An American in Deutschland: Mario Kart

Now that I've been driving in Germany for almost five months (FIVE MONTHS?!?), I feel very comfortable on the roads.  Dare I say it, I even prefer driving here to in the States.  But when we first arrived, I was nearly petrified with fear at the thought of winding my way through the tiny German villages or contending with the autobahn.  The only experience I had was from our vacation here last summer when we rented a hamster-powered Citroen C1, and spent almost all of our time in the right lane going about 50 mph.  I drove on the autobahn once during that trip, and it was stressful enough that I spent the rest of the time cowering in the passenger seat.

So, yes, driving is a very different animal here, but now that I feel more comfortable with the rules of the road AND have a car that will accelerate above 60 mph, I really quite like it!  I think there are a lot of misconceptions about German driving--I still hear them even over here.  That German drivers are crazy on the road, speed constantly, and are generally unsafe.  But let me tell you, since moving here, I have seen one--that's right, ONE--accident on the autobahn.  I've yet to see an accident on any of the village roads.  That's not to say they don't happen, and my evidence is purely anecdotal, but so far my experiences have led me to believe that driving is a safer endeavor here than many other places.

My favorite thing is that they actually enforce rules about not cruising in the left lane, leaving it open for passing, and slower vehicles keeping right, making the flow of traffic much better.  Rarely has it happened that I'll be stuck behind a slow truck in the right lane, but unable to pass because Grandpa Schmidt is out for a Sunday drive in the left lane.  I have seen people cruising on the left, but it's almost always Americans--shame, shame!

(Sign we spotted in a parking garage in Kaiserslautern--I'm not sure if I should feel priveleged or segregated!)

Also, the vast majority of the autobahn is not the racing speedway free-for-all that I imagined.  Most of the autobahn does have a speed limit--typically between 100 and 130 kph (~60-80 mph) which is frequently enforced with speed cameras.  Even in the unrestricted sections, it's recommended that drivers not exceed 130 kph, and if an accident occurs, regardless of who is at fault, if it can be proven that one of the drivers was exceeding 130 kph, they are held liable.  Of course, we see plenty of cars flying by MUCH faster than 130 kph.  The fastest Colby and I have ever gone is in the neighborhood of 150 kph (~90 mph), and even then we've been passed like we were standing still.

Then there is the complete opposite experience of driving through the village roads.  Obviously, the villages have been in place for years and years--long before the invention of the automobile and the need for paved roads.  So, like in many old towns, the roads were just put down wherever there was a path.  This leads to very narrow two way roads, which in many cases cut down to one lane where a house or shop bumps out into the street.  On top of that, parking lots are few and far between, so most of the time, people are parked on the road.  When you come to a long line of cars parked in your lane and are faced with oncoming vehicles, you just have to pull over behind the parked cars and wait for the oncoming cars to pass.  It is absolutely crucial to be paying attention when you're behind the wheel here--not that it isn't in other places--but if you zone out for a second while you're driving, there's a very good chance you'll end up inside someone's car hood.

But the rule that really wigged me out the most, was the one about priority roads and cars coming from the right in unmarked intersections having the right of way.  So, as long as you're on a priority road (marked by a white sign with a yellow diamond), you're pretty gravy baby.  You don't have to worry about other cars too much.  But if you aren't on a priority road and you get to an intersection without any sort of yield or stop sign, you'd still better slow your roll and check for vehicles coming from the right, or you're going to end up in a nasty T-bone incident.

We've taken to joking that driving here is like playing Mario Kart--you're constantly weaving around obstacles and vehicles, zooming down autobahn straitaways and nearly being spun around by how fast another driver passes you.  It's a very intense experience, but I've really grown to love it, though I do still get nervous driving Colby's Honda Pilot down some of those narrow roads.  But I'm already dreading our return to the US interstate system where trucks fly down the road at a bazillion miles per hour and Myrtle the Turtle pokes along in the left lane for 100 miles!

Comments

[Casey]

Great post, but I'd have to disagree with you on the idea that Germans are safer drivers. Yes the whole only passing on the left thing is efficient and makes total sense, but I've seen plenty of wrecks on the autobahn...one right behind us a few weekends ago, actually. I've also seen a handful of cars in ditches on various occasions and the police cutting off sections of the autobahn for hours (stuck in a 2 hour stau for rubber-neckers is also a common occurrence). I think the closer you get to a big city (like Frankfurt near where I live) the worse the traffic and drivers get. I'm also pretty sure Germans think they own whatever road they're driving on because if you're in their way, they'll push you right out of it! This is what I get for living in downtown with only street parking. One big HEADACHE! Oh and the priority road thing totally wigged me out, too! It's TOTALLY like Mario Kart! So funny.