GERMAN SIGNS YOU WON'T FIND IN THE UNITED STATES!

[@PassportTwo]

Note to self, don’t test new mics you’ve never used before on the windiest day of the year… 😅 I apologize for the few parts where the wind tried to take center stage but we hope you still enjoyed the video! What other signs do you know of that are unique to your country or signs you’ve seen in other countries that confused you? 😃

[@bi0530]

Well it's been a great test ... :-)

[@hebdomatical]

Didn't notice, you're too picky.

[@michaelgrabner8977]

the yellow quadrangle signs is overruling the "traffic from the right side has right of way" rule and on roads with that particular sign you have the priority of right of way. = "Having priority" the triangle with the red edging is also overruling the "traffic from the right side has right of way" rule as well BUT from the right side perspective..respectively you are the one coming from the right side but because of that sign you have not the priority of right of way. = "Giving priority" By the way here in Austria you can buy a certain Australian warning traffic sign as well which warns you of "crossing Kangaroos" in Souvenier-shops BUT with the inscribtion "No Kangaroos in Austria" ..you´ll also get those printed on T-shirts and in form of key ring pendants...the reason why those exist is because many Americans visiting Austria are asking for Kangaroos obviously mixing up a whole contintent with Austria..and it happens insomuch often that we made a business out of that sort of ignorance. Just take a look www.bing.com/images/search?q=no+kangaroos+in+austria&qpvt=no+kangaroos+in+austria&FORM=IGRE

[@picobello99]

Once in Canada I saw a yellow diamond shaped sign with a row of trees in the middle. Usually that would be a warning sign except that there were no trees in sight. So up to this day I still have no idea what it meant.

[@_pafonou_]

I don't know if it's a regional thing but near my old school we always joked about the signs with "GAS WEG, SCHULE". Because they are written in capital letters, you could read that the wrong way.

[@thestonegateroadrunner7305]

With very few exceptions the traffic signs in Germany are neither european nor german, they are international standard since 1978. The US, like so often, just ignores this international convention. You can go from Lisbon to Vladivostok and you'll keep seeing the same street signs. The church signs are not government paid. en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Signs_and_Signals

[@OneInSixty]

For the Spielstrasse sign, it doesn‘t just mean to drive at walking speed. That‘s true, too, but while cars are allowed on that street they actually have no priority there, so cars have to yield to all pedestrians.

[@annikan2420]

Das blaue Schild hat er richtig erklärt, das bedeutet nur Verkehrsberuhigter Bereich. Das echte Spielstraße Schild sieht nochmal anders aus. Wird aber von den meisten gleichgesetzt (bzw Ignoriert)

[@Markusbloodpet]

The church signs are paid and put there by the churches, not the state. They have to get a permit though (that they usually get).

[@hebdomatical]

Markus So glad you clarified that one. Thanks. I would also imagine the Sister cities sign next to the church sign is also a non-governmental sign as well?

[@eisikater1584]

Not only churches can get a permit. In Bavaria, we have road signs in white on brown, pointing to museums, points of interest, and even businesses. Some of these are paid for, but for museums or national wildlife reserve, the taxpayer is in charge. And you know what? I think it's good. You put up a sign once, and it lasts a dozen years. A cellphone won't get that far.

@@hebdomatical Sister cities sign would obviously be paid by the cities themselves, since "Städtepartnerschaften" are an official thing.

[@annypenny8621]

Aha... wusste ich nicht...darüber hab ich nie nachgedacht... interessant 🤔

[@hebdomatical]

@ In the US the sister city relationship is often Quasi-government/official. What I mean by Quasi is that the relationship is usually started by a private party or group and then the city government signs on to the project; some are started by the local "Chamber of Commerce". Cities do not go out looking for these relationships, they are driven by interested citizens. I do not know if the Deutsch have the equivalent to a Chamber of Commerce? This is not a strong bond from the city's official perspective, if the citizens of the city do not actively partake and let the "moss grow" the relationship is likely to be dropped. In the US the cost of the sign could be paid by a private person, the city or any other interested entity. Anybody but the City would need approval to put the sign up, much like here in Deutschland. My above stated perspectives are from a person who watched small town California government.

[@vrenak]

The signs aren't "European" it's an international standard, adopted by most worldwide, save for most of the americas and a few others. The confusing one with the kid and the ball actually says "shared space" meaning every kind of person is allowed in the space, so cars, pedestrians, bikes, playing cildren whatever are equal there, so it is to let you know that this is not a road where cars have the right of way, but that everyone are required to give room to each other.

[@Denver645]

Basically the entire world standardized on those signs with the exception of the US and Canada

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

4:54 for the bloopers collection: the yellow triangle is a yellow square

[@sejtam]

actually a rhombus (square stood on a corner)

[@mizapf]

The sign with the 5 diagonal stripes without a number mean: All restrictions do not apply anymore. This refers to speed limits, but also to overtake restrictions or other restrictions (width/height/weight). Otherwise, the sign repeats the last restriction sign in gray on white, with the black stripes, meaning that this particular restriction is lifted, but the others are still valid.

[@PassportTwo]

Right! 😊 That’s exactly what I said at 2:41 😂 haha, “that’s the end to all zones” is what I said when you see the white sign with black diagonals 😊

[@mizapf]

@@PassportTwo Ah, good. I didn't get it correctly at that point, because you stressed the speed topic afterwards.

[@0ldFrittenfett]

Another misconception about the Autobahn is that it is pronounced "Ottobahn". It is not. Try the ou from "Outburst" for the Au of "Autobahn".

[@Skyl3t0n]

I mean you are right but why didn't u just say that they should try to replace "out" with "Aut".

