Like most Americans I have been driving since I was a teenager - it is a rite of passage to get a license the minute you turn sixteen - and now that I am 40 (or so), I have had a lot of years behind the wheel. However, even with all that experience, I find driving in Germany a challenge.
The drivers here are excellent. There is not a scratch on any car that I have seen, unlike in Paris where it is part of the culture to nose into a parking space, literally pushing other cars out of the way to make space, not minding if a few fenders get bent in the process. Here in Germany on the other hand, if you so much as open your door onto another car, it is considered an accident and must be reported to the police. I have heard that if you do not report it and are caught, your license may be suspended!
This is not actually what makes me uncomfortable. There are three things that are very different here, besides the obvious road signs.
1. The streets are very narrow. Most of the streets in my little home of Davis are as wide as 2 lane highways here. So narrow in fact that when two cars meet it is not uncommon that one of them has to pull aside to let the other car pass. And busses, these behemoths require cars to back up around the corner if they have to turn.
I still have not quite figured out the etiquette on who should pull over, so I just make sure I am well out of anyone's way. I have figured out that if the other driver flashes her lights at you, you should go first.
2. Another challenge for me is the one way streets. Once I have figured out where I am going, I like to make it a straight shot. Streets at home are straight and have the same name until the street ends, unless of course it changes from East to West. Most American cities are also laid out in a grid, making it very easy to find one’s way around.
Here the streets can change from two-way traffic to one-way from one corner to the next, and the street names frequently change. Sometimes the name changes 4 or 5 times before I have arrived at my destination, even mid-block! To add to this there is nothing like a grid here, streets shoot off in all directions and seem to start or end at random.
This is not actually what makes me uncomfortable. There are three things that are very different here, besides the obvious road signs.
1. The streets are very narrow. Most of the streets in my little home of Davis are as wide as 2 lane highways here. So narrow in fact that when two cars meet it is not uncommon that one of them has to pull aside to let the other car pass. And busses, these behemoths require cars to back up around the corner if they have to turn.
I still have not quite figured out the etiquette on who should pull over, so I just make sure I am well out of anyone's way. I have figured out that if the other driver flashes her lights at you, you should go first.
2. Another challenge for me is the one way streets. Once I have figured out where I am going, I like to make it a straight shot. Streets at home are straight and have the same name until the street ends, unless of course it changes from East to West. Most American cities are also laid out in a grid, making it very easy to find one’s way around.
Here the streets can change from two-way traffic to one-way from one corner to the next, and the street names frequently change. Sometimes the name changes 4 or 5 times before I have arrived at my destination, even mid-block! To add to this there is nothing like a grid here, streets shoot off in all directions and seem to start or end at random.
3. Finally there is a right hand rule that rules the roads. All traffic heeds those coming from the right. There are very few stop signs around so this is vitally important. If a car is coming on your right, it has the right of way. There are very few exceptions to this, so we just slow down at every corner, look to our right and make sure it is clear - bikes and cars alike must observe this. This one is especially tricky for those of us who are directionally challenged and still cannot tell our right from left, but it is survival of the fittest and I shall prevail!
All this makes me eternally grateful that the car we bought happened to have a GPS built into it. It did take some time to figure out how to get it to speak to me in English, but now that she does (Frau Verkauft my kids call her), she is my friend. Except when she says, "Please make a U turn when possible." She says this so often that the kids love to mimic her British accent just to drive me crazy.
Though the roads are narrow and take some negotiation, I am learning my way around. I still prefer to bike when possible, the freedom of biking cannot be praised highly enough. However, there are times when I must get into the car and drive, so drive I do, even if it means making several U-turns before I actually get to my destination.
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