Shocking Things ILLEGAL in Germany!
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- Did you know all of these things were banned in Germany?! From certain dog breeds, to noise regulations, to the placement of human remains I was shocked to find out how different laws are in Germany compared to the United States. It seems a lot of the outlawed things have either a benefit to human safety or the environment, so maybe it’s America that’s weird! Like I said in the video, some of these “outlaws” may not be heavily enforced, so if you have any opinions on what was said please let me know in the comments!
Instagram: @montana.showalter
Current Sub Count: 66,600
Are you German? Study in the US for FREE www.bundestag.de/ppp
Are you American? Study in Germany for FREE www.usagermanyscholarship.org/
Who am I?
My name is Montana Showalter, and I was a participant of the Congress Bundestag Youth Exchange program in 2019-2020. I started my RUclips channel while living in Germany and continue to make videos on German vs American culture. I love finding aspects of German culture in the US as well as producing videos in German as practice! In the future I hope to live abroad again :)
------------------------------
Music: Poolside- LiQWYD Audio Library Release
As an obvious foreigner no German police officer will fine you for saying “du”.
It's also new to me. But it could be that he fines you because of being rude and yelling at him some phrases maybe. So always be kind and coop and you'll be okay. =)
But they would and there are some court cases were it was "Beamtenbeleidigung" and there are fined for that (i think after pissed them really of)
It is not against the law in Germany to say "Du" to a Police officer as I know, but there is a law against insulting someone. So it is about the Intention and how you speak with the Police officer. If you are rude and disrespectful he/she might feel like you are insulting him/her.
Btw there is no specific law in Germany against insulting an official ("Beamtenbeleidigung').
@@brianbuttner5439 ur wrong, if you say "du" to a police officer you can get fined 600€
the court normaly counts it as degrading of the officer and you get to pay alot of money xD and no there is no official law against insulting officials but a law against insulting ANYONE and officials normaly are trusted before the court
@@DaxRaider Yes and No. As I wrote If you say "Du" without the Intention to insult the Police officer It is not against the law.
Yes there were cases in the past were people had to pay for using the "Du" to a Police officer, but only If they used it in a way that it was an insult.
About the red light: Adults cross when kids aren't around and kids cross when adults aren't around it's like swearing in the US.
That's the most poignant way of phrasing it I've ever read - gotta keep it in mind.
Also I often hear Berliners claim that jaywalking was completely unheard of in Munich. I live in Munich. I jaywalk and see people jaywalk everyday. I occasionally jaywalk in front of a police car. I've never been yelled at or fined for jaywalking ever.
@@fariesz6786 I think it’s legal if there isn’t pedestrian lights nearby. But don’t ask me how far they have to be away. ^^
@@3.k There is no exact number, only some court decisions. If I recall it correctly, some courts came to the conclusion that it can be expected to walk 50m to the next light. Others decided that it was unreasonable to expect 100m of them. ^^
I live next to a school. Each summer, at the beginning of the term, the next crossing is supervised by some cops. They don't fine anybody, but talking to the students, why Not to jaywallk
@@hmpeter In driving school I learned it's 50 meters. So I guess that's the official answer
In fact using "Du" to address a police officer is not illegal as such, as long as it is clear from the context, that it isn't meant as an insult, or to express disrespect.
In Germany, we say "Der Ton macht die Musik" (lit: "It's the tone that makes the music"), which basically means: If you approach them friendly, you usually are fine, if you are aggressive, they might anwer in kind.
BTW: When it comes to insults, in German law (§145 StGB) there is no difference between insulting an officer or insulting any other person (the only exception being insults to the Bundespräsident (§ 90 StGB)).
yes, the only diffrence between insulting a police officer and someone else is, that it is more labourous for normal people to report an insult and that is more difficult to proof, as the other just can say, he didn't say it.
but it doesnt matter as the officer in front of court says you said "du" and you say "oh but i had another tone saying it ... it rly doesnt amtter BAM 600€ xD
@@DaxRaider the "du" is considered an insult and is not explicitly mentioned in a law. So: if you are otherwise friendly, apologize afterward and explain german is not your 1st language, the "du" can NOT be interpreted as an insult and you therefore can not get fined.
an other thing: the fine for insulting is dependent on your income: if jeff Bezos came and insulted someone, he might have to pay several millions, while some poor student without own income just has to pay much less than the 600€
@@lphaetaamma291 Even a police officer would need some evidence or a witness (that's why you only see them patrolling in pairs, and (in some states) wearing bodycams). For civilians, it is actually slightly less of a hassle to report an insult, as police officers would also need to include it in their report, in addition to pressing charges. Those police officers I know are not very keen on additional paperwork, so even if they feel insulted, it might not be worth the trouble.
The difference etween "Beleidigung" and "Beamtenbeileidigung" (which doen't exist in the first place) is, that police officers know the law, and will sue you for it, if they feel insulted, other than normal people, who usually don't
Yes, stopping on the Autobahn is illegal and only allowed in an uninvoidable emergency.
Running out of gas is an avoidable emergency. So you will get fined for it.