[@ingevonschneider5100]

Tom Hanks made jokes about the playing zone sign on David Letterman. They had absolutly no clue what it means. Must be an American thing, to me it depicts the meaning well.

[@PassportTwo]

Oh really?? Haha, I’ll have to try and find that! Ya, could be we just aren’t used to the way it depicts it 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@ingevonschneider5100]

@@PassportTwo You can easily find it on KZbin: Tom Hanks on German Autobahn, Hanks on Eisenhüttenstadt.

[@christophoffermann2442]

Ja 😅 das habe ich auch gesehen! Musste auch grad an diesen Beitrag denken... Sehr gut 🤣

[@petereggers7603]

@Passport Two How's that? The meaning is cristal clear: pedestrians and playing kids have more importance in that area, therefore they're depicted much bigger in the foreground. Cars/drivers have to regrict themselves...for that reason the car is smaller in the background. Easy...eh!?

[@KindGottes92]

"the only thing not on the sign is a dog, so it means 'no dogs allowed'"

[@micha_el_]

There is also a certain shape scheme of the streetsigns: 3 corners with one pointing up are for warning signs, 4 corners for advice signs and the round ones for restrictions. All the special shapes (yield, stop, right of way) are shaped this way so that one form has one unique meaning and can be still recognized even under bad conditions like if they are covered in snow.

[@brittakriep2938]

I was born in 1965, when i was a young child the octagon ,Stop' sign did not exist, it was a tip down triangle . A red stripe arround a blue center and you could read ,Halt'.

[@mikelastname1220]

@@brittakriep2938 When I was in the Army in Germany in 1968 I saw those stop signs saying "Halt". We easily knew what that word meant because we too use it in English. I had to take the International Driver's Exam where I had to lean all those signs. It was PAGES of them! I passed the test and was thus able to drive in Germany with my American Driver's License.

[@brittakriep2938]

@@mikelastname1220 : So when know german traffic signs, you perhaps know the german traffic sign, made especially for chinese people. The sign is yellow and in black letters you can read : Um Lei Tung. ( One of the oldest german jokes)

[@mikelastname1220]

@@brittakriep2938 FUNNY!!!

[@dominikinimod]

I hoped you mention that in the US more signs are written messages than icons as it is over here. I noticed that in the US you have to know the language to understand many signs.

[@Leenapanther]

Yes, I came here to write that. Less interpretation is possible (which wise in the US)

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

@@Leenapanther well, the weirdest one: they write "xing" on their streets, a lot ... chinese? ... definitely chinese, there was a xing-period! ... No! It is american for crossing ... x (kind of like a cross, I guess) & ing, no hyphen, nothing ... XING!

[@Module79L]

@@Leenapanther - They have to write what it means on the sign and still many americans don't understand them. :D

[@Anson_AKB]

with so many different countries and languages next to each other in europe, you simply can't have all signs rely on text, but instead mostly use somewhat standardized icons/pictures/symbols.

[@reinhard8053]

You find that in Europe as well for more complicated regulations. E.g.: drive to the line or the light won't switch to green. In Austria you my find it even in the languages of our neighbors (Slovenia + ?). I had a special one in Croatia at the coast road. It probably says something like, if the yellow light is flashing you are not allowed to drive with an RV a trailer or truck !? But unfortunately only in Croatian. I was stopped and redirected by the police because I was just driving along as a yellow flashing light at home is just a warning not a forbiddance.

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

Finally someone explained the Nato signs to me. I never understood what they meant, I only figured that couldn't be speed limits.

[@whattheflyingfuck...]

the "bike"-frei-sign is always an addition to other signs that are not allowing passage of one or the other kind (or parking) or or or ... the "bike"-frei-sign means bikes are an exception from that rule presented right above or next to it

[@user-pm8nj3mb6q]

That "triangle" is a rather unusual description for the priority road sign, especially since in essence it's a quadr-angle.

[@flowerdolphin5648]

I learned a lot about safety in elementary school. We learned what all the road signs meant, because we had to take a written and a practical test for our biking licenses at age 10 (otherwise you'd have to wait until you're 12 to be able to drive alone, without your parents). I don't have a license for cars or motorbikes etc, but I still know what many of the signs mean, because of how much we had to study them. When you're introduced to these signs early on & then the meaning just becomes obvious.

[@arnoldkegebein2147]

The US sign "Slow - Children at play" with the yellow background conveysthe meaning "annoying kids on the road", keeping the emphasis on the car. The German sign conveys better that children and pedestrians are more important here and cars are only tolerated and should drive/park accordingly. Nevertheless, I agree with you that the traffic sign could be better designed.

[@hebdomatical]

LOL.

[@ElRackadusch]

2:38 be careful with this sign. It doesn't mean "no speed limit". It just cancels all signs that came before it. You will find this sign also on non-autobahn streets and it doesn't mean you can go as fast as you want. On most raods it will mean you can go 100km/h (62mph)

[@kahzee]

Great video! FYI: The prohibition of Diesel vehicles in inner cities only pertains to vehicles with emission levels EU5 and lower and is very controversial because modern diesel engines actually have lower emissions (especially Co 2) than gasoline powered engines.

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks for the additional info!

[@miadifferent7306]

das Spielstraßen-Zeichen ist kein Warnzeichen. (Meaning, it‘s not optional it‘s mandatory). Was es bedeutet und welche Regeln damit verbunden sind, lernen alle in der Fahrschule. diese Regeln gelten z. B. auch nachts, wenn keine Kinder auf der Straße sind.

[@gerbre1]

The are many different types of frei signs. A 'frei' sign is always related to a sign positioned above that prohibits something. This can be a prohibition of entering the street (but bicycles are frei) or prohibition to park somewhere ( but electric vehicles are frei).

