Hey there,

few items from me - I lived in Munich for 2 years plus I'm 2 weeks a quarter in SFO. Here's the list of the main differences in "driving styles":

a) as al FTers wrote above - always drive on the right side (highways). If you see a slower car in front of you, overtake it from the left side (blinkers are useful) and GET BACK to the original lane as soon as possible. Make sure, there's no Porsche / Mercedes coming at the speed of 150mph (or more) BEFORE you change the lanes. My good friend met Polizei back last summer in AT: "this is not England, mr XXX" - ~50EUR. If you happen to drive too long on the left lane and you see somebody blinking at you from behind (left blinker or just with headlights) - this means - f*** *** - better change the lane immediately.

b) be active on the road - do change lanes to keep traffic smooth. 101 is the best example how to jam 3-4 lanes highway without much traffic. Do expect people to be very active on the road as well. With all respect, but Germans (I'm Polish - let's be clear!) are one of the best drivers (as a nation) in the world.

c) if there's a 60kmh limit - go 65kmh MAX. In US I do speed (sorry) and never had a problem, but it's so easy to get X00EUR fine within seconds when driving through construction. And it's also easy to get the second, third and so on. Not cheap. Cameras are everywhere. Haven't driven there for a year or two, but in Norway, UK you already have "average speed" checks. That's even more tricky.

d) While in US Highway Patrol is nicely labeled, do expect Polizei to show-up in an unbranded car, almost out of nowhere. I had a pleasure once to meet two officers when driving my poor-old golf II back 10 years ago near Ingolstadt. Thanks god it was a random check (Polish plates, 10 years ago, just imagine all those questions )

e) you can perform U-turns on almost every junction in a city - be aware of it when driving on the left lane.

f) do change gears - in Europe it's pretty hard (but possible) to find cars with an automatic gearbox. I did recently hear a story about a US citizen who drove from Warsaw to Krakow (Poland) - circa 200 miles - on the first gear ... Hertz never seen melted engine before.

g) parking in city centers - do make 100% sure that you're allowed to park there. Parking wardens will show up sooner than later. You're going to get a ticket if you're lucky. Your car will be towed if you're not. That's a pretty expensive part of holidays.

h) bicycles - it's hard to find a bike in SFO, right? Well - there are dozens (thousands?) of them in German cities. You're lucky - it's winter, so you'll avoid 99% of them. But make 120% sure none of them is approaching when you do left/right turns. I was a biker once when nice car driver did turn right, just in front of me ... They are always right when discussion about priority starts (and he bleeds) - just take it for granted.

i) there are tons of lorries on DE / AT highways - just keep your eyes open - they like to take each other over time to time.

j) if you drive in December - do watch weather reports - you can get stuck in hours-long jams. Make sure you have a blanket with you - you can't have your engine turned on for several hours when stuck in the middle of nowhere. No need for panic - just listen to the news. I nearly had that experience once back 8 years ago.

k) tunnels - make sure your headlights are on! I personally do drive with my headlights on all over the year ("Swedish habit").

l) DO GET A GPS – it will help you a lot when driving through cities and choosing right highways / motorways

That's basically it - you'll get used to the speed in a first hour, rest will be a piece of cake.

Enjoy your stay in DE / AT!

mf