A German Driver’s License Saga…

EPISODE 2b

by Curt McCorkle

It is a sad, sad day today (Oct. 11). I came, I tested, I failed!!!!

I got a ride to the testing center. I took the test. I was surprised to find rather few of the "big" questions on the test, and lots of the "little" questions from the back sections of the book. There were, to be sure, a few of the big questions. For example, there were 3 questions on right-of-way -- which I got correct, despite their tricky behavior of giving me 2 scenarios where the correct answer was "I get to go first". But there was only one question about "what does this sign mean". And no questions at all about the autobahn. And no questions at all about speed limits. Instead, there were a veritable plethora of questions from the back of the book, which alas I had not focused on very thoroughly. For your fun and amusement (and perhaps as therapy for me!), here are the questions that I got wrong [well.... ok, these aren't the exact questions; but words to these effects...] :

• A. What does a red-and-white license plate mean? [3 points]
  1. an excessively wide vehicle.
  2. a truck trailer parked outside of a built-up area [i.e., a city or town].
  3. a vehicle carrying hazardous products.

• B. When are you not allowed to use a motor vehicle on public roads? [3 points]
  1. When it is not roadworthy.
  2. When there is no motor liability insurance.
  3. When you are not in possession of the vehicle registration book (Fahrzeugbrief).

• C. When driving a vehicle with automatic transmission in a built-up area in heavy traffic, how can you save gas and protect the environment? [3 points]
  1. Drive in the gear 'P', when possible.
  2. Disable the "kick down" mechanism, if possible.
  3. Drive in the lowest gear as much as possible.

• D. You have a car and are loading things on top of it. The load extends more than 2.5 m high. Is it legal for the load to extend 50 cm in front of the vehicle? [3 points]
  1. Yes.
  2. No.

For question A, I marked only #1. But the correct answer is both #1 and #2.

For question B, I marked all three. I did this because (a) I didn't read that question near the back of the test prep book and (b) the school powers-that-be have emphasized with great vociferousness that Thou Shalt Carry Such-and-Such Documents in the car. So I figured, hey, it must be. But no... the correct answer is only #1 and #2.

For question C, I says to myself, "Obviously it ain't #1. I've never heard of a 'kick down' thingy, so that must be a trick answer [and it is exactly the kind of trick answer that they are wont to provide]. And #3... well... maybe it could save by not shifting up & down all the time... and there has to be at least 1 correct answer... ok, #3." But no... it is the mysterious "kick down" thingymowhopper.

For question D, I'm extra especially really super-duper sad. Why? Because the study books that the school has are from 1999. In 1999, the law was "No." But in 2004, the law is "Yes" (up to the 50cm limit). So, my study book explicitly says Thou Shalt Never Have Any Load Extending Beyond the Front of the Vehicle. But that is no longer always true.

It's too bad you can't get partial credit on this exam! But, as you can see, the points I missed add up to 12. The maximum allowed is 10. So I lose.

Instead of happily driving today, I now get to just walk for another 2 weeks. (Recall that the exam is only administered every other Monday!)

But I'm not bitter.

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On a completely different note... here are my favorite test questions (from the test prep booklet).