[@RinrvUSA]

Growing up in Wisconsin, which has a big German heritage, we also were used to church bells announcing the time, and calls for churchgoers to attend, as well as when they closed the doors and when services were over. This wasn't just the Lutheran churches either.

[@Module79L]

4:55 - Wait... yellow triangle? That's not a triangle! xD 8:10 - Here in Portugal that's called a Coexistence Zone. It's usually paved like a sidewalk and it allows vehicular traffic and pedestrians, being that the vehicles don't have priority over the pedestrians and they're limited to a very low speed, usually 20 Km/h. It has nothing to do with kids playing with their parents in the street. ; )

[@TheSailingsilver]

"in the US, state and church are more seperated" also in the pledge of allegiance "one nation under God". In many ways they are more seperated in the US (less religious holidays for example) but on other ways it's the opposite

[@hebdomatical]

Yeah, as an American I see Deutschland as much less religious than the US. In the States on Sunday the roads are busy with cars and all the church parking lots are overflowing, this can also happen on Wednesday night. Deutschland is less religious with one exception, on Deutsch income taxes if you register as one of the major religions of the country the government will add the "church" share to your taxes. In true government form they do charge the churches for this service. I hope Passport2 when they registered at the Ramstein Rathaus did not state any religion or they will be in for a shock at tax time.

[@TheSailingsilver]

@@hebdomatical if you don't pay church tax, how are churches and all their projects financed?

[@hebdomatical]

Churches are regarded as private businesses in the US and all funds come from donations, usually from parishioners, some people when they die leave their assets to the church. There is one costly government intervention and that is that the Church and some church property is not taxed as an individual or company may be. So the donations to the church are not considered income and are 100% the church's money, they give none to the government. There are also special rules for taxing the employees of the church too, they are considered IIRC contractors and pay their own income taxes.

[@Anson_AKB]

@@hebdomatical "church tax" is no tax of the government, but the state only has contracts (probably in recognition of social importance to many people) with all major churches to collect that tax for the churches. when the state gets some money from this tax, that would only be the fee for the work they do in collecting (otherwise by subsidizing that collection they would no longer keep state and church separate), and for the churches this still is easier and more reliable than doing it themselves. this "church tax" has to be payed by everybody who is a member of that church and hiding your membership on official tax forms would be illegal (for "giving incomplete or wrong data/info") but other than this the religion is completely uninteresting and ignored, even when someone starts discussing bavarian crosses again (your religion is not important to have a voice in that discussion). this membership can simply be canceled by signing a form and you'll pay no more church tax, but then the church will also stop giving some services to you, like baptism, marrying in a church, communion, maybe invitations to afternoon coffee and cake, or religious funerals and obituaries (which then have to be done by a speaker instead of a pastor or priest). but all this applies only to the big churches which have contracts, mainly catholic and _evangelisch_ (protestant?), and not to many other smaller churches, sects, etc, and thus many americans probably will only count as "other" when it comes to german tax. btw: when looking at statistics for germany how many people are catholic, _evangelisch_, or belong to no church, this probably mostly refers to this source of data and is not very accurate: many people are religious but don't want to pay this fixed taxes or belong to one of the smaller churches (this probably would include j.witnesses, mormons, and many others which are not big in germany), or they are not religious but stay in church out of habit (or to automatically donate to some "worthy" cause and not having to take care of charity themselves) ...

[@tonzelle2720]

The last road sign originated from the Netherlands. It is called a "Woon erf" area, and it's design is now used all over Europe, and even in the US nowadays

[@Kroyer102]

One good way to know the rough meaning of something is the shape and color of the signs. Red circles are always restrictions, for example speed limits. Red triangles are warnings, for example road work sign or give way. White or blue squares are informative signs. For example that one with black diagonal lines, it's white with a black border, so it informs you that the restrictions end here. Same applies for the bicycle allowed zone. Blue circles are command signs for example you have to turn here. Then to the give way sign: when there is NO give way or main road sign, then the rule of give priority to the right side applies.

[@miadifferent7306]

Please don‘t drive and film at the same time. Causing an accident can come done to a fraction of a second where you don‘t pay attention to the road.

[@ThePixel1983]

+1

[@hape3862]

That "XY frei" sign occurs AFAIK always in combination with other signs that restrict vehicles from passing, for example: One sign says "Fußgängerzone" (pedestrian zone) but underneath that "Fahrrad frei" means you may enter anyways by bike.

[@PassportTwo]

Ya, and everyone of those signs gets us a little confused 🤷🏻‍♂️ 😂 but we are slowly getting used to it! 😊

[@hape3862]

@@PassportTwo Pfff, die Amis … 🤪

[@Hanmacx]

Ich glaube es macht einen Unterschied ob der Weg Fußweg und Radweg ist, oder Fußweg mit Radfahrer frei

[@Bauer-ke6lp]

@@Hanmacx Ja, andere Vorfahrtsregeln, da die Benutzung für den Radfahrer zwar frei ist, aber das eigentlich ein Fußgängerweg ist, muss der Radfahrer Fußgängern immer den Vortritt überlassen.

[@ulliulli]

The Bike Sign "Fahrrad Frei" does not mean that this area has to be free of bikes, but it means that everything BUT bikes are permitted here. Bikes are FREE to roam in that area, unlike motorbikes, cars, trucks, Aircraft Carrier, Star Destroyers etc

[@LythaWausW]

Thanks for clarifying that cuz it didn't make sense that the Umwelt zone would be "free from green sticker cars, but free for the yellow and red." But Fahrrad Frei still allows pedestrians, right? Skateboards?

