Germany Guide
Getting around
By car
Holders of any home national – or international driving licence – are permitted to drive in Germany and are required to have their full driving licence to hand. If driving your own car you will also require vehicle registration documents and a valid certificate of third-party insurance; note that in 2007 many UK insurers downgraded cover, so that UK comprehensive becomes continental third-party. If bringing your own car, be aware, too, that a growing number of cities – 32 as of 2010 – have implemented Low Emission Zones to reduce exhaust fumes. Vehicles in a central "Green Zone" must display an "Emission Badge" (Umwelt Plakette), which is bought for €5–10 from repair centres, dealers and MOT (Tüv) stations after assessment of the vehicle by a mechanic, or via the websites 
www.tuev-nord.de and www.tuev-sued.de . In practice this means pre-'93 petrol models and pre-'97 diesels will not pass unless retro-fitted with a catalytic converter. In theory, vehicles entering a Green Zone without a badge will be fined €40, though the rule is not widely enforced – yet.
The most celebrated of the two principal categories of road are the three- or four-lane Autobahnen (motorways), indicated with blue signs and an A rating. Famously, there are no speed limits. Forget the fantasies of bowling along at 200km/hr in your BMW, however. When futurist German synth-band Kraftwerk released their homage Autobahn in 1974, Germany had the most efficient and extensive road network in Europe. Now it is rather inadequate for a nation at the crossroads of European road transport. On pan-European routes like the east– west A8 it can seem a glorified lorry park for East European truckers. It can also seem as if a quarter of the network is subject to roadworks. Lorries are banned from driving on Autobahnen on Sunday and on Saturday during the summer holidays, making both good days to cover distance. Secondary B routes (Bundesstrassen) are usually dual carriageway, with three lanes on heavy sections, and have a speed limit of 100km/hr. Speed limits in urban areas are 50km/hr. All routes are toll free.
On-the-spot speeding fines are issued on a sliding scale: in excess of 10km per hour is €15, over 30km per hour is €60, etc up to a maximum of €425 for travelling in excess of 70km per hour over the limit. For serious offences, the police can confiscate vehicles. Traffic police are fair but determined – don't expect to weasel out of a fine with pleas of innocence. The maximum blood alcohol limit is 0.5mg/l. Penalties for those over the limit are severe – fines are steep, licences can be revoked – and even those involved in an accident but under the limit can have licences confiscated temporarily. The use of mobile phones while driving is forbidden except with a hands-free set.
On Autobahnen, emergency telephones are located every 1.5km for breakdown services; ask for Strassenwachthilfe. Phones connect to Germany's principal automobile organization Allegmeiner Deutscher Automobil Club (ADAC; www.adac.de ), affiliated to the British AA and Canadian and American AAA, though check the extent of cover with your own breakdown service. Off the Autobahnen call 
01802/22 22 22 for assistance.
Driving is on the right, overtaking on the left, and seatbelts are compulsory for drivers and passengers, including those in the back seats.