Discovering Germany

Page 27

Discovering Germany

Automobile Clubs

Most German car holders are members of an automobile club. The clubs offer assistance

through motorized patrols (called

Straßendienst

Straßenwacht

) on the Autobahn and main

roads (available to non-members at a fee). The two best known have branch offices in many

provincial towns throughout the country and at the border crossings.

Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V. (ADAC)



ADAC Emergency Road Service Tel: 0180-22 22 22 2, 24-hour service, English-

spoken



ADAC Information Service – Tel: 01805-10 11 12

www.adac.de

Automobilclub von Deutschland (AvD)



AvD emergency number 0800-99 0 99 09 (free of charge)

www.avd.de

Child Safety Regulations

All vehicles in Germany are required to have functioning seat belts for all persons in the car,

including those in the back seat. And the law requires that they be used. There is an on-the-

spot fine for each person in a car not using a seat belt. An exception is made for back-seat

passengers in older-model cars that did not originally come equipped with rear seat belts.

Children under the age of 12, and who are smaller than 150 cm (59 in), are not allowed to

ride in the front seat of a car and must use car seats certified by the German government.

The children’s car seat must fulfil at least the ECE R 44/03 norm or even better the norm

ECE R 44/04. There is an on-the-spot fine if children are not secured in the car.

Expenses

Vehicle Tax

Upon registering, the car (new or used) becomes liable for vehicle tax (

Kfz, Kraftfahrzeug-

Steuer

) which is calculated according to cubic capacity, whether or not the car has a

catalytic converter (to use lead-free petrol) and the type of catalytic converter. This is

payable to the tax office (

Finanzamt

), which will automatically assess vehicle tax and contact

you once you have registered your car in Germany. The easiest method is payment by

standing

order (

Dauerauftrag

)

or by authorizing the tax office to deduct the amount due by

direct debit

(

Bankeinzugsverfahren

)

German safety and anti-pollution regulations are very strict and may entail expensive

modifications to an imported vehicle.