Better refrain from doing so in Germany either. The legal term for it in German is "Nötigung" (Coercion). If the other driver does not get out of the way, get down with your speed, keep good distance and wait.

^ ^ I wish we would do that here in the US. I find the high-beam flashing that pred02 notes is obnoxious.

In BOS, this should be the least of your worries on the road.

warning - this is not OMNI
 

folks, I had alot of work, splitting up this thread. there are now three threads, one part went into OMNI. please stay on topic or more mod actions will be taken.

regards

chrissxb
moderator
europe forum

The one way drop fee tends to be pretty low with Avis, you might try them... also AutoEurope discounts with several companies, Avis being one of them.
Avis in Germany allows travel to Poland, Czech, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenija but only with certain types of cars. I know they told me that VWs can't go to eastern countries but Opels can.

The Avis drop fee for pickup in Germany and dropping in the Netherlands is currently only $75... Alamo was the second lowest I found at just over $100. Europcar is absurd, don't even consider them if you are dropping a different country.

It's somewhat different in different countries. Germany is very fast, it's true, and 160mph wouldn't surprise me. In most countries, the speeds are much faster than in the US. I recall that the first time we drove in Spain, my wife, who was driving at the time, who is a conservative driver, found that she had to maintain over 140kph(about 86mph) in the slow lane to avoid being overtaken by large transport trucks. At 140kph on a Spanish motorway, one is often passed, quickly, by other cars, which become very small, very quickly.

On a long journey, I try to maintain 130kph as an average, for economy reasons, and generally in most countries, this is not too slow, in most cases.

As far as cars are concerned, I have driven a Renault Clio( a small car) at 160kph for some distance, and it could have gone faster--perhaps 175kph-- with no ill effects. Any car that couldn't do 130kph or so, would be considered a 'clapped out banger' in most parts of the continent

Using the "light horn" as it is called here is actually is prohibited in at least some states. The problem is that the chances of being pulled over for it are almost nil.

True enough, but then OTOH there are usually far fewer lanes than in U.S. metropolitan areas, and passing other cars is only permitted on the left. Both of these make the high speeds somewhat easier to deal with.

Another adjustment driving in urban settings is the location of traffic lights - on the near rather than the far side of the street. This can be extremely challenging in sunny weather, as the driver in front is so close the lights it often gets very hard to tell whether you are looking at a red or green.

Why this "light horn" is so offensive to people stateside is beyond me???

If someone is arrogant enough to drive in the left land down the highway for no apparent reason at 3 MPH over the speed limit then they really do need a reminder to GET OVER if someone driving much faster is approaching from behind and they show no intention of moving.

Even though I do not like the kind of drivers you described either, there is a simple explanation why it is understood as means of coercion at least under German Criminal Law to use the light horn under the circumstances you explained: You intend to reach an aim not accepted by the legal system (speeding) and you press other people literally to get out of the way for your purpoeses.

It might not be that dramatic in the US with a speed limit of 55 mph. But assume being on an Autobahn driving at 90 mph and the Porsche appearing from the back with 140 mph and massive use of the light horn. It is not only unpleasant but it is certainly a dangerous situation.