You could have refueled your car in time.
@@c.norbertneumann4986 Especially with gas stations around every 30km. Not filling up is negligence.
This definitely makes sense!
there is no excuse for runing out of gas on the Autobahn except plain stupidity and that should be punished if you ask me. :)
@@hofkapellmeister6676 These fines are so low compaired to what we have in the Netherlands. Being on the shoulder with your vehicle for no good reason can result in a €500 fine or even losing your license. This includes stopping, but also accidentely driving on the shoulder with two wheels or passing a traffic jam on the right. It's treated as a criminal offence here.
The thought of keeping my dead relatives remains in my living room is pretty weird to me. XD
Du brauchst keine Angst haben wenn du Polizisten mit „Du“ ansprichst. Sie hören das du keine deutsche bist.
Und anders als amerikanische Polizisten sind unsere hier meistens „Bürger in Uniform“ die mit sich reden lassen. Sie müssen sich nicht so profilieren. In Amerika hatte ich immer das Gefühl, dass der Polizist nach „i am in charge here and u are nothing „ handelt und redet
Richtig. Oftmals müssen sich unsere Polizisten auch blöde anmachen lassen
Wenn uns C*orona eines gelehrt hat dann das Polizisten sicher *keine* Bürger in Uniform sind sondern Befehlsempfänger die genau DAS tun was man ihnen aufträgt, völlig egal wie unsinnig, Realitätsfern, mitunter brutal, gegen geltendes Recht verstoßend oder sonst was es ist.
@@Teng711 Du bist echt ein Lappen :D
I totally agree with Patricks opinion. Here in Germany, you don`t have to be afraid of getting shot when pulled over. So there is really nothing to be afraid of compared to the US. In my lifetime I have gotten pulled over twice so far and its not a big deal at all. Thankfully this didnt happen to me in America a single time so far :-) I know that some americans even have cameras inside the vehicle to record whats going on when being pulled over.
In finland you know you are in trouble as soon police becomes super friendly and uses honorifics, as long they treat you eye to eye you are good.
Kinder Surprise eggs are forbidden in the US because they are considered as dangerous (whereas you can buy guns at Walmart). XD I think that tops everything you have mentioned. XD
The eggs are forbidden because it’s illegal to sell something inedible inside something edible.
I wonder if fortune cookies are illegal in the U.S. as well. 🤔
@@3.k Well, a court would have to consider them edible first. :D
@@3.k but don't they have cornflakes with toys in them as well? We definitely had them in the 90s in Germany inside the food packaging, was this just never a thing in the US or was the toy in the carton box but outside of the plastic packed food?
Such a stupid rule! As if anyone would eat those plastic toys.
@@3.k I think they are legal, because you can technically eat paper without causing anything unhealthy in yourself it's just gross. So it is edible, just not tasteful. If that makes any sense
Show respect to a German officer and be polite. Then you can make nearly every mistake. You can also say that you are nervous and hope to make everything right. They will surely smill at you and try to make you feal comfortable.
in opposite to US cops, who will shot you first and ask your dead body later!
It's allowed to own animal urns in your house. Just not humans.
I mean, as far as I know, you could own and keep the urn... it just can't be, y'know, filled (not a lawyer, please don't sue me)
@@thomas16green you’re sued
@@thomas16green criminal complaint is on it`s way.
Though, some people still do it. Mostly by having the urn transported to some other country. Officially, to bury it there or do a sea funeral. If you actually do that, or just get it delivered back home... nobody cares really.
@@e.l.l.y. You're allowed to keep a small amount of ashes that should be enough.
For the German mind, crossing the street on red is worse than jaywalking. So you often see people walking past the red light and crossing the street 30m down the road....
in most US states, pedestrians must yield to cars when not at a crosswalk or intersection. Cars will watch for pedestrians at an intersection. Not so much on a straight section of road. I mean, they certainly will not deliberately hit you, but crossing at an intersection is definitely safer.
At the same time, if you visit, be aware that cars can turn right on red. If you are approaching the intersection, it is ok for them to turn. Once you are at the curb, just glance to be sure they stop, or make eye contact with the driver. Once you are more than one lane away from the curb, cars will typically start turning again, unless there are other pedestrians. Cars are not allowed to turn left on red, unless it is a one-way street.
@@Trifler500 It's the same in Germany. If there is no pedestrian crosswalk then pedestrians must yield to cars. As a pedestrian you have to wait until there are no cars, then you can cross. That is generally not illegal, but if there's a crosswalk in close proximity you technically have to use that. That said, smaller crossroads - even in cities - have no pedestrian crosswalks anyway.
@@tiberius8390 Ah, OK then. I guess the original post just seems odd to me then, because the odds of being hit are certainly much higher if you don't cross at an intersection here. Thus, jaywalking is illegal in the US.
I never hear anyone complain when you don't do it before people who might misunderstand the situation - like children, old people, people with poor eyesight.
As a american you wont get fined for using "du" with a police man. Thats becausd its not meant disrespecting, they wont blame you for your german skills.
