just been stung by the Bullen (Polizei)

driving through downtown München in the van. upfront there is some cop up dealing with, then pulling away from just having ticketed someone. he’s now in front of me.

the lights go green and up pops “Polizei – Stop” on his LED display. the reason, i had my sides and foglights on. 40€. explain to him that in the UK side lights and are fine during the day and are called day time lights and due to the weather it was normal to drive with fogs on. he seemed half convinced so reduced it to 20€.
then his colleague pipes up asking if the blacked out windows are standard or not, because if they are foiled up then you need a “schein”, a(nother) piece of paper as it is seen as a modification. and this despite the fact the cab is untouched. i claim i don’t know having not owned it since new (i do know, it’s foil… a very good job but i know because i scratched it once). copper pokes his head in, has a look at the windows and has a good nose around and seeing if the sheets of multiplex were secured or not (it was, luckily… but ten minutes before it was not…. realised this after it went flying on a tight right). they decided between themselves that is was factory fitted that they let me get away with 20€.

i’m “glücklich”, but also a pissed that they would bother for something so trivial. loads of cars around town have fogs/spots and DRLs.

also a good suspision that they were just out to tick their boxes/fill their quotas. Munich is home to the Bayrisches Polizei Akademie and as such there are lots of “kids” from all over Bavaria doing their training, needing so many interactions with the public (dealing with and/or issueing tickets) before they can progress.

#victimised

So….you had your fogs in the daylight?

Fogs aren’t DRLs though. Even in the UK.
And side lights are only for parking, not driving with.

Edit : while we’re being car-thartic though, anyone know whether French speed cameras catch you with flash facing you or flash from the rear. Ahem.

I can confirm, both :-/

I wish the UK police were that happy to ticket people for driving around with their fogs on in conditions in anything other than fog.

explain to him that in the UK side lights and are fine during the day and are called day time lights

When did München move to the UK?

Fogs aren’t DRLs though. Even in the UK.
And side lights are only for parking, not driving with.

i know they’re not. but it half worked on him. TBF i won’t be doing it in future. i do it because it doesn’t blind people and it looks betterer.

just can’t imagine being pulled in the UK for this sort of thing

There is (should be) a special place in hell reserved for those who drive with fogs on in daylight.

explain to him that in the UK side lights and are fine during the day and are called day time lights

When did München move to the UK?

claimed ignorance…. there was no intent 😉

I wish the UK police were that happy to ticket people for driving around with their fogs on in conditions in anything other than fog.

Really?, cause when they do, people normally moan about them doing it 😐

see people around this way (Frankfurt) with full front and rear fogs on from time to time on the autobahn

funnily enough always UK registered Ford ASBO in ASBO orange. even on a glorious 10000m+ visibility sunny day

if in doubt turn on all possible lights? one set is surely legal/required.

😉

but the Polizei will never ever pull a tail gater on the autobahn… and that’s big money. €240 fine or something. plus points in Flensburg.

fogs were only on at the front!

the standard of driving, especially considering the speeds, on Autobahns is pretty crap.
late braking (gunning along and then “whuump!” on the brakes hard despite the car infront being visable from way back), sharp/aggressive lane changing and over taking as well as tailgating being the ones that get me.

been pulled once on the Autobahn in a Sprinter whilst doing 100kmh as it looked like it might be overloaded (is wasn’t, there’s a weigh bridge down the road from the workshop).

again, a soft target.

oh, and you can tell whether the guy dealing with you is a propper copper or not… no or one star = greener behind their ears than their uniforms. still ticking boxes proving himself.

My brother got ticketed by the polis for driving with fogs on. In Edinburgh. On his honeymoon. 25 years ago.

And side lights are only for parking, not driving with.

No they aren’t, yes they are,

Position lamps are mandatory during the hours of darkness (sunset to sunrise) , headlights aren’t.

“It is a legal requirement for motorists to ensure that their sidelights to also include the rear registration number plate are illuminated between sunset and sunrise. Sidelights must also be used during the hours of daylight when visibility is reduced”

Source: http://www.drivingtesttips.biz/what-are-car-sidelights-when-to-use-them.html

“Looks better”

FFs.

