Since we arrived in Germany (5 months ago for me and 8 months for Greg), Greg and I have both been flashed several times. No, it's not what you're thinking. Over here, the Germans have both permanent and mobile camouflaged speeding cameras that are intended to drive the Americans crazy! No one is better at hiding speeding cameras than the Germans! And when you speed past one of these cameras, they "flash" and when you see the flash, it's too late. You can expect a speeding ticket in the mail in a month or two. This is known over here by the Americans as getting "flashed" and the Germans call it getting "blitzed". In my lifetime of driving, I have received two speeding tickets. Both were unjustified (one of which being in the middle of Texas on my drive out to San Diego with nothing but me, tumbleweeds, and one police officer for hundreds of miles!), but I digress. In the months since I have been here, I have been flashed at least four times and Greg has been flashed at least twice (and he doesn't even have a car and rarely drives!). There is nothing like being late for an appointment only to be "flashed" as you are trying to get there, adding insult to injury! So far, we have each received one speeding ticket in the mail and are expecting several more to follow. This amazes me as the Germans are the fastest drivers that I know and I am the "old lady" driver on the roads over here. So why am I getting flashed all the time?? With all these hidden speeding cameras over here, you would think that the Germans would drive the speed limit. Nope. I asked Silke how many tickets she receives monthly (as this is how often I seem to get flashed) and she said that she has only received about 6 in her lifetime!!! What? How can this be?? The Germans must have an innate ability to scope out these cameras and I must quickly learn how to do this or else Greg is going to make me start riding my bike everywhere! Granted, the fines can be relatively small. My ticket was for 30 Euros ($43) and Greg's was for 10 Euros ($13) and these smaller fines do not go against points on your driver's license. Thank goodness!! Mostly, they are a huge inconvenience, but the fines can add up quickly! As if receiving the ticket isn't bad enough, you can't just write a check or pay on-line (Germans do not accept checks or credit cards the vast majority of the time). You have to go to your bank and set up a wire transfer. So, when I went to the bank on the base to set up my wire transfer, I asked the teller "do you see many of these?" and she replied "I see many EVERY DAY". I felt better, but it only lasted until the next time I was flashed!
I found these pictures of speeding cameras on-line. You can see how they are impossible to see until it's too late! I would love to know how much the German government makes on speeding tickets every year. I'm convinced that the country would go bankrupt if all the Americans left! My only wish is that they put these cameras on the autobahn, but I have a feeling that will never happen!
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| This is what a permanent speeding camera looks like. |
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| This is also a permanent camera. |
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| A mobile camera. Practically impossible to see before it's too late! |
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