Rob wrote:
> Our interstates should be like this. According to everything I have
> read, their accident rates are no higher than ours. They may even be
> lower.
> .
> http://gettingaroundgermany.home.att...tm#speedlimits

Ah, yes, the nirvana of the motorist, the Autobahn...

"The police are allowed to collect fines (Verwarnungsgeld) for most
traffic offenses on the spot. If you don't have enough cash on hand,
your vehicle may be impounded (at additional cost to you, of course.)
You need not fear when paying spot fines-- the German police are very
professional and corruption is very rare, and you will be given a
receipt for the payment.

"Beware of enforcement cameras. Germany probably uses such cameras
more than anyone else (except possibly Britain). Automatic cameras are
stationed to catch speeders, red-light violators, and tailgaters.
Sometimes an obscure sign will warn you of the existence of such a
camera, but it's usually too late by then. You'll sometimes spot
temporary cameras setup along the The tickets are mailed to the
registered owner of the vehicle within a few weeks." (sic)

"If you're driving a rental car, the ticket will go to the rental
agency. They, in turn, will report you to the police as the driver of
the vehicle and the ticket will be forwarded to you, although they
frequently drop cases against non-EU residents-- it's too much of a
hassle since the odds of collecting are pretty slim."

"An interesting footnote: the police stopped sending a copy of the
photo a few years ago when several spouses discovered cases of
infidelity when they opened the violation notice. Now, you have to go
to the police station yourself to see the photo and contest it if you
so desire. Such an effort is usually fruitless, though."

"Sometimes the police will travel along in unmarked cars or vans with
front and rear mounted cameras looking for speeders and tailgaters. If
you get busted, you'll likely be signaled to pull over by a "lollypop"
traffic paddle (a white disk with red bull's-eye on a short stick)
being held out of the window and perhaps a flashing sign on the back of
the vehicle reading "Polizei-- bitte folgen" ("police-- please
follow".)"
http://gettingaroundgermany.home.att.net/regeln.htm
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When you have a total of 143,812 miles of paved roads including a
measley 7475 miles of expressways, I think construction, maintenence
and management become a tad easier.
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- gpsman