What you need to know now: new rules for road traffic

In order to improve safety in road traffic - especially for bicycle and pedestrian traffic - changes to the fines and warning fines have been decided, which will come into force on November 9, 2021. In some areas, violations may result in significantly higher fines, but the originally adopted driving bans, which should apply from April 2020, will not come. SEAT gives an overview of the most important changes and introduces the new traffic signs.

Driving too fast becomes significantly more expensive

The renewed catalog of fines provides for harsher penalties for violating the rules in the area of ​​speeding. Exceeding the speed in urban areas by, for example, 16 to 20 km / h will cost 9 euros from 70 November instead of the previous 35 euros. Out of town, driving 16 to 20 km / h too fast costs 60 instead of 30 euros.

Anyone who drives 31–40 km / h too fast in urban areas still faces a one-month driving ban. However, the fine increases by 100 euros from 160 to 260 euros. The highest penalty threatens a speed limit in an urban area by more than 70 km / h. A three-month driving ban, two points in Flensburg and a fine of 800 euros instead of the previous 680 euros await traffic offenders. Out of town, this is now 600 euros instead of the previous 700 euros, and here too there are two points in Flensburg and a three-month driving ban.

Keep your eyes peeled when looking for a parking space: Parking the wrong way is expensive

The Federal Ministry of Transport wants to make road traffic more sustainable and safer and improve cooperation. Above all, this includes empowering weaker road users and enforcing higher penalties, including for parking offenses. In particular, unauthorized parking on sidewalks and cycle paths and stopping on protective lanes without permission, as well as parking and stopping in the second row, will be significantly more expensive in the future. Fines of up to 110 euros are due for this. Unauthorized parking in parking spaces for the disabled, for example, now costs 55 instead of the previous 35 euros, as does parking in blind spots - for example in sharp bends: This now costs 35 euros instead of the previous 15 euros.

Benefits for car sharing and e-mobility

Another new feature is a fine of 55 euros for unauthorized parking in a parking lot for electric and car sharing vehicles. Three new symbols, which can soon be found on signs, also help here. One of these enables municipalities and cities to give preference to car sharing vehicles when parking and to clearly and legally mark the corresponding parking spaces. Another symbol makes it easier to clearly mark parking spaces for electric vehicles, while the third shows three people in a vehicle from the front in a stylized way and means that a vehicle is occupied when a bus lane is tried to be opened for carpooling.

Please keep your distance: more protection for vulnerable road users

In order to better protect weaker road users, drivers will have to maintain a minimum distance of 1,5 meters in urban areas and two meters outside of urban areas when overtaking cyclists, pedestrians and e-scooters. So far, the law has only mentioned “sufficient distance”. The new distance rules also apply to overtaking cyclists who are on a cycle protection lane. A new traffic sign can also prohibit overtaking single-lane vehicles.

Vehicles with a gross vehicle weight of more than 3,5 tonnes may only turn right in urban areas at walking pace. This is to prevent accidents in the blind spot of the heavy vehicle, especially with cyclists and pedestrians. If you don't stick to it, you pay 70 euros and collect one point in Flensburg.

The rescue alley saves lives

Anyone who does not use the emergency lane in the event of a traffic jam or misuses it to move faster will in future pay a fine of 200 to 320 euros, and will also be banned from driving for one month and two points in Flensburg.

Separate zones and signs: Strengthening cycling

In the future, it will be easier for municipalities and cities to set up so-called bicycle zones: The maximum speed here is 30 and cars are only allowed to drive if an additional sign allows this. The new zones are intended to increase the spread of bicycle traffic in suitable places and will be marked with a new traffic sign.

The increasingly popular cargo bikes, which are now used to transport goods in many inner cities, are given their own symbol for use on signs, in order to be able to assign separate parking zones to this vehicle class, for example.

The bicycle highway

Another new traffic sign is grass green, resembles the motorway sign and shows so-called Radschnellwege (RS). The federal government has budgeted 50 million euros in funding for the expansion of such a network of roads. In North Rhine-Westphalia there are already the first kilometers of the RS1, which will one day seamlessly connect Duisburg with Hamm over a total of 101 kilometers. A high-speed cycle network of around 300 kilometers is to be created in the Hamburg metropolitan region, aimed at around 500.000 commuters.

Handling against "Auto-Poser"

In the future, the police will also have the opportunity to take action against so-called auto-posing. Fines of up to 100 euros are provided for causing unnecessary noise and avoidable pollution as well as unnecessary driving back and forth.

The simplest rule still applies

In addition to all of the new features listed, one rule remains unchanged. It proves itself over and over again every day and should always be heeded by all people who take part in traffic: “Participation in road traffic requires constant caution and mutual consideration.” This is what Section 1 of the Road Traffic Regulations says. If everyone adheres to it, a lot has been done for safety and a spirit of partnership. SEAT wishes all road users a good and safe journey!

Of course, that wasn't the end of it.

tuningblog.eu has a lot of other articles on the subject of auto & tuning in stock. Do you want to see them all? Just click HERE and look around. But also planned changes in the law, violations in road traffic, current regulations in the field of STVO or on the subject inspection we would like to inform you regularly. Everything you can find in the category "Test sites, laws, offenses, information". Following an excerpt of the last information:

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