[@Bauer-ke6lp]

This is wrong, the sign just means that the sign above does not apply for that specific type of vehicle. For example bikes are allowed to enter a street across the fields even if it is only ,,frei für landwirtschaftlichen Verkehr" ("free for agricultural traffic") if the sign above prohibits motorised vehicles to enter. If the rule that you described did exist, we would not need signs above and could use only frei signs. There are frei signs on overtaking signs, too, but othere vehicles are still allowed to drive on that road.

[@AK-my2lh]

The shield with the bike frei is combined with another shield ⛔. That means in this direction its not allowed to drive the car, or motorbikes, but for bikes it's allowed

[@christophoffermann2442]

Ich mag den Vergleich mit dem Spiegelei im Titelbild! Sehr treffend 😅👍

[@bartolo498]

I didn't know about the NATO classes either. But it is obvious that they could not be weights as the numbers are too large. Also, all the main German road signs are incredible systematic (and the NATO vehicle classes would not fit the weight/speed limits): All circular ones with a red circle forbid or limit something. All circular ones that are mostly blue/white allow something. All triangular ones pointing upwards are calling attention to some possible danger, interference etc., so they are generally warnings. A triangle pointing downwards is only used for "yield!" at an intersection, the yellow-white diamond is only for denoting the road that has right of way, the STOP sign is the only octagonal one (I think). All square ones are basically declaring special features (like Autobahn or a pedestrian crossing). All green/brown ones are not really traffic signs but denoting rivers or landscape features and so on. What I also found interesting that very few except the Stop use language. It is mostly the small additional ones like Radfahrer frei. So one does not need to know the language, only read numbers.

[@aphextwin5712]

No, they really correspond roughly to the weight of the vehicles: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Militärische_Lastenklasse “Sie entspricht ungefähr dem tatsächlichen Gewicht in Amerikanischen Tonnen (short tons = 907 kg).” Regular weight limits on vehicles (red circle signs) are what a road or bridge is designed to withstand for several decades of frequent traffic. The NATO limits are closer to the actual design limit of the bridge.

[@Anson_AKB]

many decades ago, before the STOP sign was "internationalized" in germany, the german stop sign looked like the yield sign with the additional word HALT in it, i believe sometimes (or even mostly?) with a blue background instead of white. to make it stand out more, it is now the only octagonal sign, and it also is bigger and more red than other signs. some other countries have the word STOP replaced by their local word, and the word STOP is not even german: the german word would be "Stopp" (double p) :-)

[@Nikioko]

Actually, the STOP sign was adopted from the US. Originally (until 1968), it was a normal Give Way sign (red triangle with one tip faced downwards), but with inner triangle being blue instead of white and a white "HALT" written on it: de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoppschild

[@robfriedrich2822]

It makes sense, because this way all priority related signs will be recognized by its shape, it's important in the winter when it could covered by snow.

[@HarionDafar]

I would say the American sign for a traffic reduced street where children might be playing actually does the worse job since you only have a chance understanding it when you can read English. If you cannot read English, you just see a running person on the sign. the German sign tries to communicate without using any written language. this is important since Germany, being located in the centre of Europe, does have to communicate to people not speaking the language ;)

[@stefanmeinicke4239]

I've never seen that church sign in my life (I live in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). Also, I just assumed those yellow signs with the tanks on them were just a holdover from the war that never got taken down. :D

[@S_mitty]

I think a good description of the "no Speedlimit" would be "you can go as fast as the situation allows". For example in mist you can only drive as fast as you can see

[@Doc_Rainbow]

You can Go in like 99% with these rules: red signs mean danger or giving a rule like a Speed limit White signs are "allowed" signs like the Bike one and blue ones are advises or direction signs

[@geronimojippie]

I KNEW you would come to the Spielstraße Sign :D

[@loveislove4879]

Great job guys, Well done! The wind wasnt so bad.

[@jefferyoetter6884]

Cool video. The slow Children at play was funny and reminded me of The Six Million Dollar man and The Bionic Woman when they used their bionic limbs, of course with those sound effects. 😂

[@MagnificentGermanywithDarion]

Very nice commentary on the different signs in Germany and I really miss those signs lol. :)

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, you'll get to read them again soon enough!

[@robfriedrich2822]

There's a special reason, why the signs for "you're on the main road and have priority" and "respect priority of the crossing road" are shaped differently. They should be recognized by its shape, especially when covered with snow.

[@Akkaren79]

Important note: You are only allowed to drive however fast you want on the autobahn after that gray sign! Within citys (big yellow signs with the name on it) the max speed is 50km/h without further notice. Outside citys it's 100km/h. If you don't see any sign on a intersection it *usually* means "right before left": the car to your right goes before you, the car to your left goes after you.

[@andistuttgart9067]

IMHO the 'Outside citys it's 100 kmh' statement is not correct. There are also Schnellstraße/autobahnähnlich Kraftstrasse where there is no speedlimit (if not stated by a sign), when they have two lines separated in both directions.

[@Cornu341]

But even if there is no speedlimit, there is a recommended speed of 130 kmh. If you are faster than that and part of an accident you will be found partially guilty.

[@Anson_AKB]

a grey sign with the bars indicates the end of some restriction, either a specific restriction like only "not overtaking" (a speed limit continues) or only "speed limit" ("no overtaking" still continues), or when having a pure white background then it ends all limitations that were given by other signs. in any case this "end of limit" causes the DEFAULT limits to become active again, eg 50 km/h in towns, or "no speed limit (for cars!)" on the autobahn.

[@ShenLong991]

@@Anson_AKB The pure grey with stripe only sign also ends all parking-restrictions if there where any... as you mentioned "reverting to defaults". That is that on the autobahn, as long as you having no incident and your car is able to drive, you're not allowed to park the car for any reason. even "emergency" breaks like you have to pee are technically not allowed, although you can't get punished if you really really have to. (This has something to do with our Grundgesetz and the basic rights for every humans described in there) But for that in germany there are rules that every "some" km there has to be a parking lot with a toilet... (i think that was between 20 and 50km... but im not sure.)

