Its coming round to the holiday season and thousands will load their cars up and head for the sunny climes of Eurpoe oblivious to the rules and regulations that apply in different countries
(re this last weekends DT motoring section).
One or two points I would like to make is that of the use of rear fog lights,if you have only one and it is not in the middle and you are involved in a fog related accident you will have comitted a serious offence ,if the tyres on your vehicle are not to speed rating of that vehicle your car could be impounded,if you have not got a spare set of classes in your car you could be stopped from driving,if your car has been modified and you do not have the appropiate paper work ie tow bars, wide wheels, different exhaust, if you were to be involved in a caravan accident all these would be checked,There are many rules and regulations that differ from country to country.
People may laugh or not take these laws seriously,but the number of times I have been called upon to translate (not my fulltime job) for people you have come a cropper in my part of Germany seems to be increasing.
I do not claim to know or understand all the regs but I am sure alittle more research before people set of would ensure a far happier holiday for many.
Interesting point about spped camaras in Germany these tall camares are used for wagons speeding and to spot tailgaters as the they are installed on derestricted sections of the Autobahn.
The answer is do not speed and you will not get caught!!!
Regards Andy Bairsto
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All good points, Andrew, and thank-you. We would do well to bear them in mind. In my own case I'm about to take my car to France for a couple of weeks, and I have a 'kit' of things I need to make sure are in the car, just in case. Most of these, of course, the sensible motorist carries all the time anyway, such as spare bulbs and warning triangle. But the foglight point, for example, is a new one on me.
I would be grateful if, in your role as translator, Andrew, you could enlighten us about "spare classes"!
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On the subject of the positioning of items on cars, I seem to recall that under the UK construction and use regulations the rear number plate was supposed to be on the centre line or to the right i.e. offside and that the Renault 9 was tacitly accepted by the authorities although it was technically illegal due to the fuel filler being to the right of the number plate which pushed the number plate to the left of the centreline.
I notice that Land Rover and many similar vehicles now have the rear plate on the left, (making it difficult to read when passing it in heavy traffic, readability from that position being behind the original regulations). Is this siting still illegal or have the regs. been changed to accomodate?.
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That's a shame, my German tutor is going o holiday and I could do with some extra classes!
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stuart bruce wrote:
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> That's a shame, my German tutor is going o holiday and I
> could do with some extra classes!
"Going o holiday"? These would be classes in English, would they? -- or did you mislay your glasses?
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Spare glasses. Spectacles. Gig lamps. That's what Andrew means. As someone who constantly hits the wrogn key I can't blame him.
There's another rule in France. You are not allowed to drive weating tinted glasses at night. Not just sunglasses. Tinted glasses.
Of course, they've got to catch you first.
HJ
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It's too easy to make a spectacle of yourself ! !
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Ian wrote:
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> It's too easy to make a spectacle of yourself ! !
...and that's what *I* do all too often!
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Another continental anomaly for you all. One is not allowed to carry fuel in cans, of any sort, on ferries or in the Tunnel. But t is illegal to run out of fuel on a Germany autobahn. If someone does the police can flag down any other passing motorist (you on your holiday) and require you to give your spare fuel to the foolish one. You are then given a chit to fill your can at the next Rasplatz. I was in Germany for 6 years and I can vouch for the illegallity of running out of fuel. Maybe the handing yours over aspect is an anti-German horror story!
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Martyn
Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea.
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite,
Its rare lea ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no,
Its lets her perfect awl the weigh,
My chequer tolled me sew.
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