A rant about rules of the road

Before you know it you'll be shouting at pedestrians to stop at red lights...take out legal protection insurance...have 1 1/3 children...and wear Birkenstocks! Muahahahahahahahahaaaaa...

what brand is it.. I looked at a cannondale when I last went to the US... it was on offer as well... was soooooo tempted

Cervelo R3... sorry I dont live in MUC anymore or I would flaunt it... Looked at Cannondale Super Six, but too expensive for what you get... but this is not anymore on the subject of my rant about rules of the road... now, where was I? Just kidding...

...will go put on my birkenstocks and but in line at the supermarket...

@ Moonboot - Whoever entered the street first has right of way. If there's a curve and you couldn't see the other coming before you entered the street whoever has the shorter distance to cover backs up until the other can pass. It's a politeness thing. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Kant's Categorical Imperative. Karma. Peace, man! Just chill and enjoy the colors.
*the Wießbier is finally working*

Penises also drive little cars too. Size doesn’t matter for shit drivers.

I don't think that this is just a rule for Germany, i would expect whoever had the cars parked on their side of the road to give way in the UK too.

well here is something i don't understand, so i'll seek clarification! i'm not the world's most confident driver, especially when driving on a different side, but anyway, i have been driving lately, and trying to learn the road rules. there is a road near where i live and my boyfriend warned me about driving too fast on this particular road, because even though it is straight, with side roads entering, he who is driving STRAIGHT has to give way to cars ENTERING on his right!! well fair enough, i know the rule 'give way to the right' but this just seems weird. so if there is no dip, no white lines and no signs on roads entering a straight, those entering (on the right) are free to go whenever!!!??? how so?

When there are no signs, it's indeed "give way to the right". Most likely the area you're talking about is a residential area (probably a "Zone 30"?) so the point would be to force drivers to keep their speed down.

Don't think. Just know if you are not on a priority road and there are no signs indicating yield or stop (for cars coming from you're right), then you must yield to cars from the right.

If there are no signs, then the rule is give way to the right.

The thing to look for is the yellow diamond like this:

If you have one of these facing you then you have the right of way, if there isn't one then you must give way to the right, I would also point out that this isn't just a rule in Germany, it is pretty much universal throughout Europe. It also applies to cyclists , in Germany at least, they have the right to pull out in front of you. Sensibly the Dutch, who are pretty fond of the bicycle, do it the other way round, bikes have to give way to cars unless there are signs saying otherwise.

On a slightly different rant. What the FUCK is the idea with having to park your car pointing in the same direction as the side of the road you're on? I get sick of having to stop on my bike for idiots in their massive SUV's doing 15 point turns to point their gas guzzlers in the direction they want to drive in. Grrrrrrrr

I agree with you, what difference does it make which way round it's pointing. The only reason I can think of is that cars have reflectors in their rear lights, so as you approach them they show up in your headlights, which may have been useful in the 1950's when a cars headlamps were about as good as two candles, but modern cars headlights are so good that it has become a redundant piece of legislation.

Not only the yellow diamond but also this sign shows you have priority. Yellow diamond says you are on a priority route and have priority until you see another sign changing that priority (like the same sign crossed through). This one tells you you have priority at the next junction (only).

Once again. Penis Drivers come in all sizes, including their cars. I've seen plenty of SMART cars whose drivers weren't so smart.

Another thing, why is that when there's a car coming towards you on a city street that's slightly narrower than usual, the average German driver slows down to a virtual standstill, even if they have 3 feet of space on either side to get past you? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

And, another thing. Why is it that Germans are so fastidious about allowing space when passing others on residential streets, but when it comes to driving on the Autobahn, they all sit 2 feet behind eachother, even if they're doing 180kmh! Last time I was on the Abahn, I started putting the hazards on whenever anyone got too close.

Because people are assholes (or idiots) who don't realize how dangerous tailgating is.

I found out all the german(well most german except my wife and in-law) they can't drive a car when the car is going under 50 kmh especially when driving in the city. They forgot all the thing they had learn.

