European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 4, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Cover Story americans need reprogramming to motor in Britain continued from Page 5 makes it pretty difficult for the defense lawyer to make much of a  when it comes time to Flag Down a traffic offender a a a police sign is flipped Down Over the rear window and a Blue flashing Light goes on. The innocent looking opel is suddenly a super police car. A we arc under Way from 7 . To 7 ,�?� said Adler. A we of course have to be at the right place at the right time but in 12 hours we generally Flag Down 10  the station has had the video set up for about two years. Adler said it has been a great help. A before we had it it took Page after typewritten Page to describe a traffic offence a he said. The video camera is equipped with a Small screen placed in front of the police cards dashboard that shows the Date time and Speed travelled by the police car and the car being tracked. Each autobahn police group has one such video equipped car said Adler. The cars used Are generally those produced in the local area. Hessen police drive opals which Are produced in . In Bavaria the local car is a Bow. In Baden  it is the Mercedes. The Darmstadt Crew also has a second unmarked police car at its disposal. A fire red opel it is equipped with a police radio but no video. The police take special German car club courses for High Speed driving under varying weather conditions. After a look at video clips taken during autobahn patrols its obvious Why. In oxide scenario the opel Windshield wipers indicating heavy rain tailed a Mercedes travelling at 117 Mph. A we can to give a speeding ticket but it is criminal to drive like that under such Road conditions a said Adler who had put the clips together. A fall German police wish there were a Speed limit for Federal highways Quot said Pagen Kopf. A a we re the Only european country without one and by Amy Geiszler Jones . Bureau he roads Are narrow. The roundabouts May strike fear into the hearts of american Drivers. Heaped on top of that you re driving Down the a a wrong Side of the Road when you re motoring in great Britain. Britons will politely Point but that they do not drive or the wrong Side of the Road. It is simply the left Side of the Road. Most new Drivers arc apprehensive about driving in Britain because of that left Side business said staff sgt. Ron Steiger Raf Chicksands safety office. Steiger the non commissioned officer in charge of the base safety division has been teaching the new Driver orientation class at Chicksands since 1988. Steiger said that even before those Drivers get into a car they May already be experiencing what it Means to have traffic flowing Down the left Side of a Road. �?o1 Tell them the most dangerous thing they arc going to do is Cross the Street. They even have to traffic is getting denser every  there have been numerous campaigns to impose such limits. All have been met with howls of protests. Opinion polls have shown that germans done to believe Speed limits would lower exhaust fumes noise or stress or improve Road manners. In another of adlers audio video strips there was the screeching of brakes As a car speeding at 101 Mph Cut in front of the police from the right. A that fellow did get a ticket a said Adler. So did the Driver of the car going 91 Mph in a 62-Mph Speed zone and the 80-Mph Driver Riding the car in front at less than 43 feet. The latter was in for a Fine of 300 Marks four penalty Points and loss of License for one month. While they Are patrolling the autobahn the police deliver a commentary describing the scene and giving their position. This soundtrack is often punctuated by gasps and such remarks As a ooh my god look at that. Look what he a doing now a although the autobahn police charge that american driving habits Are deteriorating they done to always get their Man. Usa eur License plates they grumble Are hard to photograph. The License numbers Are too Small and the plates reflect the Light a making it difficult to get a Clear print. Look in the other direction when they Cross the Road a he said. Habit May Force new Drivers to the right Side of the Road. Quot a they have All this Learned information that a going to give them the wrong impulses and they now have to be reprogrammed like a computer a Steiger said. I another hang up for new Drivers is roundabouts the traffic circles that Are the British solution to intersections. A a that a probably one of the biggest nightmares for americans. When do you enter and when do you exit a roundabout and who has the right of Way a said tech. Sgt. Gordon Anderson Raf Alconbury a ground safety manager. Right of Way belongs to the cars already in the circular pattern to your right. A it does no to look As if it works with All them cars milling around but it docs work. Its a lot better than an intersection a Steiger said. Those who drive american made cars will find passing or overtaking vehicles a bit dangerous. Steiger and Anderson agreed. A you can to Sec around the vehicle you want to overtake a Steiger  sizzles with Road pitfall by Anita Gosch staff writer they keep on trucking a and getting their pictures taken. Its summertime. The weather a great the suns shining the roads Are Clear. Its the perfect time to get out and tear at full Speed Down the Highway. After All there Are no Winter hazards like ice and Snow to worry about right Well you could find yourself in a Heap of rubble if you think that driving in the summer is perfectly Safe. There Are numerous hazards you might not even think about As you Speed merrily Down the Road a hazards that could Lead to accidents and cause traffic jams. Streets in heat. The heat of the Sun beating Down on the Road can cause the Concrete a a platters on highways to stretch according to Werner Schwebel of the autobahn police in Darmstadt Germany. Grooves placed Between the platters or slabs Are usually wide enough to compensate for the concretes expansion. But in extreme heat a Platter May expand to such an extent that there a no More room in the Groove. When that happens one Side of the Platter could Rise several inches. The effect would be like driving at full Speed into a razor Blade. The Edge of the Platter could slash one or More tires through to the rim. Aqua planing. This potential Hazard can happen during unexpected  driven into a puddle at High speeds a cards tires May lose Contact with the Road and. Skim across the water like water skis making the vehicle virtually impossible to steer. Schwebel suggests keeping your Speed at 100 Kilometres per hour 60 Mph during heavy rainfall. Pain in the Lane. Americans penchant for choosing a Lane of a multilane autobahn and staying on it a As they do Back Home a can be dangerous on the autobahn because it hinders the Speed flow says Schwebel. Under the Law other Drivers must Cross Over to the left Lane when they want to pass a car in the Center even though the right Lane May be free. Schwebel suggests that americans who drive according to the slower Speed limits in the United states should steer to the right  6 a sunday August 4, 1991