany. Most people don't actually do it (illegal) but it honestly makes so much sense to signal that there is a stopped vehicle ahead
@@samanthapeppers546I can only guarantee for Germany, France, Österreich but I would assume that all EU member states follow these laws in one way or the other.
@@samanthapeppers546In the Netherlands (at least when I took the theory exam) you are required to either use the hazard lights or the danger triangle (or both of course). Besides that it’s basically the same regulation
Haha, that's a great one! 😂 Though a realistic answer should probably be something like: „I ignored every warning my car gave me about being low on fuel and I did not pay attention to the fuel level. So instead of refueling in advance I ran out of gas in the most dangerous place possibly which I could 100 % have avoided.”
You will not get into prison for that offense. Still, it is your duty as a car owner to see to it that your car has enough fuel to make the trip without becoming a roadside hazard along the way, potentially causing an accident and someone's death, if not your own. The alternate is that by running out of fuel you're technically parking your car there which is also illegal lol
@@Macintoshibayou wont directly be put in prison just for running out, that's true, but if you cant/dont want to pay the fine, they will likely put you in jail
@fempi I did mean it in a way where you neglected your fuel meter and ran out of fuel and were given an unfair sentence in a humorous way, Ofc you wount go to prison like I said "in a humorous way"
Many don't. No.matyer what country your in. Than theirs me who was moving a rub slight to long for my car. So if I hit the breaks ever so slight to hard the rug hit the button and turned them on. Let's just say im not hauling 10 foot rugs anymore in my car.
When your Saab Turbo decides to give up engine block integrity and starts "under the hood" a "complete makeover" at 180 km/h you don't necessarily have a hand free for hazard-lights-switch instantaneously.
In the west it generally gets better with the rules that almost everyone follows, but as soon as you drive out of Poland it gets worse and worse, especially the roads and behavior in traffic.
@jjpaq another helpful tip about the amount of gas in the tank, is that the fuel pump uses gas as a lubricant and heat dispersion. So the tank should never fall below 1/4 if you want to baby the fuel pump. Just another one of those things that gets a car to 300 or 400k miles without major repair.
Woah British Highway Code says don’t put the triangle on motorways and dual carriageways. Ie if the road is 110km/h speed limit don’t use the triangle… only on smaller roads. The idea is if you’re on a smaller road there is more bends and turns so if someone goes round the corner you might surprise them but on the motorway you can park over on the left (we drive on the left) with your hazards on and the road is straight enough for other drivers to see you without the triangle.
This doesn't apply in all situations though - I live near a section of „smart“ motorway where what was once a hard shoulder is now an exit slip between junctions, and there's no hard shoulder at all. If you break down on these - Assuming the failure meant you couldn't carry on to an emergency layby and use that - You need to pop your hazards on, steer as far to the left as you can (Roll off the side of the lane, if safe to do so), get everybody out the nearside of the vehicle and clear immediately, and call for assistance. If you break down on the motorway on or just after a bend *and it is safe to do so* deploying a warning triangle in the appropriate place may assist following drivers to know that an abnormal (distracting) feature is ahead, and can be important to warn any drivers who get forced onto the shoulder by centre-lane bargers to perform a rapid stop rather than maintain pace with the intent of rejoining.
Unless your highways don't have speed limits. If you're going 300 kmph it's only a couple seconds between you see a car on the shoulder and you already passed them.
@@tobeytransport2802of course, if you walk on the road or shoulder. You need to walk behind barriers and quickly put flares/triangles and go back behind the barriers. They are designed to stop the cars from hitting you behind the barriers.
@@abdullahunal1108 ah it’s interesting to hear the differences in the rules and if I go to Germany I will have to remember that the triangle is mandatory if I break down on the autobahn while here it is recommended not to put it on the motorway. I hope no one has a breakdown though, I can’t imagine that is any fun on the side of such a fast road.
Same here xD that's because your car can breakdown with no fault of your own Running out of gas is pure negligence, cars often tell you exactly how far you can get 😅😂😂
in most countries around the world, you also have to know basic first aid and cpr in order to get your license, so that you can render aid in the event of an accident or other medical emergency on the roadway. and, all motor vehicles are equipped with a very good first aid kit, usually located in the same compartment as the tools and triangles/flares in the trunk. they cannot leave the assembly plant without those items. at the BMW assembly plant in the US, we could always tell if a car was being shipped overseas because when they went through our work area the first aid kit, flares, and warning triangles would be sitting on the front passenger seat, to be placed in the rear compartment after their final inspection.
