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During autumn, motorists must be extremely careful in traffic and watch out for hazards, such as fog, storms and deer passing, according to officials from ADAC, Germany’s largest automobile club.
Below are some recommendations, courtesy of ADAC officials, on how to get safely through this third season.
Whenever there is dense fog, a general rule is to slow down and drive even more carefully. Motorists should adjust their speed to range of sight. If visibility is only 50 meters ahead, don’t drive faster than 50 kilometers per hour. If it’s 100 meters, don’t drive faster than 80 kph, and if visibility is 150 meters, don’t drive faster than 100 kph.
Also, when driving, motorists should focus on the safety poles, not the center stripes. The poles on the right side always have rectangular reflectors, and those on the left have two round reflectors. The density of fog can be estimated by the distance of those safety poles. On regular roads, the distance between two poles is 25 meters and on the autobahn it’s 50 meters.
Reduced speed during bad visibility or while driving through forests is also needed for another reason: with less daylight, wild game gets active later in the morning and earlier at night. Each year, about 2,800 people get injured in accidents with game.
If game suddenly appears, motorists should brake immediately, turn down the lights and blow the horn. They should not swerve and lose control. On streets with deer crossing traffic signs, drivers should drive in a cautious and anticipating way.
If a collision with game happens, the warning lights have to be turned on and the vehicle has to be secured. Injured passengers have to be taken care of and the police has to be called. The animal should not get touched. Foxes can be infected with rabies and deer, apparently unconscious, can kick out. It’s considered poaching if somebody takes the deer and puts it in the trunk. This results in the confiscation of the vehicle and a fine. In bad cases, a prison sentence of up to five years is possible.
Car owners need a written confirmation by the police or the game lessee so the comprehensive insurance will pay for the damage. The game lessee is based on animal protection laws obliged to find an animal that got hit and hurt, and put it out of its misery.
Autumn also usually brings the first black ice, which calls for special attention. After the crop agricultural vehicles make the roads dirty with clay and clods of earth, it creates hazards that can be dangerous. Mud and clumps in combination with moistness can result in slippery street surfaces.
ADAC officials also recommend not parking under trees when it’s very windy or stormy. Branches might fall onto cars and damage them.
(Courtesy of German automobile club ADAC)
