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If the same urgency that sets you speeding down the Autobahn for that key appointment gets you blitzed by a mobile speed camera the first thing to remember is: keep your cool!
The driver in question should certainly avoid engaging in a slanging match with the mobile speed camera crew. Afterall, it is hardly personal – the officers have merely been allocated a stretch of road to monitor. The regulations that govern the deployment of speed cameras by the German police are the “Richtlinien für die polizeiliche Verkehrsüberwachung”. In the event of uncertainty over the location of the alleged offence it is acceptable to clarify this in a businesslike and
courteous way (remember it is a serious offence to swear at a German police officer).
However any such conversation should include no admission of culpability on the part of the driver. Many drivers enquire at this point how fast they were driving which is inadvisable: posing the question in itself could be construed as an admission, particularly if the matter is taken vors Gericht (to court). The driver should also avoid offering up any excuses (i.e. I was in a hurry). Again, the police are unlikely to be sympathetic and the statement is not only an admission of guilt but also, more seriously, it is an admission of intent.
The German police are apt to try and tease out such statements with questions such as, “Did you know that you’re only allowed to drive x km/h here?” A negative answer to this question is probably the safer option, provided the speed limit has not been exceeded by an inordinate amount , the guilty party is only likely to receive a compulsory order to attend a driving theory course.
In response to more severe traffic offences German police officers can deprive drivers of their licence on the spot. On such occasions the driver cannot drive home in his own vehicle but must arrange to have it towed. Again the fact that a driver has some pressing engagement will not cut any ice with the authorities. The best course of action here is to seek legal advice as quickly as possible in the event of a licence being unjustly confiscated so that it may be released again as soon as possible.
Written notification of a speeding fine would normally arrive three to four weeks after the time of the alleged offence. If the offence was more serious it will probably take less time. The standard advice here is to not to do anything until this notification is received and simply pay the fine. The only exception to this would be an instance where the recorded speed is palpably false. Such false readings are seldom recorded these days though on account of the improved reliability of the equipment.
The whole question of speeding fines throws up the issue of legal cover. Provided the driver has a Rechtschutzversicherung (legal cover) policy that covers such fines in its Bedingungen (conditions). A good overview of providers and quotes is offered by an online Preisvergleich portal (price comparison).
By: Mark Lauterwein
Article Source: www.ArticlesBase.com
Mark Lauterwein is a UK based writer. He is currently writing articles on a variety of subjects.
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