IF YOU’RE AN American planning to live in Germany
and hoping to let loose on the autobahn—where, more often than not, the
speed limit is a car’s horsepower—you’d better come from the right
state.
A total of 28 U.S. states get the thumbs-up in Germany when it comes to obtaining a German license. All of them—including Texas and Illinois—have reciprocal agreements with Germany’s transport ministry and the country’s 16 state governments.
But for those states that don’t, German authorities make what can appear as somewhat arbitrary judgments on drivers’ skills. If you come from a state where, in the view of German authorities, Americans aren’t used to daily congestion or don’t learn to conduct a car safely under German-like weather conditions—you’ll find yourself back in driving school.
“We have to make sure the holder of a foreign driver’s license is capable of steering a vehicle under German traffic conditions,” Germany’s transport ministry says. “Besides, German owners of a driver’s license must get granted the same treatment abroad.”
Those with licenses from the remaining states—among them New York—will be headed to driving school, where they must pass a theory and a practical test.
The theory test can be done in English. But that’s where the good news stops. Schools advise booking at least four practical lessons before taking the driving test. And with costs for both tests together totaling about €500 (about $640), not to mention other requirements such as providing an eyesight certificate and taking a first-aid course, earning a pass to the autobahn isn’t cheap, fast or easy.
The Fahrschule Berlin Prenzlauer Berg, a driving school specializing in preparing English-speakers for the German test, has about 100 pupils a year who take the theory or driving lessons, and about 30% of them come from the U.S.
“They find it a bit humiliating to have to go back to school after driving a car for 15 years or so,” said Andreas Winter, an administrator at the school. “But we don’t make the rules.”
Dmitri Katz got his driver’s license in California in 1989 and moved to Germany in 2002. He says that although cars in both countries drive on the right, driving in Germany is very different from what he was used to.
“In California, you talk defensive driving. You always assume that the other person will not follow the rules and you drive to be safe,” said Mr. Katz. “In Germany, you drive according to who has right of way and if you hesitate, you cause accidents. It was a very hard thing for me to take the right of way without being sure that the other person was slowing down.”
Another surprise awaits you on the road: Cars are sacrosanct in Germany. “Germans are very sensitive to any damage to their cars, so be sure to avoid bumping them,” the U.S. consulate in Germany warns on its website. Parking in a tight spot is no excuse for touching the next car’s bumper.
Once you have the license to hit the highway, brace yourself for speed. Americans are used to a limit of around 70 to 75 miles an hour (112 to 120 kilometers an hour). Big stretches of German highways, by contrast, have no speed limit. It isn’t unusual for Germans in supercharged Porsches, BMWs or Audis, to drive at 100 miles or more and switch lanes fast. Laggards languishing in the left lane can expect some rude honking from more hurried drivers.
A total of 28 U.S. states get the thumbs-up in Germany when it comes to obtaining a German license. All of them—including Texas and Illinois—have reciprocal agreements with Germany’s transport ministry and the country’s 16 state governments.
But for those states that don’t, German authorities make what can appear as somewhat arbitrary judgments on drivers’ skills. If you come from a state where, in the view of German authorities, Americans aren’t used to daily congestion or don’t learn to conduct a car safely under German-like weather conditions—you’ll find yourself back in driving school.
“We have to make sure the holder of a foreign driver’s license is capable of steering a vehicle under German traffic conditions,” Germany’s transport ministry says. “Besides, German owners of a driver’s license must get granted the same treatment abroad.”
READ MORE: Which Countries Give the Toughest Feedback
Those from 11 U.S. states, including Florida or Connecticut, are
exempted from the road test but must sit a theory test to get a German
license.Those with licenses from the remaining states—among them New York—will be headed to driving school, where they must pass a theory and a practical test.
The theory test can be done in English. But that’s where the good news stops. Schools advise booking at least four practical lessons before taking the driving test. And with costs for both tests together totaling about €500 (about $640), not to mention other requirements such as providing an eyesight certificate and taking a first-aid course, earning a pass to the autobahn isn’t cheap, fast or easy.
They find it a bit humiliating to have to go back to school after driving a car for 15 years or so. —Andreas Winter, driving-school administratorAbout 29% of all applicants, including German residents, failed the theory exam in 2013 and 26% didn’t pass the practical exam, according to government figures.
The Fahrschule Berlin Prenzlauer Berg, a driving school specializing in preparing English-speakers for the German test, has about 100 pupils a year who take the theory or driving lessons, and about 30% of them come from the U.S.
“They find it a bit humiliating to have to go back to school after driving a car for 15 years or so,” said Andreas Winter, an administrator at the school. “But we don’t make the rules.”
Dmitri Katz got his driver’s license in California in 1989 and moved to Germany in 2002. He says that although cars in both countries drive on the right, driving in Germany is very different from what he was used to.
“In California, you talk defensive driving. You always assume that the other person will not follow the rules and you drive to be safe,” said Mr. Katz. “In Germany, you drive according to who has right of way and if you hesitate, you cause accidents. It was a very hard thing for me to take the right of way without being sure that the other person was slowing down.”
Another surprise awaits you on the road: Cars are sacrosanct in Germany. “Germans are very sensitive to any damage to their cars, so be sure to avoid bumping them,” the U.S. consulate in Germany warns on its website. Parking in a tight spot is no excuse for touching the next car’s bumper.
Once you have the license to hit the highway, brace yourself for speed. Americans are used to a limit of around 70 to 75 miles an hour (112 to 120 kilometers an hour). Big stretches of German highways, by contrast, have no speed limit. It isn’t unusual for Germans in supercharged Porsches, BMWs or Audis, to drive at 100 miles or more and switch lanes fast. Laggards languishing in the left lane can expect some rude honking from more hurried drivers.
No comments:
Post a Comment