After May adjustments to the point system and the number of fines, Germany is preparing another change in traffic regulations.
From July, drivers in Germany will have to carry reflective vests in cars, and they will be subject to a fine. At the same time, the environmental rules for entry into some German cities, which will no longer have cars with a red and yellow emission plaque, will be tightened.
Incorporating a reflective safety vest into mandatory car equipment should improve the safety of drivers who need to get out of the car in the event of an accident or disruption. As motorists in the surrounding vehicles will be better able to see. The new adjustment does not specify whether the reflective vest should be orange, yellow or green. Unlike Austria, German regulations do not require a vest for every car passenger, just one on the vehicle.
If a driver does not have a reflective vest which sewn-on reflective tapes in the car, a roadside penalty of 15 Euros (410 crowns) is threatened by a roadside inspection. The German ADAC club, however, points out that if the driver does not blink when leaving the vehicle, it is not an offense. In such a case, however, it is unlikely that he will be entitled to indemnity from the insurance company if the passing car is injured.
Since July, rules for entering some German cities have also been tightened. While cars with three types of emission plaques have still been in use, new vehicles will only be allowed to drive with a green plaque indicating the engine with the least environmental burden. The measure concerns 21 cities in the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For a long time, similar arrangements have been made in Berlin, for example.
The type of emission plaque is determined by the number of pollutants the vehicle emits during the operation in the air. The Green Plaque is entitled to a petrol-powered car launched in 1993, a diesel-powered passenger car launched in 2006, and trucks launched from October 2006. The green plate is also automatically acquired by all-electric cars.
In the Czech Republic, the plaque can be obtained at most technical inspection stations upon presentation of a large technical license. According to the Central Automat Club of the Czech Republic, the price of the plaque is about 300 crowns. Its validity is not limited in time.
If the driver enters the defined low emission zone without a plaque or worse than the city authorizes, he is liable to a fine of 80 Euros (2200 crowns).