I came up behind a car that had to stop on the autobahn, it was a section with road construction. We were on the “wrong side” of the road and they couldn’t access the hard shoulder. I’ve never seen anyone exit a vehicle with their speed and efficiency, all five guys practically flew out of their vehicle and over the guard rail in seconds…
@pzEditor when you visit Germany, you're most likely to use a rental car which should have a vest and a first aid box with it. You could just double check at the car rental if it is not missing when you pick it up.
Me and a friend nearly ran out of gas in Arizona going from California. We were maybe below half when we passed a station and thought we would fill up at the next one. As it goes, we didn't see another station for miles and actually drove after the gas meter went below E.
The hard shoulder is a dangerous place. So you must not stop there, unless absolutely necessary. It' s considered unnecessary to run out of gas (only stupid and ignorant people do). It makes sense: standing on the hard shoulder because one's run out of gas is endangering yourself and other drivers, therefore forbidden.
If you hit a car parked on the shoulder with a reflection triangle behind it that is your fault and normal people can run out of gas if you find yourself in a gas station dead zone or if you have a faulty fuel level gauge
Unnecessary? I get that it’s hard and dumb to do and I’ve never done it, but how tf is it unnecessary? You supposed to magically fill it without pumping gas?
@@theswitch1028 If you're too dumb to figure out when you need gas in order to make it where you're going then honestly just give up driving. You're a liability to have on the road and your inability to think is going to kill someone.
In certain parts of the US it is easier to run out of gas on the highway than you might think. There can often be long stretches of road without gas stations or even exits especially if you take a wrong turn and get lost
idk why high vis jackets aren't a thing for everyone. it's just so useful. i use it when biking even during the day. i put it on my backpack when i walk. even in cars! so useful
Dude it’s starting to make sense why the Germans have a reputation for being insanely by the book. Here in the states I drive into a ditch and then proceed to drink until the tow truck gets there inside my car. Much better system
I'm American. My dad was an auto mechanic. I make sure I have enough gas in my tank before I go. I usually fill my gas tank when it's half full. It's very bad to drive with low fuel in your gas tank. It's better for the car to have more fuel in the tank my dad said. It's nice to see the laws in other countries.
I think we have the same law in all EU, at least in Portugal the rules are the same. Except it's not illegal to run out of fuel, so many of us run on 5€ at a time we would get in truble a lot 😅!
The distance the warning triangle should be placed before the car depends on the speed limit on that road. As a rule of thumb: The speed limit in km/h is that distance in m. In settlements 50 m, outside of settlements 100 m, on the Autobahn (since there usually is no speed limit) 200 m.
@@camado_hd6183 also important to add most of the United states has these on major highways in the form of small green signs every 0.1 miles (or roughly every 500 feet)
Only the individual that exits the vehicle is required to wear a vest. The vehicle owner is not required to provide safety vests for everyone inside the vehicle, you only need to have a single safety vest on the vehicle for the person that is going to place the triangle or check/fix something, doesn't matter if it's the driver or the passenger, if two people are exiting the vehicle, then they both need to wear the vest. Anyone who remains inside the vehicle doesn't need to wear it, even tho it doesn't hurt, as they're protected and other vehicles won't be able to see them. If you're wondering in what scenarios the passenger would set the triangle and fix the vehicle, the most basic ones are that the driver is physically unable to do it, due to having some kind of disability or lacks the physical strength needed for the task.
You really shouldn't stay inside the vehicle as it can happen that somebody doesn't see that your car stands still and crashes inside you. That is very dangerous. And if you stand outside, you should get a few meters behind the traffic barrier. And absolutely wear high visibility wests!
This is really similar to the interstate law on the US - its illegal to run outa gas, go on the shoulder ("breakdown lane"), use a highvis cone or roadflare, aand call assistance Nuffin about vests or going off the road fully though (Footnote, this may only be for minnesota)
Same rules in Chile! Except it is not illegal to run out of gas, but in the Austral Highway it is illegal to travel without fuel canisters because of the long distance between gas stations
Yes. On the Autobahn you can drive at very high speeds. As the Autobahn is often quite curvy, you can ever only see so far. If a vehicle is standing on the side of the Autobahn it poses an immediate danger as in an object that stands still and which you could collide with. Also, there might be people working on a car trying to fix it or helping someone who got injured in an accident. To maximize everyone's safety, drivers should have an "early" warning and not only be more cautious and possibly slow down once they see the accident. The Warndreieck ("warning triangle") is coloured red and has a reflective surface. It is placed before traffic reaches the breakdown/accident to warn oncoming traffic of the unusual danger up ahead. If you break down in a curve, it is recommended to exceed the minimum distance of 150 metres and place the sign at the beginning of the curve so drivers can slow down and give more space to the standing vehicle and people around it. Especially with dense traffic and bad weather these warning triangles can save lifes.
