THE STVO NOVEL 2020 – WHAT’S NEW AND THE CRITICISM
- New catalog of fines
- Prohibition of speed cameras APP
- New traffic signs
- New rules, higher penalties
- Nothing positive for motorcyclists
TWO-WHEEL CYCLISTS YES! MOTORCYCLISTS NO!
Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer is once again heavily criticized
It's not only very controversial because of the toll disaster and the consultant affair, that's clear. In February, the Federal Council the new 2020 amendment to the StVO . We probably mainly remember the controversial speed limit on the motorways, which was widely covered in the press. It has been rejected in favor of our freedom, not everyone has to agree with that, but it is generally known that we do not like being controlled and restricted in any form.
The StVO amendment came in the shadow of the speed limit discussion.
In the whole discussion about the speed limit, some important changes to the Road Traffic Act have been completely overlooked, such as the penalties for driving too fast and how quickly you have to hand over your driving license if you drove too fast and were caught speeding. You could say that this only affects those who drive too fast, but what does too fast mean and on what basis is this even decided. Who says that 50 km/h on a four-lane local road is the optimal speed and makes traffic particularly safe.
Measures against traffic flow
In any case, this does not ensure a good flow of traffic. This would all be solved much better from a technical point of view today if traffic lights were switched intelligently and the priority was that the traffic was led out of the city quickly and did not stand still for a long time. A lot would be gained that way. With variable lanes, rush hour traffic could be controlled intelligently. Commuters drive into the city in the morning and out again in the afternoon, it's always been that way, but nobody really manages it in a meaningful way.
The state is pushing us to use bicycles, buses or electric cars
This sometimes happens on large construction sites, but it would generally be a good solution. Instead, they want us to ride bikes, buses or electric cars. And they try to enforce this massively through bullying. The increased penalties will certainly not bother anyone who only drives a car sporadically. Anyone who relies on their vehicle and driving license for work is already fighting more and more every year against time and rising costs.
Vehicles are becoming increasingly intelligent and safer
All modern vehicles are becoming increasingly safer, various assistance systems take command from the driver, even the new Harley-Davidson Tourer generation, the latest safety features such as the RDRS system now used in the 2020 models.
The new amendment is intended to make traffic even safer, although our roads are now always safer. Our highways in particular are safe, but the condition is the only thing that gives you pause. The number of road deaths continues to fall; according to the Federal Office, 6.6 percent fewer people died on German motorways in 2019. Of course everyone is one too many, but does it justify implementing such a stricter amendment that you now have to give up your driving license at speeds of 21 km/h or 26 km/h too much?
Resistance across a wide area
There is now widespread resistance, the ADAC has spoken out and believes that the new StVO overshoots the mark. They miss differentiation in offenses. If you are caught speeding too much in urban areas from 21 km/h, you will receive 1 point, a 60 euro fine and a 1 month driving ban, and from 31 km/h you will receive 2 points and a 1 month driving ban. There is no difference whether it happens in front of a kindergarten or on a well-developed bypass road in the local area.
The points system was only tightened in 2014
In addition, the new tightening upsets the balance with the point system, which has been changed since 2014. Originally, the Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer intelligent solutions that regulate traffic according to the situation, but obviously we don't really know where they want to get the intelligence from.
“The death penalty does not prevent murder!”
Harsh penalties don't really do anything. Instead of focusing on the green wave, shortened construction site times with night work, intelligent traffic management and fast driving, you get tangled up in harsher penalties and driving bans.
New regulations for two-wheeler drivers
There are some innovations that are intended to ensure more safety, especially for two-wheeled riders, or let's put it this way, not for all two-wheeled riders , because motorcyclists have been forgotten again. We are still not allowed to drive through the middle on motorways and continue to have to live with route closures. In this case, one wonders how it can be that motorcyclists are not allowed to drive into some inner cities despite vehicles being registered for traffic and that motorcyclists are being locked out on more and more routes. Ultimately, motorcyclists also pay the vehicle tax.
More distance when overtaking
In the future, you will have to make sure to maintain a larger minimum distance when overtaking two-wheelers. In most cases this means that if there is oncoming traffic, it looks bad to overtake. But well, cyclists should also have their space. They don't pay vehicle tax, but everyone should be able to safely participate in traffic as they want.
A new traffic sign
What will the new traffic sign bring? First and foremost, you'll definitely title it, but what it will definitely bring is: traffic jam! It's as safe as saying Amen in church, now cyclists are also given priority on the road.
And only because the state failed to plan a safe cycle path for bicycles. Of course, cyclists have a right to be considerate, but that is already established anyway.
Roads were built for motor traffic , it's actually that simple, they pay the vehicle tax. Artificially created traffic jams are really not good for the environment and only delay the flow of traffic.
Green arrow for cyclists 
Multiple occupied passenger cars 
Cycle highway 
Cargo bike 
e-car
Cyclists now have their own green arrow for turning, their own bike zones for parking and even new cycle highways.
