dpa New legal regulations 2010
01/14/2010
W As a driver in 2010, we have for They are again summarized in key words.
Environmental zones
To reduce harmful car exhaust fumes, six more cities have opened for the new year Umweltzonen introduced. Berlin and Hanover, which a year ago were the first to set up such taboo zones for “stinkers”, tightened their regulations again on January 1st. Older vehicles with emission standards Euro 2 and Euro 3 or red and yellow fine dust stickers are being banned from the city. This means that 40 municipalities across Germany have banned old cars with high emissions from their inner cities. Bonn, Münster, Osnabrück, Heidelberg, Freiburg and Pfinztal near Karlsruhe are new additions.
Higher fines
Starting in 2010, higher fines will apply for driving without an operating permit. Anyone caught with a car despite an expired operating license will in future be asked to pay 90 euros (previously up to 50 euros). An unauthorized trip in a truck or bus costs 180 or 270 euros.
AU badge
From January 1, 2010, AU badges will no longer be affixed to the front vehicle license plates in Germany. Reason: The emissions test then becomes an integral part of the general inspection. After passing the main vehicle inspection, the HU sticker on the rear license plate certifies both the main inspection and the successful emissions test. Expired and thus superfluous AU badges are removed at the general inspection. In connection with the elimination of the AU sticker, however, nothing changes in the test procedure for the emissions test.
Foreign traffic ticket
In future, traffic offenders in Italy face higher fines than at night during the day. According to the ADAC in Munich, fines that are up to a third higher are due for certain offenses between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.
France relies on electronic tickets: from this year onwards nationwide electronic speeding tickets will be introduced. In this way, police officers could take action against parking offenders more efficiently. The driver continues to get a slip of paper stuck under the windshield wiper, but the actual parking ticket doesn't come along until laterthe post into the house.
In addition, vacationers who bring a ticket from abroad are increasingly bothered by the collar: fines of over 70 euros from abroad are expected to be enforced in Germany from October 1, 2010.
Vignettes
The car toll vignettes for Austria, the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic are becoming more expensive. Vehicles over 3.5 tons will in future pay a distance-dependent toll, which is calculated with the help of a special collection device in the vehicle. So from 2010 you no longer need a vignette. In Austria, the toll for these vehicles is also graded according to their pollutant emissions.
Winter tires in Austria
In addition, winter tires have recently become a legal requirement in Austria. Anyone who drives with summer tires in the neighboring country between November 1st and April 15th risks a high fine. The authorities may also withdraw the car completely. In Germany, however, there is still no legal requirement for winter tires.
Points system, vehicle registration
A reform of the points system is planned for the end of 2010. In addition, online vehicle registration is already being tested in individual federal states, including Bavaria, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. Up until now, you had to appear in person at the vehicle registration office in order to get a permit for a vehicle. That could soon be a thing of the past. If the test phase is successful, online approval could soon be introduced throughout Germany.
Financing purchase
From June 2010 consumers should be faced with supposedly cheap financing offers when buying a car be better protected. There will soon be a new guideline on this. Consumer advocates complained that too often there were hidden costs after the car was bought. In particular, car sellers will have to make the information on interest rates even more clearly visible in their advertising from the second half of the year.
