Road rage, insults, rude gestures can lead to fines, prison in Germany

#2009-11-24-1 Nov. 24, 2009

By Robert Szostek

U.S. Army Europe Office of the Provost Marshal Public Affairs Office

MANNHEIM, Germany -- Inconsiderate or even dangerous moves made by other drivers really

gets on your nerves. But on the road in Germany it’s best to keep your cool, as the German legal

system frowns on road rage, insults and rude gestures in traffic.

German courts can issue fines and even

prison sentences of up to one year to drivers

who shout insults or make offensive

gestures while driving, the German

automobile association ADAC reported in

its latest magazine.

The maximum prison term goes up to two

years if the dispute gets physical, the

ADAC article said.

“German authorities take a particularly hard

line on motorists who insult police officers

or traffic wardens,” said Lt. Col. Shawn J.

Kelley, chief of law enforcement at the U.S.

Army Europe Office of the Provost Marshal. This is because the motorist is not only insulting

the person as such; he is also offending a representative of the state.

ADAC printed a list of fines issued for various insults directed at German traffic cops. The fines

ranged from €250 to €2,500.

Rude gestures towards a police officer are also a bad idea. ADAC reported that sticking your

tongue out at a German police officer has resulted in fines between €150 and €300. More

obscene gestures were punished with fines ranging from €600 to €4,000.

ADAC reported that one driver made a rude hand gesture to a video camera measuring the

distance between vehicles. A German court judged that he was showing disrespect to the officers

monitoring traffic -- even though they were not present -- and fined him €1,200.

The wide range of penalties reported is due to the German fine system, which takes into account

both the offender’s degree of guilt and income. ADAC reports a German court normally assesses

10 to 30 “daily units” for slander, depending on the circumstances. A daily unit is one 30th of

monthly salary after taxes.

More information on the German system of fines is located on page 32 of the German Federal

Ministry of Justice pamphlet, “Criminal Justice in Germany.” An English version of the

pamphlet is available online by clicking here.

2009: THE YEAR OF THE NCO

About us: The U.S. Army in Europe, with NATO and other coalition partners from throughout its 51-country area of

responsibility, trains for, conducts, and supports contingency operations. Headquartered in Heidelberg, Germany,

USAREUR has forces throughout Germany as well as in Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, and Romania,

and in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Visit the U.S. Army Europe home page at: www.hqusareur.army.mil

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