[@saibot2957]

Das "Fahrrad-frei" - Schild verwirrt mich auch, genau wie die Tatsache, dass man Bus- und Bahnfahrkarten ent-"wert"-en muss, damit sie gültig werden...

[@Anson_AKB]

"frei" = free/exempt from the restriction specified on the sign above and you still have to pay for taxi and bus when they pass a "taxi/bus frei" sign :-) train/bus tickets in other countries are made valid ("validated") for the current use, while in germany they are made invalid ("entwertet") for another or repeated use, making them no longer refundable. this is probably related to the "good old times" when a conductor checked the tickets in trains and punched a hole in the ticket with a special _"Lochzange"_ (punch pliers).

[@s.gilligan9493]

Ich wollte schon immer wissen, was diese gelben runden Militärschilder bedeuten. Ich wusste es noch nicht. Selbst als ich vor 20 Jahren den Führerschein machte und meinen Fahrlehrer fragte, konnte er mir diese Schilder nicht erklären. Er wusste nur soviel, dass die Schilder nur das Militär betreffen. Danke für die Erklärung.

[@LilithsOwn303]

5:00 It is not a triangle, it is a square or diamond shape

[@demil3618]

About the so called „Umwelt“zone: What you might also like to mention is that a (probably intended) side effect is that many were forced to buy newer vehicles because upgrade or even own certification of improved emissions are designed to be uneconomical/unaffordable. Considering the low number of high-emission vehicles, the actual aim seemed to be to „help the economy“, big car manufacturers obviously. Watch out where politicians get their retirement jobs later! Many people call it Dummweltzone for this reason.

[@TexasHighwayMan]

To clarify, the "frei" sign with the bicycle means it's "free" from the regulation shown on the parent sign, IOW "exempt". We couldn't see the parent sign in your shot, but it probably was a pedestrian zone sign. The pedestrian zone sign means, of course, only pedestrians are allowed. The bicycle "frei" sign means that bicycles are exempt from that restriction, i.e. they're allowed as well.

[@sirlythan]

I remember taking the german driving test back in 1994 and back then the written test was heavy on right of way questions. They definitely drill that into drivers.

[@michaelodonnell824]

The kid with ball sign is best understood by the sign above it showing the end of the Pedestrian Only zone.

[@99Cafer99]

Very important: If there isn't an priority sign in Germany it does NOT mean you have priority. Then the right-before-left-rule comes into place. Meaning: at junctions traffic right to rightish from you has priority and you must let them pass. If you are at an junction on an priority road and want to turn you have to let pass the vehicles which are following the priority road (the funny sign with the big road and the small ones under the priority sign shows this as priority roads can have bends and turnings at junctions). At traffic lights this, too, can rarely occur: Ongoing traffic (the opposite side of your traffic light) has priority when you turn left in spite you having an green light, very rarely even pedestrians while turning at an green light have priority (indicated usually, but not always, by yellow flashy lights showing an pedestrian). Green in Germany doesn't mean you can just drive. Only when arrows are on traffic lights this is true for the directions where there are arrows pointing. These Umweltzonen are at points where particulate matters are to high. Highways / Autobahnen are always excluded from them. The stickers aren't telling you anything but particle matters produced while driving. So almost any old Gasoline car gets green, my 21 year old Audi A4 which consumes 10 liter per 100 km has an green sticker. Practically only gasoline cars without catalysts don't get green stickers and older Diesels. But if said cars are over 30 years old and in good shape you are counted as an H-Fahrzeug (historical vehicle) anyway to which no Umweltzonen-rules apply. New Diesel ones do get green stickers, too.

[@MusicStopsTimeMST]

I'm sorry to be overly corrective. But I am very specific about roadsigns ;D sooo, a number in red circle is a speed limit. Entering a city border (yellow sign with city name on it) automatically reduces speed to 50 km/h. Leaving a city border is granting 100 km/h for cars, 60 km/h for vehicles above 7.5 t Allowed gross weight. A grey sign with a stroked number means that from this point on the speed limit is lifted. Which leaves us with max 100 km/h on rural roads and "endless" speed on highways. The white circle with five black diagonal lines means "all en route regulations lifted" so it doesn't only lift the speed limit, it also lifts e.g. an overturning restriction

[@FeinesFabi]

One more thing about the Autobahn. Even in the sections where there are not speed limits, there is still the 'Richtgewschwindigkeit' (recommended speed) of 130KM/h. If you drive faster than that, there are no legal consequences. There can however be problems when it comes to insurance as some consider driving faster than this as negligence.

[@Marten_Zeug]

8:22 The snkae shape is the "bordstein" that indicates where the walkway ends and the road begins.

[@cheryllegier4978]

Very informative! Thanks!

[@PassportTwo]

Glad you enjoyed! 😃

[@billschiller6649]

Ahhh. The United States does have restrictions on hazardous material hauling trucks. Don’t want a load of gasoline overturning next to a stadium full of folks. It usually states ‘Hazardous Truck Route’ or ‘No Hazardous Trucks’.

[@Al69BfR]

It‘s important to know, that if you come to an intersection with no signs for who has priority, always the car from the right has the right of way. Often in smaller areas of a city or town, there are no signs for priority. Often only on main streets you have priority. But even then it is indicated by this sign. And btw: Was that footage for the traffic-calmed area stock footage or did you visit Wetzlar for real some time ago and I missed a video? 😊

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, all footage is mine 😊 We visited Wetzlar and was the first time we visited a place and decided not to film to try and just enjoy it ourselves. Great eye!

