Driving in Germany and Austria
 

I've never been "behind the wheel" outside the US, and will be travelling next spring via car, specifically from Munich, and a few days driving down through the Black Forest, Bavaria, Innsbruck and/or Salzburg.

Are there any resources out there for driving newbies, spec. tips, obscure laws, etiquette, etc.?

Thanks

Two main things: you cannot turn right after stopping at a red light. Have to wait for it to turn green. And if you are on a divided highway with two lanes on your side, don't pass someone on the right. They hate that (plus it might be illegal).

Here is a website you might want to look at for driving tips in Austria, which are probably similar to Germany.
http://advantageaustria.org/mm/zentr...en/auto.en.jsp

I've driven in both places and it's common sense. It's best not to drive in the left lane unless you have a powerful car. Leave that to the lead-foot Larrys. Oops! I just noticed you live in the Bay Area. In that case, treat it like a rush-hour commute on 280 between San Francisco and San Jose and you'll have no problems.

Gute fahrt!

The guys on www.bimmerfest.com love to take factory delivery of their new BMWs and have a lot of threads and resources. Some of it is highly specific to getting European Delivery and some of it more general about driving around in Germany/Austria/Switzerland etc.. Have fun!

Link to European Delivery Forum

And their European Delivery wiki which has information on trips, etc.

I have driven in both countries and I don't think either is difficult to drive in. People drive rather fast but on the whole the driving is good.

As noted above, on a road with two or more lanes of traffic in your direction, don't overtake another vehicle on the right. Faster traffic moves in the left-hand lanes, towards the middle of the road, and slower traffic moves in the right-hand lanes. Drive in the lane furthest to the left in which the traffic is moving at the speed you are driving at. Be warned too: cars can come up at enormous speed in the left-hand lanes. You can be in these lanes if you are overtaking a slower car, but be careful that you don't end up with another car almost on top of you before you can blink.

Keep your wits about you in towns: the street patterns are often quite confusing (usually in older towns) and there are lots of one-way streets in some places.

:confused::confused::confused:

I think that you have this reversed.

Whoops, I have corrected it above!

In general you are correct but at least in Germany you sometimes have a green arrow which allows you to turn right even if the traffic-light is red. People sometimes tend to get really angry and start honking if you don't make use of this option.

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

Give way to pedestrians/cyclists
 

The previous poster's mention of bicycles reminded me of something else...:

When you do a left or right turn into a road you have to give way to pedestrians and cyclists crossing that road. Always look over your shoulder before doing a right turn to look out for cyclists or pedestrians coming up behind and crossing your path.

And I don't think you're going to avoid 99% of cyclists in the winter. True, there are fewer cyclists about (you'll avoid the leisure cyclists) but there are many many MANY people in Germany who use cycling as their primary mode of transport and who cycle to work or school all year.

haven't I scared rrz518 enough ? :)

Speed limit in town
 

Just thought of something else to scare the OP with... :D

In most other countries you can rely on there beeing speed limit signs that tell you what the maximum speed is.

In Germany you can't - at least not in town.

The speed limit in towns and villages is 50 kph unless otherwise indicated. But... there is NO 50 kph sign when you enter a town or village - just a square dark yellow sign displaying the name of the town or village you are entering.

This dark yellow sign doubles up as a speed limit sign

It's very very easy to get caught out by this if you're not used to it.

When you leave town there is another yellow sign, with the name crossed out. This doubles up as an "end of 50 kph speed limit" sign.

The US military publishes a driving handbook for personnel stationed in Europe. It's very useful and includes a great set of common road signs and their meanings. I highly recommend skimming through it, especially the road sign part:
http://rmv.hqusareur.army.mil/drivrman/190-34.htm

Here's just the signs:
http://rmv.hqusareur.army.mil/drivrman/ss1903412.htm

Great source ^ Thanks for posting!

All good advice.

Be aware that the green arrows are becoming more commonplace, but they are posted to the right side of the red light on the lightpole. Also, something that takes getting used to is the actual location of the traffic lights. In most cases you will pull up to the intersection (if you are the first car), and then have to crane your neck to watch for the light change.

Don't forget that it is compulsary to purchase a vignette to drive on the autobahns in Austria. There is no such requirement on German autobahns. Also, while the speed limit on the German autobahn is largely a suggestion (130km) and you will not be stopped or ticketed unless you pass through an actual speed limit zone, if you get into an accident and you are exceeding 130km/h, you will be found at least partially at fault, regardless of the circumstances.

Often speed cameras are posted in small towns after the speed limit drops upon entering town (to 50km). When you see the little yellow town sign (with black writing), start to slow down from the 100km speed limit. The sign means 50km/h starts at the sign, not that you start slowing down at that point.

The sign in question is the bottom left one on here, called "priority road": http://rmv.hqusareur.army.mil/drivrman/ss1903412.htm

It does indeed mean 50 kmh/h.

I'll also second everybody about the left/right lane... Unless you're flying, stay in the right lane :D

HTSC