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driving in Germany and Poland in winter: legislation?

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  • driving in Germany and Poland in winter: legislation?

    Hello,

    Need some advice from Murcers in Germany and Poland...
    When driving in Germany in winter, does one need special things? (winter tyres, ...)

    The aim is just to drive through Germany (autobahn) on the way to Poland.

    And what about the legislation in Poland?

    thanks!

    Jörg
    pixar
    Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

  • #2
    AS FAR AS I KNOW there's no general law in Germany that says that you have to use winter tires. On the other hand the legislation says that the use of winter tires depends on the weather situation. If someone driving on normal tires in extreme weather conditions (for example heavy snowfall) causes an accident he can be blaimed.
    Consequence: It's always a good idea to use winter tires when driving in Germany in winter.

    P.S: If you understand some german you can google "Winterreifenpflicht in Deutschland".
    Asus H97 Pro Gamer| Intel i5 4690K| Noctua NH-U9B SE2 | Gigabyte GTX 1060 Windforce 3GB | Soundblaster ZxR | 8 GB Kingston HyperX Genesis DDR3 1600| LG 24 MP88HV-S

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    • #3
      Can't answer for Germany or Poland, but in Switzerland most drivers shod their cars with snow tyres each winter and ordinary tyres come the spring. They also carried chains in the boot, even if they never left the plain. It can otherwise be embarrassing if there's a 50 cm snowfall, even on the Autobahnen. I've been very glad to have good snow tyres many times and also chains on a few occasions, even at low altitudes.

      Make sure you put a special antifreeze detergent in your windscreen pisser and good blades on the wipers. Carry a good blanket on the back seat and some water/chocolate. I never needed to use them, but roads can get blocked for hours, even overnight, if some idiot on summer tyres tries to overtake everyone else (and there are always idiots).

      Bon voyage!
      Brian (the devil incarnate)

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      • #4
        Originally posted by Lambo-Fan View Post
        AS FAR AS I KNOW there's no general law in Germany that says that you have to use winter tires. On the other hand the legislation says that the use of winter tires depends on the weather situation.
        Yes, that is what I thought it was: not mandatory by the letter of the law, but implied by it. I just wasn't sure there was no distinction made between mountains, and regular roads or so.

        Originally posted by Brian Ellis View Post
        if some idiot on summer tyres tries to overtake everyone else (and there are always idiots).
        Subtle... very subtle!

        Thanks guys!

        Oh, what about the spare tire? Does it also need to be a winter tire or not?
        (in my car, the spare tire is of regular size, not such a small emergency thingy)

        Jörg
        pixar
        Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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        • #5
          AFAIK, there is no obligation to carry a spare tyre, so it doesn't have to be a given type. I always had a summer tyre as spare, although I never recall having to use it, either, in winter, in 35 Swiss winters. Snow tyres are very tough: only the outer tread is a high-hysteresis rubber.
          Brian (the devil incarnate)

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          • #6
            Here it's mandatory to have winter equipment (either winter tires on wheels or chains in the car) between October and April and majority of people change tires twice a year.

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            • #7
              no, it's not mandatory to use winter tyres, but if you have an accident, insurances won't cover the costs.

              And you can get a ticket from police if you drive on snow with summer tyres, as you have to adjust the equipment of the car to the weather condition.

              R.
              "Women don't want to hear a man's opinion, they just want to hear their opinion in a deeper voice."

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              • #8
                ok, thanks for confirming!
                pixar
                Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow. (James Dean)

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