[@Al69BfR]

Passport Two I recognized the building of the Reichskammergericht immediately, because I lived for many years about 150m away from it. And there are also not many of those Reichskammergerichtsgebäude in Germany en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reichskammergericht. Wetzlar was home for the Reichskammergericht for more than a hundred years. And during that time Goethe lived in Wetzlar for a short time, worked at the Reichskammergericht and was inspired to one of his most famous books www.wetzlar.de/microsite/en/Discovering/goethe-in-wetzlar.php.

[@glpxt]

4:50: If you don't understand why there is a sign indicating that you're on the main road and have priority, then you haven't yet understood the "traffic from the right has priority" concept.

[@silviahannak3213]

You absolutly didn't get one joke..Ramstein 10.30 Messe. Lol. I didn't know Rammstein has a Concert every Sunday in a Church. Rammstein - a german heavy Metal Band

[@f2karin]

Die Vorrangstraße berechtigt zum Überholen im Kreuzungsbereich, deswegen ist sie gekennzeichnet wenn du in eine Vorrangstraße einbiegst musst du immer in beide Richtungen schauen ob du nicht Gegenverkehr hast.

[@martinhuhn7813]

The sign with the pictogram of a bike + "frei" is kind of strange for germans as well - if we ever make the mistake to think about it. The point is not, that "frei" does rarely mean "free of charge", that is just the most common use of the word (unless it is combined with another word that ads the context that it actually refers to payment and not to general access). But the picture of one bike would usually be read as "Fahrrad" (singular) and combined with "frei" you would get "fahrradfrei" which would translate to something like "free from bikes" or "bikes are not allowed here" - which is the oposite of what the sign actually says. If there were two pictograms of bikes on the sign the combination of "Fahrräder" (bikes, plural) and "frei" would read "Fahrräder frei", (free for bikes).

[@loveislove4879]

That is the coolest looking dragon on the sign above him when talking about church signs. 😄

[@palantir135]

The white sign with five lines means end to all previous signs

[@furzkram]

Read as: Bicycles free to use the road

[@Markusbloodpet]

Or more specific: Bikes are free of the rules above.

[@ThePixel1983]

If Bikes were forbidden it would have a red circle around it. "Rund und rot ist immer ein Verbot."

[@PassportTwo]

That’s what we are getting used to reading it as 😊

[@aphextwin5712]

Note that these ‘bicycles free’ signs always are posted together with a sign prohibiting something and thus are meant to say that bicycles are ‘freed’ from this prohibition. The examples you showed were for a pedestrian zone (where normally bicycles wouldn’t be allowed into) and an entry forbidden (for any kind of ‘vehicle’).

[@chrisdieter9594]

Again an informative and well thougt out video of you. I like these... especially the bloopers at the end!👍😊

[@elgiloy]

Black and white signs with 5 black diagonals mean "restriction lifted". Eiher the specific restriction under the diagonals, or if empty, all previous restrictions.

[@PassportTwo]

That’s exactly what I said at 2:41 😂 haha, “that’s the end to all zones” is what I said when you see the white sign with black diagonals 😊

[@bibliopolist]

Actually many Americans don't know the meaning of their own signs (so I am told), since there is always text accompanying them, i. e. the yield sign says "YIELD" on a little sign below the actual symbol.

[@magnusolert1195]

The road signs are actually not standardised by the EU but by the UN. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Signs_and_Signals

[@magnusolert1195]

I also found this nice comparison of European road signs: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_European_road_signs (For some strange reason the Swedish warning for moose is omitted in the table. Strange since at least among Germans this is the most famous Swedish road sign.)

[@natashaw401]

So cool I have not been to Germany in years I am German live in Canada

[@prozaque]

That "makeshape" thing on the "Spielstrasse" sign at around 8:05 is a curb, indicating that the people are playing ball in the street, where the traffic is. My American wife said, "what else would it be?"

[@PassportTwo]

Well, we are aware of what it is trying to depict but just the Deisgn and shape of it is funny to me and that is how I described why the shape and design is funny to me 😊 Granted, I didn’t say outright that it is a curb so I’ll take the heat for it 😉

[@prozaque]

@@PassportTwo more interesting I find the hydrant location sign below the NATO vehicle sign 😉

[@michaelschuckart2217]

"the yellow triangle"? Have another try counting corners?

[@Marten_Zeug]

5:20 It there is no sign, it's rechts vor links, so the right person of you is allowed to drive and you have to wait.

[@merjus4909]

There is no necessity for the blue sign to show what it means because we had to study what is says. Like the yellow sign, it doesn’t show what it means but we know.

[@joeaverage3444]

Good video... one caveat: there is actually a general speed limit of 130 kph. But the thing is, it's a so-called advisory speed limit (Empfohlene Richtgeschwindigkeit). The government "wants" you to drive 130, but you are allowed to ignore it and go faster on stretches where you see that black and white sign. So it's more a recommendation than a fixed limit. It's kind of an absurd law, and it was put in effect as a compromise in the late 1970s following years of wrestling between different political parties. Your main risk as a driver today if you ignore the advisory speed limit is that your insurance might refuse to pay for some of the damage if you have an accident at high speeds.

[@Aine197]

130 is not a speed LIMIT. Germany does not have one.

[@bema1908]

130 km/h is only a recommendation. If there's no sign stating anything else you're allowed to drive as fast as you want, or, to be a bit more specific, as fast as the current traffic situation let's you drive. The problem is: If it comes to an accident at a higher speed, you can be more guilty than the other car involved.

[@joeaverage3444]

@@Aine197 Semantics, semantics. The 1978 federal Advisory Speed Limit Order says that it is recommended to not go faster than 130. Fixed speed limit? No. But still an expression of what the government (still today) thinks how fast you should be driving. I enjoy driving fast. But it's always worth remembering that it's kind of an irresponsible thing to do. So always be very careful, and mindful of other drivers. Even if you get to pass a police car at 200 kph and there isn't a thing the cops can do about it. People who treat the Autobahn like their own personal race track are one reason why half of all Germans now want a fixed speed limit.

