SSGRex, no, it appears that the German part of my family came from Alsace, although one of them (by marriage) was in Fredick the Greats Army and was made a provincial governor due to his performance during a battle. Of course, then he got smart, protested a tax that he didn't agree with enforcing, was thrown in the klink for 60 days, then protested being thrown in the klink and was about to be thrown back in, and decided it would be a good time to try out those new American colonies...
I won't say it's a well orchestrated ballet on the Autobahn. The one BIG problem I see over there, is that since ALL trucks (small Fiat delivery trucks to the big articulated Volvo OTR haulers) are limited to 80km/h(48mph) and stick to it, well, when one guy in a little Fiat pulls out to pass a couple big guys, and won't go over 85km/h, well, you get the picture! SO, that is the stuff you really have to watch out for. I had a guy pull out into the passing lane in an Audi doing about 120km/h, and I was doing about 220 km/h, and apparently he didn't look in his mirrors first. Well, let me tell you, even with Anti-lock brakes, my rear wheels LOCKED, but I avoided a collision, kept it straight, CRAPPED my drawers, and backed it down to a more sedate 160 km/h. And, you do get Sunday drivers over there, just like here, who will camp in the left lane, but not anywhere NEAR the level over here. Normally, for a German to get a license, it costs approximately 1500 Euros (about $2000 now) out of his own pocket just to go to driving school, which quite some time. But, it's not like our drivers Ed here. They take you out and teach you to drive in traffic, in the rain, at night, etc... It seems you actually get your money's worth. Then, you have to pay another couple grand to get the license itself, although it is issued for life I believe, but still, about $4000 just to have the PRIVILEDGE to drive. And that's not even getting into the cost of a car (which has to meet stringent safety regulations every other year, which make our emissions and safety insepctions look like a joke!), and insurance, and gas at about $5-6 a gallon and so on. So, no, it's not perfect over there, but there is a seriousness to being behind the wheel that I appreciate (like not seeing EVERY single driver on a cellphone!) there, that I don't see here in the States. Do I want the costs of driving and getting a license there, no, but I'll gladly take the manners and respect for other drivers any day.