There is now a general ban on stopping on bicycle protection lanes. We are currently developing into #bicycleland, that wouldn't be so bad and everyone can do as they want, it just doesn't fit that on the other hand, everything that has to do with conventional combustion engines should basically be sawn off. This is a total encroachment on our basic personal rights, which we don't just have as cyclists!
BLITZER APPS are no longer permitted while driving
With the introduction of the new StVO amendment, the situation is now clearly established: speed camera apps on smartphones or in navigation systems no longer allowed to be used while driving Anyone who doesn't stick to this will pay 75 euros in the future and get one point in Flensburg. Collecting points is now easier than with Payback, one might think ironically.
Possible loopholes when using the speed camera app
Before driving you can find out more about the speed camera app , and the radio announcements will also continue to come. If there is a passenger in the vehicle, he could run this app, this would be second-hand information, similar to the radio and in that case the situation would be different.
For motorcyclists, it would also only be possible to contact the passenger, or you could find out more about it beforehand. The speed camera app in the smartphone can send the warning via Bluetooth directly to the passenger's radio helmet set, which can inform you. So far, the state has not yet set its sights on the passenger; proving it is very problematic either way. The best thing, of course, is that everyone follows the existing rules.
PURCHASED BLITZER APP IS RANKED IN THE TOP 5 IN THE APP STORE
It is not yet clear how one can prove that the app is being used if the driver has not been caught red-handed. Keep in mind that the purchased version of the speed camera app was placed in the TOP 5 of purchased APPs last year. So they are very widespread, the question immediately arises as to whether these laws are really in the name of the people if a speed camera app is so successful.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR MOTORCYCLISTS?
Motorcyclists are still not allowed to drive in the emergency lane
Anyone who violates the right-hand driving requirement on the motorway will be fined €100 and have their driving license revoked for one month. calculate. That would be the case if we drove past the parked vehicles on the highway. We could do that on the left, but the cars are in the way there. The solution would be if the emergency lane was on the far left .
We continue to be cooked in traffic jams on our motorbikes, especially in summer, because walking around on the motorway is not welcome. We simply don't have a lobby , although we could have one, because it affects every motorcyclist across all brands and ultimately also the manufacturers. The manufacturers have their own associations that can take action.
GUARD GUARDS CAN MUTILATE AND EVEN KILL MOTORCYCLISTS
It sounds a bit harsh, but that's exactly how it is! Our guardrails generally do not have underrun protection; especially in curves, they often pose a real additional risk to the life and limb of motorcyclists in the event of an accident.
This makes you wonder why this is even permissible when you otherwise have to prove operational safety for everything. Just imagine if a truck trailer had no underrun protection, it wouldn't get any approval at all. In the case of the guard rails, however, this is possible, strange, but that's how it is!
But beware if the license plate angle is more than 31 degrees, or the motorcycle is a little too loud, the second time they shut you down straight away. Guardrails undoubtedly provide protection in the event of a collision with a car, but they are deadly dangerous for motorcyclists without additional protection. They have already been responsible for various mutilations and fatal injuries.
MehrSi fights for the road safety of motorcyclists
MehrSi association has been fighting tirelessly for underrun protection, or bumpers on the guardrails, for years. You can even report accident hotspots there if you know particularly dangerous sections of the route without protection for motorcyclists. The association is financed through donations. You are MehrSi with a donation if you would like to do something good.
BITUMEN PATCHING ON OUR ROADS
When it rains they are so life-threatening, basically it's the same as with the guardrails. Bitumen patches on our roads shouldn't be allowed at all, I even got into a very dangerous situation on the highway in the rain at 80 km/h due to a long bitumen patch where the high-torque V2 engine of the Harley suddenly had no grip and was on the bitumen strip broke out, luckily I was able to catch it.
It is no news that the roads and bridges are sometimes in a catastrophic condition, unfortunately the holes in the roads are often only filled with this liquid bitumen and when it rains they do not give the tires any grip and become a real danger to the lives of motorcyclists. But our responsible politicians still don't seem to really care about that either.
At least when it comes to the StVO amendment, resistance is taking the form of petitions and requests to speak. Here is a list of what you can read about it on the internet and where you can get involved in the form of a petition!
Copyright information: Image credits: Federal Ministry of Transport Text: Harleysite
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Why do you assume that cyclists don't pay a flat rate vehicle tax?
Furthermore, police vehicles don't pay vehicle tax. Should they now be taken off the road? Roads are also not built for motor vehicle traffic, because roads are much longer than motor vehicles. Compare the tax revenue from motor vehicles with the renovation costs of the roads. Everyone pays for it because the infrastructure is destroyed by motor vehicles.
And a little too loud and a little too fast is shit for the rest of us.
What a one-sided car report. It's not just about motorized vehicle traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists also want to get ahead. And city residents don't want to suffer from traffic either. P.S. Anyone who follows the rules has nothing to fear. PPS and 21 km/h can mean the difference between life and death.