[@LythaWausW]

The sign that blew my family's minds on visiting me in Germany was a simple stop sign. I blew right through it and they yelled, "HEY! That was a stop sign!" I thought about it a second and said, "Yah, that one doesn't count." "Doesn't count!?!" Right, cuz it's attatched to a stop *light* that was turned on at that time of day. They're right, it's odd to have stop signs you only obey some of the time. And odd to have stop lights that go into energy-save mode at night.

[@thkempe]

It's not because of energy saving, but because the traffic density is usually much less at night than during the day, so you don't need traffic lights. You would not have to wait for minutes at a completely empty intersection, which can happen at traffic lights.

[@Bauer-ke6lp]

It is also extremly handy if you have a blackout or a completely broken light. There is a order of the different traffic rules and if you have multiple regulation you have to obey the highest at this intersection: cop regulating traffic > traffic light > signs > right before left

[@johannessugito1686]

In general in Europe: when it is forbidden or indicates a limitation, the sign has a red outline.

[@wolfim.3343]

Regarding the speed limit on the Autobahn. We have a MINIMUM speed limit here of 80km/hr. So farming machines, slow scooters, bikes etc. are prohibited from driving on the Autobahn

[@Anson_AKB]

afaik, this lower limit is only a limit for the speed that vehicles must be ABLE to go, and maybe also used as minimum advisory speed (to not get fined for obstruction). but you won't be fined if you follow (not tailgate) some other cars or trucks which have a speed limit of 80 and thus often go at 60-80. in contrast to this, there are also ROUND blue signs with a real minimum speed (if traffic permits; round blue signs all are instructions what to do like "go at least at min speed", while round white signs with red border are signs what NOT to do like "don't go faster than max speed"), eg on some steeper parts of the autobahn, there are different minimum speed limits for the left and middle lanes (and no overtaking for trucks), to force slower cars to the right lanes. the sign for the advisory upper speed limit is blue but square instead of round, and as all square signs it is a hint only.

[@NikolausUndRupprecht]

ähm. It are 60 km/h. And it is also not minimum speed but the required minimum top speed a vehicle can drive.

[@Soldier_of_Life]

Oh yes... The Frei use to always got me back in the day

[@Kessina1989]

Bei uns sind die Kirchenschilder teilweise falsch, da die Zeiten der Gottesdienste immer variieren. Im dazugehörigen Kirchenblatt, was wir alle 3 Monate bekommen, sind die richtigen Zeiten angegeben...

[@hartmutholzgraefe]

The military load capacity signs used to be at every bridge , even in most rural areas, when I was a kid, but ever since the cold war ended and reunion happened they have become more and more uncommon. We simply don't have these regular NATO maneuvers ("Herbstmaneuver", as they usually happened in fall) anymore, so nowadays they probably are only still being maintained near actual caserns and designated training areas ...

[@Bauer-ke6lp]

They have better maps nowadays and do not need the signs anymore, there are no new signs used.

[@jasminleudesdorff3689]

When I was a kid, the blue sign for the play-area was the first sign I learned. Signs I alway find interesting, although not a traffic sign, are these big ones you see in front of American churges that read some religios sayings or stuff on them. I like them because it is so different from the way our churches present themthelves here.

[@PassportTwo]

You’re right, we do have those signs in the US and not here. Haven’t noticed that. Thanks for pointing out 😊

[@worldhello1234]

@3:50 Yes, and those blue signs with a bike mean, you are obliged to use this bicicle lane.

[@raubtierwolf]

Even though the idea of a "Spielstraße" is rather old, the modern version of it originates from the Dutch Woonerf (see de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woonerf ). As for the yellow "priority road" sign: it also disallows parking on the road outside of villages/cities. And to your "three" black lines: again, let me refer to the corresponding Dutch version of the signs, see here www.verkeersbordenoverzicht.nl/#A - you don't need to count to five ;-) - and find all the German signs herede.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildtafel_der_Verkehrszeichen_in_der_Bundesrepublik_Deutschland_seit_2017

[@thkempe]

Note that all street signs only apply until the next intersection. Then the street signs have to be repeated if the regulation is to be continued. After all, if you come from a side street, you cannot know which rules apply so far on the main street.

[@D2jspOFFICIAL]

the video quality is amazing

[@111BAUER111]

Ich glaube wir Deutsche gucken gerne solche Videos über Deutschland, nur um klugzuscheißen :D

[@Robinson160277]

I noticed, something you made, what needs to your numbersvideo. You told fortyfourhundred, what in germany no one would say it will allways be here four thousand four hundred..

[@lauramarschmallow2922]

That's not a yellow triangle, but a yellow square...

[@pi17835]

The striked through numbers etc. as you showed them don’t mean that a „zone“ ended. It means that a certain section ended. If you see a sign „red circle and black 30“ (in a city) and you leave that street, you can go faster again, because that 30 only refers to a certain section and you left that section when you left the street. But if you are on a 30 zone (30er Zone) you need a sign signaling you leave that zone, taken a different street in that zone does not lift the speed limit. Also the „Fahrrad frei“ sign makes no sense by itself. You need some kind of other sign (no entry, pedestrian zone etc) and then the „Fahrrad frei“ to understand that this street or area is - despite some kind of limit in general - free for bike usage. Same with the umweltzone you mention later: you free to enter, only if you have a car with a green sticker. Little addition to you infos on Spielstraße/Verkehrberuhigter Bereich: not only is parking restricted (only in assigned places), but also you have to yield to all other car - coming from left, right, coming towards you but turning left (which usually have to wait) when you leave it. Also, as That is a „zone“ again, you need a sign signaling the end of obit, before you may drive faster again, turning left or what ever to change the street (within the zone) won’t do the trick.