As above

The Spanish highway police* are now getting bonuses related to the number of fines handed out per month, no potential conflict of interest there then…

* Guardia Civil, not exactly highway police but acting in that capacity.

I followed someone down the A9 the other night who was completely oblivious to the the fact that with DLRs on, their rear tail lights are not despite numerous other drivers flashing them to alert them of their invisibility from behind.

English plates?

You deserved it. Fog lights do dazzle people so why bother just to make your car look better? There is nothing more annoying. They aren’t intended as DRL’s so don’t use them as such and they don’t make your vehicle look any better. If I was a copper here I would be doing people all day for this oh and badly adjusted headlights.

i’m “glücklich”, but also a pissed that they would bother for something so trivial.

They’re German cops. They stuck a ticket on my caravan because it was parked the wrong way round on a (suburban 50km/h) dual carriageway. It was parked the wrong way round so I could get in the door without stepping into traffic, and there was no chance I’d do anything dangerous like pull away into oncoming traffic, because it was a DC.

The common sense thing to do was park it the ‘wrong’ way round. But common sense doesn’t enter into it…

Bullen sind wie Schnittlauch; aussen Gruen, innen hohl und tretten meisst gebuendelt auf!

Or something like that…

just can’t imagine being pulled in the UK for this sort of thing

I don’t think the police in the UK bother with anything to do with traffic anymore, it’s pretty much a free for all out there.

Wow, I bet you slow down and have a look when there’s an accident on the other side of the motorway too.
Fog lights in the day, I ask ya.

I wish the UK police were that happy to ticket people for driving around with their fogs on in conditions in anything other than fog.

What Police?

Better to be stung by the bulls than shafted by the pigs

They stuck a ticket on my caravan because it was parked the wrong way round on a (suburban 50km/h) dual carriageway. It was parked the wrong way round so I could get in the door without stepping into traffic, and there was no chance I’d do anything dangerous like pull away into oncoming traffic, because it was a DC.

The common sense thing to do was park it the ‘wrong’ way round. But common sense doesn’t enter into it…

but with it the wrong way around the rear reflectors aren’t showing to approaching traffic. if it was daylight then the police were being daft, but if it was dark then they had a good reason.

i do it because it doesn’t blind people and it looks betterer.

Except, it does affect other drivers’ eyesight and you can’t see what it looks like from inside.

Obvious troll is obvious?

€20 definitely not enough. It doesn’t look better anyway. It makes you look like a ****.

How many times were you stepping in and out to make turning the thing round worthwhile? 100 times?

Caravaners- annoying everyone since 1914.

but with it the wrong way around the rear reflectors aren’t showing to approaching traffic

It was off the road in a bay.

Hora, I had to work on it, so I was getting in and out lots. I took great care not to annoy anyone. I turned it around by hand late in the evening when no-one was around.

annoying people with an inflated sense of entitlement since 1914

foglights during day light hours.

showing the world you wish you had DRLs but were too tight to fit them.

You chose to work presumably alingside a dual carriageway to do work on it? Couldnt you have waited? If it was a wheel surely its not that many times to warrant turning?

i’m “glücklich”, but also a pissed

You were drunk too?

Must be me being old but just don’t get drl’s. ….
if you can’t see 1.5 ton of metal in the light then you shouldn’t be allowed out on yer own 🙂

You chose to work presumably alingside a dual carriageway to do work on it?

I hardly had a choice. Farting about fixing up a knackered old caravan with no better place to work than by the roadside was hardly my favourite way to spend a weekend 🙄

I’ve never understood why people get so worked up about front fogs/drivers lights? They point down don’t they, at the side of the road? Well I’ve never been dazzled by then at all, more likely dazzled by badly fitted hids. And no, I’ve never had a car with front fogs btw.

They might look better on the car but they make you look like a knob.

I’ve never really worked out the point of front fog lights, even when it’s foggy. They point kind of off to the side, just a few metres in front of the car. I know what’s at the side of the car, it’s the ditch. What I want to know is what’s in front – I’m more likely to hit it…

Rachel