Posted on 01/15/2015 5:18:44 AM PST by Timber Rattler
Some German police say they will not recognize military-issued driver’s licenses if the bearer doesn’t also possess a valid stateside license, a situation that raises concerns about whether many U.S. troops and civilians could face penalties for driving illegally.
U.S. Army Europe said Wednesday that the issue was “in dispute” and cautioned that there was misinformation circulating through the U.S. military community in Germany.
However, German police officials said that the regulations were clear, that anyone driving without a valid stateside license would be violating the law, and that the USAREUR license alone was not valid.
Across the U.S. military community in Germany, there was a sense of panic on social media forums about the apparent new German policy.
It could cause problems for many active duty and civilian personnel whose licenses have expired while they have been overseas. Historically, a military license has been considered sufficient to drive in Germany.
(Excerpt) Read more at stripes.com ...
I remember horror stories from the guys in Germany about the Polezei.
Back during the 1980’s they made it a bad thing to leave the kasern...
Do we let them drive over here with no license, I don’t think we do.
It’s their law and it’s not hard to get a license at all.
Germans take driving very serious! And you’re right. It is their country.
Apparently it is now. Things have changed there in recent years, and it's not like it was in the 1970s-1990s for US service people stationed there.
Why are there US military there? They should be on our border.
In Germany? It’s hard as blue blazes and very expensive to get a German driver’s license.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driving_licence_in_Germany#Obtaining_a_driver.27s_license
“The cost of obtaining a license for driving a car is on average 1400€ (US$1800 in September 2014)”.
I’ll add that this does not include the expensive German automobile insurance, very detailed mandatory annual vehicle inspections, and that it is strongly recommended that you know those German vehicle laws with enormous fines for violation. And really expensive gasoline (right now about $5.57/gal).
The bottom line is that Germany has very good public transportation, and they actively seek to dissuade people from driving.
The NATO Status of Forces agreement is always being challenged & renegotiated. Polizei harassment of American G.I.’s is an old tactic to this end.
As an aside, in 1982 they changed USAREUR license plates from green & black to white & black to make them `blend in’ with German tags & less recognizable to terrorists (right!).
Polizei are organized under the respective German states & are equivalent to our state highway patrols. Now, they are DEATH on DWI & a drunk driving Strafsbefel from the Polizei goes straight to one’s general officer HQ command, usually resulting in a field grade Article 15 which is a career killer.
A USAREUR driver’s license is issued after one presents a valid state driver’s license & passes a written test on German traffic law & signage. Therefore there should be no need for the Polizei to see a domestic U.S. driver’s license.
Again, this is petty harassment disguising a larger issue. The fine East German hand of Bundeskanzler Angela Merkel may be at work here.
I can and have rented cars and driven in Germany with nothing more than my U.S. drivers’ license.
What the Germans are doing is refusing to accept military licensing. It comes down to the reciprocity agreements that are in place. Interestingly enough, they are recognizing the authority of individual U.S. States to in the matter, which is our law too.
It is also possible to get a International Drivers Permit/License here in the states that Germany recognizes.
Agreed. I’ve never had a problem with the polizei. The worst problem were bored general officers and community commanders with too much time on their hands. A friend of mine e was spotted driving without a seatbelt by a general in 1990. The turd tracked my friend by plate number and made his life HELL for the next six months. Then my friend had a stroke and had to be medically discharged.
Very odd. Something is going on. Has Obama so pissed off Merkel that the troops will have to suffer?
My Idaho license expired while I was overseas, it was no issue to get a document from the state extending the license until I was able to get home for a new mugshot picture. Of course, this was the late 1980s/early 1990s, and it was the State of Idaho, so they were really easy to deal with anyway.
I was stationed in Germany for 2.5 years and never had an issue. There was one guy who got drunk and rowdy in bar in downtown Heidelberg and got his arm broke though.
I would ask the question why are we in Germany at all at this point??
You are right, we should be in Poland, The Czech Republican and the Baltics.
Maybe as a faster place to deploy from to the Middle East? That’s about the only thing that makes sense to me.
It’s not like the Soviet Army is going to come busting through the Fulda Gap anymore.
I remember a few years ago the Czechs were wanting us to leave Germany and build bases in their country. They were willing to give us the land too.
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