[@PassportTwo]

A “zone” and a “section” in English can be used interchangeably though. Just meaning that a “part” of the road that has a certain regs has ended or begun (depending on if you are entering or exiting of course)

[@ShenLong991]

Die "Fahrrad frei" Schilder sind in aller Regel in Kombination zu finden. Sie sagen nicht explizit "Fahrräder sind hier erlaubt" sondern mehr "ICh weiß, das andere Schild über mir hat den Verkehr verboten, aber ich erlaube dir mit einem Fahrrad zu fahren". Diese "Kombinationsschilder" sind vmtl das seltsamste. Die Kombinationen sind immer dadurch gebildet dass das obere Schild etwas aussagt, und das Schild darunter dann eine Einschränkung zu obigem Schild aufweißt. Zum Beispiel "Hey keine Durchfahrt hier, aber Fahrräder sind erlaubt" Kombination häufig in Innenstädten zu finden. ("Roter Kreis auf weißen Grund"-Schild plus "Fahrrad frei"-Schild). Es gibt auch Kombinationen aus mehr als 2 Schildern (Man spricht davon dass man bis zu 4 gleichzeitigen Schilder erfassen und richtig deuten kann). zB kommen Kombinationen wie "Tempolimit 30, Mo-Fr 06-14 Uhr, Schule" vor. Das bedeutet unterm Strich. "Jeden Tag von Montag bis Freitags gilt zwischen 06 und 14 Uhr ein Tempolimit von 30, aber nur wenn gerade keine Ferien oder Feiertage sind". --- The "Bicycle free" Signs are mostly found in combinations with other signs. They usually dont mean "Bicycles are allowed", rather than "Another Sign probably told you to dont drive here, but bicycles are allowed." This "Combination-Signs" are maybe the strangest, and combinations are build by one sign that mean something, and on the same pole another sign beneath adding something to it. For example "No drive through, but bicycles are allowed" can be found in downtowns ("Red-Ring on white ground"-Sign plus "Bicycle free"-Sign). There also combinations with more than 2 signs (up to 4 simulanously signs are considered "readable" and "understable"). e.g. combinations like "Speed Limit 30, Mon-Fri 06 - 14, School". That Combination telling you "Every Day from Monday through Friday between 06 and 14 o'Clock there is a speed limit set to 30, but only if the day isn't a general holiday". (These holidays are announced throughout germany and even printed on every calendar you find, usually.)

[@stephan11575]

tolles video!!!!👍👍👍👍👍

[@heinzwotala6325]

"Frei" is also very confusing for autrians, for the very reasons you mentioned. In Austria, it would read "ausgenommen Radfahrer" - "except Cyclists" (or ausgenommen whatever).

[@andistuttgart9067]

Interesting video. Liked the 'slow children' demonstration 😂. Are there more signs in the US (like the speed limit) that we do not have in Germany/Europe ?

[@LythaWausW]

My husband would describe his first time driving in America, where some of the signs on the highway have so much written information it's a complete freaking paragraph. He exclaimed, "Am I supposed to have been able to read that entire thing as I was driving by it?" *lol* Yes, and you'd better know English, or you're SOL.

[@ronik24]

In this context, "frei" could be translated as being "free of the limitations" indicated in the sign above. But it is a strange term in German as well, rather legal jargon than actually used in everyday language. By the way, not only three stripes were mentioned, but also a diamond called a triangle... ;-) Thanks for the nice video!

[@missis_jo]

One could interpret "frei" as the abbreviation of "freigegeben", no? It would still be more of a legal term than something you'd use on a regular basis 🤷‍♀️.

[@ronik24]

@@missis_jo Hi, "Freigegeben" would require the preposition "für".

[@negatjazzy]

Near my home is a "children at play" street right next to a huge playground and a local youth center. But we were never allowed to play on the streets if we were at the youth center because there where huge plant pots in a zig-zag pattern on the streets meant to make people slow down but some idiots often used them to literally... car race in slalom dowm the street... So yeah that was fun.

[@sinjaja5836]

We also have "Achtung, spielende Kinder!" which can be understood as warning the children who are playing. But they are not official. The slow mo was fun. 😹

[@vrenak]

The danish version has the text "legende børn" (lit. children at play) however the word "legende" when pronounced differently also means "legendary" so "legendary children", I guess that's better than "slow children"

[@saibot2957]

Fahrrad frei : frei von Fahrrädern (fahrradfrei)? Nein, frei für Fahrräder! Aber warum steht oft "rauchfreie Zone" oder "handyfreie Zone" unter den entsprechenden Verbotsschildern? Da bedeutet ...frei eindeutig "ohne".

[@theuncalledfor]

Eyes on the rooooaaaad!

[@mariondiemert430]

I wish you would address the Autobahn NO-NO that many Americans commit and are surprised at the Hupkonzert they encounter. It is passing on the RIGHT on the Autobahn. It is absolutely verboten and can cost a pretty penny if you get flashed or caught by the Autobahn police. Believe me, it sometimes causes huge traffic jams when some jackal drives slow on the outer left lane and more often than not, they are cited by the police for doing so. However, as long as they do drive slower than the rest of traffic, they cause much blood to boil in other drivers. Love your videos! When the speed limit is lifted, it is imperative that you can move to the right to allow a faster car to pass you. This would not be possible if there were cars passing you on the right.

[@Strongpoint100]

In dem Video geht's aber um was anderes....

[@Ulkomaalainen]

Am I too German if I notice that the trash can in the background of the introduction should be fixed?