Safety Information

Winter Tires:

German law, as presently written and which went into effect on 1 May 2006, does not actually specify that an automobile must have “winter tires”. The law simply states that vehicles must have tires that are “appropriate for the conditions”, but does not specify clearly what kind of tires those must be. However, we recommend to our customers to change to winter tires or tires that are clearly marked with “M+S” and/or snowflake symbol on the side circa mid October. In the case of an accident during the winter, the lack of appropriate tires can have an effect on your liability, influence your insurance cover, and might have legal consequences.

Emergency Equipment:

It is a regulatory requirement that the following items must be carried along in every automobile in Germany at all times. The lack of the appropriate emergency equipment might lead to a fine. Please note that some countries within Europe have different requirements:

• Warning triangle
• Safety vest
• First aid kit (complete and not expired).The content of a valid first aid kit for automobiles is defined by DIN standard. Please make sure that you purchase a valid kit
• Rescue blanket

Child safety seat:

Paragraph § 21 Section of the German Road Traffic Act (Straßenverkehrsordnung) states that a child younger than 12 years old and smaller than 1.50 m must by law be carried in a special age appropriate child safety seat. Children older than 12 years old and children taller than 1.50 m must not be carried in a child safety seat. An appropriate child safety seat has an ECE-seal of approval and has to fit to the size and weight of the child carried within.