That was quite a post for an iPod. I use a Blackberry keyboard and thought I was pretty good, but I’m no match for you buddy.
First I’d like to say you’re a very fortunate guy to be within short driving distances of two great race tracks. Secondly, one of my goals is to drive your Autobahn and the Nurburgring (if it still exists as we know it today). But about the Autobahn, it’s a great network with an interesting history, early development and current uses.
I appreciate your explanation, and have to say our system is inferior in some respects. Probably the biggest problem I have is with a lack of enforcement. We too have laws that require slower driver to stay out of the center-most lane but I have yet to see it enforced. On the other hand, there’s no shortage of drivers that feel morally obligated to slow traffic to speeds they agree with.
Cheers
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Very true, as police are just people who come in all shapes, sizes and attitudes. However in Germany the Police are set up differently. Police are run by the States. There are no Federal, State, County or City police, only "Police". This is not counting the special groups, like the BSG9, who are under the State Department. This a left over from the last time a Federal Law Enforcement group got out of control and started a war.
So every cop car in the country looks the same, and while there are unmarked cars, they are not numerous. The focus of the police over here is not on traffic enforcement, but law enforcement. Traffic enforcement is primarily based upon both fixed and mobile camera units, which are not kept a secret, TomTom offers, with the concurrence of the police, daily POI updates of all fix cameras, and the TomTom "live" updates (over the air on the TomTom XL devices) provides mobile camera updates usually within 30 minutes, and the local radio stations cover all mobile cameras every 30 minutes during the news. On the stretch of the A6 I use to/from work every day, the mobile cameras are only set up about once every 3-4 months, and then only for about 2 hours before they remove it. But there are a lot of fixed cameras in place and none of them are unknown, so the negate the need for Police to worry about traffic crap, and with the "unlimited" sections of the Autobahn, and the Hockenheimring 5 minutes from my house, and the Nurnburgring about 1 hour away there is no need to get stupid on the road.
What I think gives many folks their impression of German drivers is that to get a drivers license you must attend a professional driving school with 50 hours of theory and another 50 hours of practice on the road, before you can take the test, you can't be taught by your Dad, and it costs in the range of $2,500 - $3,000 to complete the training.
If you are under 21 and have an accident (even a fender bender) you license is pulled until you are 21, and then you start the entire grainy process again at you own expense, so every driver on the road has paid with both time and money for the privilege to get on the road (it is not a right), and they ALL drive to the same set of rules, and will not tolerate anyone who does not drive by the same rules, to the point of a collision if they are "in the right". This caused me and many of the folks over here a great deal of frustration as if the speed is posted for 50 km, then, by God, you better not do 49 km or you will get run over. Another big point is the concept of the Priority road, which is not based upon road size, direction or speed of travel, and the core rule that the person on the Right has absolute priority of all other traffic if there are no conflicting road signs. Takes a bit to get used to, but I am starting to ramble - but most folks run on the Autobahn about 20 over, but they ALL do it, and they all slow down for Speed Cameras, and they all drive based upon the same rules, having all gone through the same training and expense so there is no need for the cops to spend a lot of efforts on traffic enforcement.
Writing this on an iPod, so I can't go back and review it, but just wanted to share this bit of German culture, might help those of you planing an ED.
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