@@danielmcpherson9062 The little guide bollards on the side of the Autobahn are spaced at 50m intervals. (taught in driving schools and mandatory knowledge to pass the drivers license test) Alternatively a large-ish pace is about a meter.
Yea u get taught these steps in driving school and you have to know the order of those steps too Also they force us to pay for theory and practical basically nowadays about 2k-3k + it’s like a whole thing u have to wait to get an exam date U have to get a certain hours for certain conditions and when the driving instructor deems u rdy he contacts a person thatll sit there and basically test u and take notes There’s so much more to it though
That's two different things. (a) Yes, you have mandatory inspection every 2 years to make sure that the car is still road worthy and major changes to vital parts need to be approved. (b) It is not illegal to have the car break down as this is seen as _force majeure_ - you can however loose your insurance coverage or be fined if your lack of maintenance is determined to be a major contributing factor to any damages to other's or their property
In Sweden they double-check for a warning triangle each time on the yearly car inspection. Good one, and they should add the highviz vest requirements!
We drink as early as 14 years of age and learn to drive at around 17 years old... americans get their drivers licence at about 16 years old and are alowed to drink at 21... but in germany the DUI numbers are way lower compared to the US. Car crashes in general are way less. Especially motorcycle accidents are way lower, because we have a 3 stage drivers licence for young motorcyclist which limits your horsepower down to 15hp, then 48hp and after that you can ride every bike you want. Yea, ALCOHOL must be the main reason we keep strict rules😂. And america is so safe because people get drunk 7 years later in life😂
It's the exact same thing in the Netherlands (apart from it being illegal to run out of gas; but that only goes for the Autobahn in Germany as far as I know)
It is illegal to run out of gas, it is also illegal to block gas stations. 3 gas stations back to back blocked on the autobahn for various reasons. Now i am left with no gas, i was lucky i still had a gas can in my trunk like i always have for long trips.
You shouldn’t go and place the triangle in a highway with cars going 80 mph+ . It’s a death sentence. It’s better to get hit in the car than outside. Some friends of mine got hit and died because they went out of the car.
On almost every part of the Autobahn we have an emergency lane for excatly this reason😂. Also in germany drivers pay more attention to the road, unlike in the us where a lot of people are using their cell phone while driving.
You walk behind the guard rails if possible, hold up the triangle in front of yourself while wearing a high visibility vest, you put it there. Also in Austria and Germany people pay attention to the road and had actual driving school, so they know what to do.
You are comparing american traffic to european traffic. Those 2 are not the same. In europe people actually pay attention and have basic common sense. We go through years and thousands of euros worth of driving school just to be able to drive a car by ourselves. By the time people have a drivers license they already have hundreds if not thousands of kilometers driven and have passed a test which is oftentimes made unnecessarily hard.
Except for where they have a really good highway system with no speed limit in some sections. When you think about it the rules in this video make sense.
No really, it shouldn't be illegal to run out Its illegal because it causes a inconvenience, and theres no way you could afford the car and not the fuel And tanks are to big for you to have ran out and not known
@@Alaskan-Armadillo i think, you are right. You should not stop in the middle of the autobahn - therefore it is illegal to run out of gas there. I doubt, that it applies for normal city streets and city traffic. The DW shorts are often misleading.
@@henningbartels6245 its punishable on any road, however on city roads the fine is only 30 Euro, since you are merely an inconvenience to others. On motorways and freeways where everybody is driving fast you can become a danger to others so the fine will be 70 Euro and one point in the driving aptitude register, which ultimately can lead to loosing your licence .
Idk about germany but you're not supposed to take the triangle out on the motorway as it could blow onto the road due to high speed vehicules passing by which would cause a tru hazard on the road.
Breathing is illegal in Germany without an "inhale/exhale permit paid annually to the EPA by January 1st. Every illegal breath will cost you a €¼ until you pay for your permit.😂😂😂
Is it really like this if you're in the city? In Sweden you don't have to do this unless you're on one of the higher-speed roads but if you're in the city, then you just have to park it by the side and place the sign a bit back.
