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German Drivers Told to Mind Their Manners on the Road »
Posted by: david_nwpa 2 years, 6 months agoAccording to a survey conducted for the German Transport Ministry, over 80 percent of drivers on German roads say other drivers have become increasingly rude, and the government has decided to take action.
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david_nwpa
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Comments: 30
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david_nwpa
April 24, 2007, 10:54 p.m.Some of the proposed changes for young German drivers make a lot of sense. Since Germany's drinking age is so low, it is sensible that their blood alcohol levels should be lower when they drive.
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mcgrievysr
April 24, 2007, 11:15 p.m.Maybe longer and better training should be required for younger drivers in all countries. Germany will make it tougher for younger drivers to drink and drive and will severely penalize those who do.
I read an article not too long ago called, "The Art of Moving Over". It seems that even though our interstates post signs that say to keep right except to pass, and slower drivers are to keep right, we get oblivious people who hang out in the left lane(s) going the same speed or slower than those in the right lane(s). The article talks about the common courtesy that should dictate that these drivers get out of the way. That's my pet peeve. There is no reason that interstates, some of which have several lanes, should be jammed when there is not much congestion.
Cell phones? Not a problem if the drivers stay right and alert. All countries need to penalize drivers that are not alert and cause others to become upset at their lack of courtesy.
Thanks, David. I got to vent.
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ETproductions
April 25, 2007, 12:03 a.m.I hole that American lawmakers watch this move and track its results. If it works to reduce traffic accidents and fatalities, it might be worth adopting in the USA.
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rickcb
April 25, 2007, 12:54 a.m.I spent 2 1/2 years in Germany (U.S. Army) back in the early 80's. You really had to know what the heck you were doing when you drove the autobahn, and to navigate through the cities. It seemed that German drivers were all business, but I never really found them to be rude. Of course that was 20 plus years ago.
Drunk driving laws in Germany have always been tougher than here, and I'm glad to see them even tougher. For the most part I found the Germans to be a bit more level headed about drinking and driving than Americans.
Public transportation in Germany was great though; you could always depend on the trains and busses if you wanted to party.
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BronxBomber
April 25, 2007, 1:16 a.m.Hah! They could sure use some of those harsh penaltiues in my neck of the woods right here. So many rude drivers on the road!
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Russencrantz
April 25, 2007, 1:45 a.m.Here in California it's becoming increasingly difficult for young drivers to get a license. The methods they've chosen may keep young drivers off the road, but unfortunately they aren't helping to improve anyone's driving.
It's now more expensive than it's ever been, the age of eligibility has increased, and minors can't drive other minors around. The latter really gets me, because a huge incentive for parents to help their kids get a license is so they can drive their younger siblings to school or other errands. With this incentive gone, and increasing insurance and gas prices, many kids are stuck without a license until they are 18 or even older.
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Russencrantz
April 25, 2007, 1:45 a.m.Meanwhile I'm stuck with a pizza deliver "boy" in his mid 30's, who's half an hour late, and acts like he only has the job so he can afford to pay his mom rent.
I don't think stricter regulations are the answer, but I do think more focus and money should be placed on driver training, both in the classroom and behind the wheel.
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mssofie
April 25, 2007, 9:36 a.m.Everybody in my neighborhood is rude (movin' out soon!). Especially at STOP signs. They should change it to JUST ROLL THROUGH WITHOUT LOOKING!!
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evelyna
April 25, 2007, 9:42 a.m.Driver's training does not have anything to do with how rude people are on the road.
A lot of us may just be in a hurry while someone collecting a check decides they want to drive 15 mph in the left lane. I know people to lazy to look when moving into another lane-they will just try and let the other driver honk, people are too lazy to turn their head when pulling out of a park space, etc.
Law inforcement is only concerned with racking up duis. They could care less about the small offenders. Some may even welcome road rage as an excuse to have a less than boring day on the force.
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palamaComment has been removed: User banned.