As someone already pointed out, there are no reflectors on the front of the car, and more importantly, merging into traffic again is more dangerous and cumbersome if the car is pointing in the wrong direction. Basically you'd be seeing these SUV's holding you up twice as often (once to park, once to get back into 'their' lane), only they'd be facing the wrong way.

Only if they wanted to go in the opposite direction to the one they're facing, otherwise they would just pull out and drive over to the correct side of the road, not very hard to do really. It's a rule kept so that the parking police have something to write tickets for, it serves no other purpose.

Uhm, no. If you park pointing in the other direction and are trying to pull out, imagine where you are sitting and how well you'll be able to see the road if there are cars infront and behind of you. It's the same problem right hand drive cars have here.

It's a minor inconvenience, not a problem, you just have to be more careful. Of course some people are never careful!

It's actually a simple rule: By pulling into a parking spot to your left, you're violating the Rechtsfahrgebot, i.e. keeping as far to the right as possible for you. You are simply not allowed to block the opposite direction lane when pulling over to park.

Hence why it's allowed in one-way streets (no opposite direction) and in a verkehrsberuhigten Bereich (no lanes).

And again a rule that also applies in the UK:


Source: The Official Highway Code (online version)

I would advise some people to read it...

Think about it for a second. Getting into the parking spot you'd be holding up lane A while waiting for line B to clear, then you'd drive over and hold up lane B while trying to parallel park your BMW X5. Pulling out of the parking spot you'd hold up lane B again while you're maneuvering out of the parking spot and make people wait some more until lane A is clear. And if the guy you're holding up in lane B doesn't leave enough room for you to drive forwards (remember, your car is pointing in the wrong direction), one of you would even have to back up.

Now let's say he does leave enough room and you're waiting for lane A to clear so you can drive over. At the same time another car travelling in lane B arrives and sees that there's a car (the guy waiting for you) stopped for no apparent reason. Care to guess what's going to happen as soon as lane A is clear?

And now picture the same situation with 3 or more lanes.

It is because SUV drivers have money and are above the likes of you in the pecking order, simple really. I have 2 bicycles and drivers over here are a lot more considerate than they are in the UK.

SUV drivers do not make 15 point turns, they drive over the pavement and u-turn.

This discussion needs pictures

I think this is what you meant.

No, I think he meant that SUV drivers are ignorant twats with tiny penises who have to drive big cars so people will think they're big and important, but in reality everybody sees through it. Passed a BMW X6 this morning, what the fuck is that about. Got to be one of the most pointless vehicles every built, other than purely as a status symbol

Germans have no idea how wide their car is, and believe that by slowing down it is somehow narrower than it is. For a nation that evidently finds cars so important it's amazing how bad they are at using them. The whole question of priority discussed in this thread, and who has the longer distance to a passing space or the shorter distance to reverse, falls apart when you consider that Germans can see no further than 30 feet in front of them when driving (evidence in the way they accelerate up to red lights) and cannot realise that a head to head blockage could be best cured by engaging reverse gear (just watch them).

You don't have to be on the A8 for long to see a game of 'testosterone tossers' where two idiots chase each other down the fast lane at 150+ with only a few feet between their cars. Tailgating, it seems, is a rite of passage for Germans - get your first leasing car and it's a license to drive like a prick. In the city Smart cars are, as others have pointed out, generally driven by people who aren't. Enough generalisations for now, we should all go out and sit in the sun...

Gotta say, that one thing that really pisses me off here (not just here, happens everwhere mind you) are people that creep forward for no good reason at traffic lights. They stop at the red light, creep forward 50cm, stop, creep forward another 50cm, stop, creep forward again, then when the lights finally turn green, they react really slow, and even my little car kicks their ass off the line. It's one thing to move forward to let a car turn right into a slip-lane, but when it's for no good reason...doesn't hurt anybody, I know, I just find it really irritating.

Sort of like Japanese and cameras...

that thing at the red lights really bugs me, too... I hope I dont do that without realizing it...