Class B (passenger car)
- Maximum authorized mass of 3,5 t
- Maximum 8 seats + a driver’s seat
- Allowed trailer mass of max. 750 kg
- Education and examination in theory and practice
- Includes the categories: AM (moped and motorcycles) and L (tractor and forklift)
Parking/Stopping
leave gap with cyclists: 1.5m (in build-up area) and 2m (outside build-up area)
leave 5m at intersection, 8m if cycle lane exists10m behind traffic signs
15m gap from bus-stops
3m gap from center line
50m at railroad crossing outside build-up areas and 5m inside build-up areas
stopping distance = reaction distance + braking distance
reaction distance = speed * 3 / 10
braking distance = ( speed * speed ) / ( 10 * 10 )
No stopping: two diagonal lines, more restrictive
No parking: one diagonal line, less restrictive, it's allowed to stop up to three minutes or let in/out passengers or load/unload vehicle
Load
load protrude from rear: 1.5m and 3m (if under 100km), beyond 1m needs clear marking (red light and red reflector)
load protrude from sides: white light at the front and red light at the rear
At a vehicle height under 2.5 m, the load may only protrude to the front by 0.5 m respectively.
maximum permissible total load
maximum permissible axle load
maximum permissible towed load
Vehicle Ownership
Vehicle Registration: Zulassungsbescheinigung Teil 1 (Fahrzeugschein), Stempelplakette (front and rear license plates), Umweltplakette
The registration certificate Part 1 is issued by the registration office in Germany. It contains technical information of the vehicle.
Part 2 of the registration certificate is issued by the dealer or previous owner when the vehicle is purchased. It contains: (1) The name of the owner and, if applicable, of the previous owner; (2) Information concerning the decommissioning and re-registration of the vehicle; (3) Entries concerning technical modifications to the vehicle.
Roadworthiness Test: Hauptuntersuchung; three years after first registration; afterwards every two years; TÜV Plakette (on the rear license plate)
Vehicle Tax
Vehicle Liability Insurance
License Plates (Autoschilder)
Traffic Rule Violation
A-violation (more serious) and B-violation (less serious)
extension of probation by two years
fines
license suspension (ban)
license withdrawal (permanent ban)
advanced seminar for novice drivers (ASF)
driving aptitude seminar (FES): pedagogical and psychological
Speed limit
50km/hr (within build-up area);
30 km/hr (Fahrradstraße),
7km/hr (traffic-calming zone),
100 km/hr (outside build-up area)
80 km/hr (for cars with trailer outside build-up area)
Miscellaneous
Reverse lock: mechanism to prevent accidentally selecting reverse gear
Recuperation: regenerative braking
Brake servo unit: power braking
Umwelt zone: emissions sticker (green, yellow, red)
Sunday (and holiday) driving ban: for trucks exceeding 7.5t and trucks with trailer; to ease traffic congestion; to protect environment
The vehicle and its load, taken together, must not be higher than 4m and not wider than 2.55m.
Leave extra gap between vehicle in front if car and trailer together is longer than 7m, to facilitate overtaking by another vehicle.
In Germany, honking and bell ringing is only allowed when it is necessary to warn other road users of a dangerous situation or to prevent a potential accident.
flashing blue light: closed convoy; vehicle is on duty and give way;
flashing amber light: dangers at roadworks or at accident site; exceptionally wide vehicle; large transport proceeding at low speed
orange warning plate: front and rear; to signal dangerous good
Fog lamp: should only be used when your car's main lights won't be enough to make you visible to other road users; front fog lights may be used during the day while visibility is reduced by fog or rain; rear fog lights may be used only if visibility is less than 50m due to fog.
Avoid tailgating: 2-second rule on the highway (i.e. about half the speed in kilometers); 1-second rule in build-up areas
Technicalities
engine stall: sudden stopping of the engine; the ways in which a car can stall are usually down to the driver
low gear (high engine speed; more power) vs. high gear (low engine revs or low engine speed; less power)single-track (electric scooter, bicycle, moped, motorcycle) vs. multi-track vehicle (quad, car, truck)
tyre: profile (high profile for higher shock absorption), pressure
dry steering: puts heavy strain on the steering system, and harms the tyre
engine states: on, off, idle, stall
Car Fluids
engine oil: wear and tear, cooling, clearing, low viscous is better due to lower friction
engine coolant
windscreen wiper fluid
brake fluid: hydraulics
Automatic car:
service brake (foot brake),
parking brake
P-R-N-D
engine can only switch off in P or N.
engine can only start in P or N
apply foot brake always when selecting gear
the selector level can be changed even when the engine is on/idle
Safety and added measures
Cruise Control: maintains set speed
Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC): independently accelerates to set speed and brakes if necessary
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System): ensure vehicle remains in control (prevent wheel from locking ) when brakes are applied
Anti-slip Regulation (ASR/Traction Control): ensure vehicle moves forward (prevent wheel from spinning) when accelerator is applied
Lane Keep Assist System
Automatic Emergency Braking