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lvrofwolves
April 25, 2007, 11:05 a.m.It costs ALOT of $ and time to get a license in Germany. maybe if there is an increase in rudeness there, it might be because of other people coming from other countries so they can experiance some of the highways where there are no speed limits. Might not be the Germans, but the visitors/tourists, and after all someone visiting probably doesn't know all the rules, signs and what not of the roads,so maybe they just appear rude. I know I found myself saying 'sorry' a few times, and oops!
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lvrofwolves
April 25, 2007, 11:07 a.m.I was a bit shocked to hear the drinking age in Germany! david I agree it makes more then sense.
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Truzseeker
April 25, 2007, 11:23 a.m.This is badly needed in Los Angeles. I have been to many places, but Los Angeles is by far the worst for rude drivers, especially tailgaters, especially tailgaters that don't seem to mind playing bumper car on the freeway.
Also the numbskulls that think they can beat the mountain along Angeles Crest highway, I have seen plenty of them take the Darwin award for self selection/plain stupidity.
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Ecotec
April 25, 2007, 11:35 a.m.I don't know what type of system Germany uses for licencing so they may already use a system similar to Canada's 3 tier licensing system. In Canada there are 3 licence levels, G1 can only drive with some who has had a G class for 5 years. G2 allows driving alone between dawn and dusk and the full G allows you to drive on 400 Series highways with 100km/h limit and U.S interstates. This allows new drivers to get experience before they tackle the faster more dangerous highways. Perhaps new drivers should not be allowed on the autobahn for the first year or so since lack of experience and speed is usually a deadly combination. Perhaps this is already the case but i'm not sure. As for the rudeness that would have to be dealt with differently.
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schillinfl1
April 25, 2007, 12:55 p.m.Want to see rude drivers? Come to South Florida, home of the world's worse, rudest drivers.
Ok Venting time....get off you cell phones and pay attention to the roads! If you want to go slow, be my guest, just MOVE OVER to the right lanes!
AAAAAAAAAA...
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Gungnir
April 25, 2007, 1:33 p.m.There are a lot more drivers on the roads today, meaning more congestion and slower speeds. When there are more drivers on the road, you're likely to see more idiots on the road because of the sheer volume of traffic you drive through each day. Add to that the fact that the average American spends more time in his car than ever before commuting and you're bound to see more bad drivers.
People should mind their manners on the road and keep perspective of everyone's situation, realize they're trying to get home too and be courteous.
Hopefully soon all cars will be driven by robots. =)
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peaquod
April 25, 2007, 3:04 p.m.Actually, I think that ALL drivers should be held to a more stringent alcohol levels....
Does that make me an old fart? If so, I really don't care...I had more than my own share of 'close-calls' when I was younger and know of several friends who died in alcohol related accidents...
Driving can be dangerous enough without adding booze into the mix.
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BoxMonkey
April 25, 2007, 5:24 p.m.Lower the drinking age ? What are they thinkin', Thats a right of passage in Germany . As for the Autoban , there should be more roads like them . There are strick rules for the Autoban and it is a policed road . Drive slow , move to the right .Notice they didn't say young white males in the article , just that the Elderly and Females were offended . HA! Subbliminal message , yes ?
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david_nwpa
April 25, 2007, 5:30 p.m.One point the article does not make is that children under the age of 18 are not legally allowed to work. There are no waivers on that. One may volunteer for a public works project, and students attend apprenticeships during their 9th grade year. Then again, college tuition is minimal to non-existent in Germany. Here in the US, many students save money from jobs to afford vehicles to have them ready for college.
If the US were to experiment with similar laws, McDonald's and other fast food restaurants would suddenly find much of their work force to be gone. Without the need to go to a job, children between the ages of 16 and 18 would have little need to be on the road.
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lvrofwolves
April 25, 2007, 6:13 p.m.funny you can't work till your 18, but can drink at 16!
I don't think our public transportation (for the most part) is as good as Europes is.
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