Führerschein

 One thing I definitely miss is the independence afforded by having your own car. I was very fortunate growing up and with the help of my parents (and a job scooping ice cream), I was able to buy my first car shortly after I turned 16. 

This car took me through the rest of high school and four years of college including countless trips back and forth from San Diego to Santa Barbara. In San Diego you need a car to do pretty much everything and most trips involve at least some time spent on a freeway. However, a European city like Aachen is laid out much differently than a major metropolitan city in southern California, which is to say it’s more pedestrian friendly. I can find a supermarket, a pharmacy and a bakery without walking more than five minutes from my front door. There is also the added benefit that all the places I work are within a five-minute walk to a train station or bus stop. But suppose I do some day want to start driving here, how would I make that happen?

Now in my mid-twenties, thinking back to when I got my driver’s license seems like a lifetime ago. It was just kind of a routine thing to do, wait until you're fifteen and a half to take a driver’s training course, which from what I recall entailed sitting in a room with other eager pre-motorists “reading” the California driver’s handbook for six weekends at which point you get the certificate of completion, then pass a 46 question test, and presto, you have a provisional permit to drive! After just six months with your permit and six hours of certified driver training (I can remember one of my driver training instructors had me take him to Carl’s Jr. so he could refill his soda. He had a cup from Burger King), you can take the road test at the department of motor vehicles, so long as a parent certifies you’ve had at least 50 hours of behind the wheel practice. That was it, just a little bit of legwork, mostly waiting, and in California a license is yours to be had. If you’re over 18 you don’t even have to take driver’s training, you can just go to the DMV, fill out a few forms, give a thumbprint, take an eye test and a traffic laws test and you are road legal.

In Germany, driving is a privilege. Obviously if you’re going to let people drive without speed limits on Autobahns, you want to make sure they know a thing or two before they’re out there. But like so many other aspects of German life, being a foreigner adds a little extra fun into the process. As it turns out, any tourist can legally drive in Germany so long as they are here less than six months. After six months you are required to have a German license if you want to drive. Are you European? No worries, your license is valid in Germany. Are you Canadian? Hey, you can drive here, too! Now some American states are fortunate enough that the German government may grant total exemption from the testing portion of the process. That means without taking a written theoretical exam or a practical road test, some American expats, 26 states in total, can get a German license with just a little paperwork (plus a vision test and first aid course, yes all German drivers are first aid certified!). Some states, 10 in total, are partially exempt from the process, where only a theoretical written exam is required.

After reliving what I went through to get a license, it’s no wonder that California is one of fourteen states that enjoys zero license reciprocity from the German government, which is to say, I have to start from scratch. I have to pass both the theoretical and road test, plus complete a first aid course, as well as complete (I think) at least 25 hours of certified (and we're talking German certified here, they mean business!) behind the wheel practice. What is the theoretical road test exactly? Well, simply put it’s a set of 30 questions, varying in point value from two to five points per question. Some questions are multiple choice, some you have to complete with a specific number, for example: a distance in meters, a speed in kilometers per hour, a weight in kilograms, lots of fun facts to be memorized. In order to pass you cannot have more than minus ten points from the total score. Did I mention that each question has two or three answer choices and also can have more than one correct answer? Just to make it extra bitter, if on a question with two correct answers you only get one, you don’t get partial points, you just get minus the number of points that question is worth. So when you do a quick and dirty calculation, you come to the conclusion that you probably shouldn’t miss more than two questions if you want to be within a shot of the passing score.

Now with respect to the content of the test, as a California driver I am extremely daunted. In California, you're tested on general road safety and conduct, and traffic laws. Here you are expected to anticipate the movements of pedestrians, particularly children, the elderly, and those who are physically impaired. You also have to consider any number of hypothetical situations involving other users of public roads, which includes other motorists, cyclists, horseback riders, drivers of animal carts, farm vehicles, buses and trams, large trucks and sometimes deer. These hypothetical situations may also involve any number of variable factors such as extreme weather conditions (wind, rain, snow, ice, fog), reduced visibility, towing a trailer, driving within or outside a built-up area or even the time of day. In addition to being able to anticipate the correct road conduct for unbelievably specific road scenarios, a person who wants to drive in Germany must also know a thing or two about their car. What does a catalytic converter do? What is the minimum profile (in millimeters) your tires must have? What can cause a car to pull to the right? How does tire pressure affect handling (on ice?)? What can cause a diesel engine to emit smoke? How do you reduce fuel consumption and pollutant emissions? Also there are the road signs to get used to, completely different than road signs in the states. There are even formulas to memorize to calculate braking distance in meters from speed in kilometers per hour, or how far you travel per second in meters based on speed in kilometers per hour. It really is a lot to take in.

Just to give you an idea of where I’m coming from I’d like to compare some questions from a California license exam and a German theoretical exam (X indicates a correct answer):

California

You are approaching a railroad crossing with no warning devices and are unable to see 400 feet down the tracks in one direction. The speed limit is:

X 15 mph

    20 mph

    25 mph

Germany

You are approaching a level crossing (railroad crossing) with half barriers and flashing lights. The red light is flashing but the barrier is still open. What do you do?:

    Proceed as long as the half barrier is still open

X Wait in front of St. Andrew’s Cross (the road sign that indicates a level crossing)

    If no rail vehicle is in sight, cross the level crossing

California

When parking your vehicle parallel to the curb on a level street.

    Your front wheels must be turned toward the street.

X Your wheels must be within 18 inches of the curb.

    One of your rear wheels must touch the curb.

Germany

Where are you allowed to park a trailer with a permissible total mass exceeding 2 tons in built-up areas regularly on Sundays and public holidays between 10p and 6a?

X In industrial areas

X In wholly residential areas, on specially designated parking spaces

    In special areas reserved for recreation purposes, on sufficiently wide roads

California

You are about to make a left turn. You must signal continuously during the last ____ feet before the turn. 

     50

    75 

X 100

Germany

What must you be prepared for when a truck in front of you wishes to turn right into a narrow street? The truck will:

X  Swing out to the left before turning

X  Reduce speed drastically

     Move well over to the right

California

When driving in fog, you should use your:

    Fog lights only.

    High beams.

X Low beams.

Germany

When are you allowed to use fog headlamps during the day? When the visibility is reduced:

 X By fog or falling snow

     By ice on the windscreen

 X By rain

California

If you plan to pass another vehicle, you should:

X  Not assume the other driver will make space for you to return to your lane.

     Assume the other driver will let you pass if you use your turn signal. 

     Assume the other driver will maintain a constant speed.

Germany

What must you remember about distance when overtaking?

     To maintain a greater lateral distance from multiple-track vehicles than from single-track vehicles

 X To maintain an adequate lateral distance primarily from pedestrians and cyclists

 X Not to inconvenience the vehicle you have overtaken when you pull into the right again

I guess it will still be a while before you see me cruising on the Autobahn. Until then, I’ll just take the bus.