Running out of gas is like a €2000 fine. There are not shoulders to pull over as frequently as the us has and they are small shoulders. It's also difficult to run out of gas when they have gas stations every 2 kilometers, but there are some long stetches. We had to drive 1k off the autobahn on the way to Berlin one time and pulled up to the pump with the car reading 0 miles left. That was stressful.
It‘s €70 and one point at Flensburg. But that’s still bad, especially that point. That’s why you never ever call the police but a taxi driver. If you promise them a nice tip, I‘m pretty sure they will help you out. €30 for 2 liters of gas is still better than €70 and a point. Also, the police will insist that you call a tow truck immediately, what will increase the costs even more. Just avoid police if you‘ve done a mistake, don’t incriminate yourself.
Have y'all ever actually read your driver's manual in the US? Plenty of states have laws like this. Mine requires you to light safety flares like 100 feet behind you.
Note: Running out of Gas on the Autobahn isnt illegal! Running out of gas knowingly (like you knew that you didnt have enough and atill drove on it) is illegal. Happened to me recently after a piece of metal ripped open my fuel tank. Didnt have to pay any fine as it wasnt in my control.
So it really is just luck of the draw that you don't have something terrible happen, then? I can almost understand it being illegal to run out of gas -- it takes a special kind of stupidity and/or poverty to let that happen -- but never breaking down, ever? You could keep up with all your maintenance and still just have something break out of your control.
In France you actually should not put the triangle behind the car when it's broken down. It's considered too dangerous. Either call the authorities so that they can dispatch signaling trucks, or try to drive until you reach a safe zone that is found every few hundred meters with a telephone pole that is directly connected to the safety services
Just makes sense, I drive for many years in the UK without these essentials in my car, when visiting Germany a few times while driving I looked up the rules, got myself these bits and now follow the same rules in the UK even though it's not law here.
Exactly the same rules in France... And probably other European countries. And yes as mentioned by other comments. You should put on the jacket before exiting the car and it's illegal to run out of gas.
The best part is: The only one I've ever seen placing his triangle farther away from the car than 5m, was a polish guy. All us Germans with our overly expensive licenses and many people having zero mistakes in the theoretical tests forget the most essential and simplest things. Such as blinking before you switch lanes, not when you're already going around the corner or down the Autobahn. It's unlikely you're going anywhere else in a corner with one lane and no exits, isn't it?
This sounds simular to what commercial vehicles with a breakdown, must do in the US. I'm not sure running out of fuel is illegal. But in some cases, it can get the driver fired.
You will only be punished if that happens on the Autobahn, because it is illegal to stop or park there anyways. If it's under 3 minutes it is considered a stop and costs you 35€, if you stay for over 3 minutes, which you probably will when you ran out of gas, it is considered parking and will cost 70€.
except on very rare stretches of the autobahn along some wall or through a tunnel, you should be able to climb over the guardrails and walk parallel to the Autobahn in safety. and also in these rare conditions, there mostly should be a relatively safe path. but if there isn't and also no emergency stop lane (shoulder), setting up an early warning should be even more important ...
Germany is much nerdier than I thought. “Yes! Vi muzt exzit on ze right hand side of ze vehicle and don ze high visibility vezt! Zis is ze law and it muzt be obeyed!!”
In the video it says "POV: You're driving on the Autobahn in Germany" Firstly: this is not the Autobahn, but just a main street in a bigger city (in this case Berlin). Secondly: if you were on the Autobahn, there'd be gas stations every 50km along the way, so you'd definitely get to refuel on time before you're running out of gas. But remember that the gas at those gas stations is much more expensive than at those in the cities. Thirdly: yes, it's indeed illegal to run out of gas on the Autobahn and you can be fined for that.
Just so people know Germany is not the only country where it is illegal to run out of fuel. A lot of American states are like that too, but not always enforced, and not always specifically stated (but would be handled as obstructing the flow of traffic, parking on a highway, etc.)
Our public safety is more focused on warm, dry and a full belly. Blanket, water and a snack. It's -2 outside. Aint nobody getting out of the car and standing by the road. Else the tow can call the ME when they arrive.
I had to drive a lot at night back in the beginning of the 2000's. These vests were not used then. I remember almost hitting many people that decided to stop on the road side, at night, in dark clothes, no warning lights, no warning triangle and with dull colored cars, like black, gray, silver...