@@marcelobib Even if they would, german policeman sometimes act like assholes cause they can, you dont need to worry. The court will cancel the fine. There are enough court decisions.
Legally you can call them anything you want in the USA - that is freedom of speach.
@@Octopussyist Thats not true. They can fine you if you call them assholes or somethinh simular.
@@user-nm2kb1bg9x Really - how are all those guys in the audit videos getting away with it?
Running out of gas is not illegal at the highway. It's illegal to stop at the highway. If you run out of gas and manage your car keep going, you're totally fine 😁
Yep, that is the reason many older cars had these long sticks for an antenna. If you ran out of gas you just put a sail on and declare it a sailboat! At least that is what my grandpa taught me when I was five years old (•‿•)
And don't forget all these trailer with horses. Now I know why so many people carry horses with them
@@wora1111 ohhh thats cute!
Haha! How does one do that?
@@MontanaShowalter Tag one piece of the cloth at the lower part of the Antenna, one corner to the top end, sit on the roof of the car and "blow"
And don't forget to take a selfie!
The environmental rules and rules how to live together depend on the density of the population. Germany is, besides some smaller countries like the Netherlands, the most dense populated country in Europe (the reason is also the expulsion from the eastern areas after World War II). The more dense people live together, the more rules you need. This is also the reason why e.g. California has more strict rules than other states in the U.S.
Whereas California is the most populated state in the US with 40 million residents (about 40 percent of US population), it is also one of the largest states (almost twice the size of Britain). As being a born and bred Californian, the reason we have some of the most regulations is that we are one the most liberal states in tha US and believe in the necessity of those regulations. Some like it, some hate it.
I should have said California is about 1/4 (25%) of the US population.
Florida is the top 3 largest states in the US. They dont have a lot of rules. You want to take your pickup truck in the Everglades? Go for it. You want to raise your pickup truck so the bumper 6 feet (almost 2m) off of the street and drive it on the street? Go for it. You want to take a Volkswagon bus cut off the roof and put a V8 in it and drive it on the street? Go for it. You want to dump fertilizer into the Everglades? Go for it. Now Florida especially Miami has the strictest building codes in the US. Some people argue it's the strictest in the world. Now dont come at me with the building collapse in Miami. That building was 40 years old. The new rules started 29 years ago. All the old (old means buildings built before 1992) buildings were grandfathered in. Buildings that were built before 1992 could be a shitty construction.
@@jessicaely2521 Cause an accident by driving such a do-it-yourself car and get sued for three trillion dollars.
@@caliscribe2120 The US has 330 million inhabitans, so 40 million is about 12% of the total US population.
Urnes aren't allowed to be kept at home because in Germany you have to be burried, not matter if you're religious or not. It's a law. And that includes being burried in a urne or in a coffin.
Sea burials are also possible tho.
Urns are not buried. Ashes can also be scattered. And even if you bring the urn home with little tricks, hardly any authority will repudiate it. On the one hand it would be tasteless and on the other hand most of the cemeteries are overcrowded.
I just checked. In Switzerland it's legal to have urnes at home.
I was in San Diego long time ago, and it was very strange to me as a german, that the cashier (maybe not 21) in a super market was not allowed to touch my boddle of wine. She had to ask another lady to finish the job. My first thoughts was where is the hidden camera.
Kids under 18 cant sell alcohol in most US states. The reason is they could sell alcohol to their friends. You can come after someone that's 18 with adult criminal charges. You can't do that with someone under 18. You are an adult at 18 in the US. I'm not sure if California is stricter than the rest of the US. I can see the point of not allowing kids to sell alcohol, but I dont see the point of giving kids a job where they have to ask an adult to pour to ring the alcohol.
@@jessicaely2521 Well not the cashier is selling you stuff, its the supermarket! So it is a contract from goods to money from store to customer. I don't see, why a under 21 or even much younger could not just do his job. I mean, they are not going to buy this stuff for them selfes?! Stupid law. :D
There are two things missing Americans might consider weird but are illegal in Germany:
1st You are not allowed to own, or carry weapons unless you have a requirement.
2nd It is illegal to use corporal punishment for parents, non at all. We don't hit our kids.
I think you mean: "corporal punishment by parents". As you wrote it, the parents get punished, which got me cracking up. In some cases, it wouldn't be a bad idea.
@@seorsamaclately4294 😂you’re right…
Its illegal to hit your kids in a lot of the states in the US also. It depends what state you are in. In the states where it is illegal you just have to be caught or have your kid say that mommy or daddy hits me. Laws for children is extremely strict when compared to a lot of European countries. Some areas in the US you can be arrested for child abuse if you tell your kids to play in the background without you out there. Now in some areas in Germany kids are walking to Kindergarten by themselves. Kids even go to the playground by themself in some areas in Germany.
Meine Güte, was der Übersetzer ausgibt, kann unmöglich da stehen!
Thank you so much for not cutting the part with the underwater bridge! 😂😁👍
You can wash your car at any time in Germany, too whether in the public area or on your own driveway but only with clear water without detergent. If you use a detergent that will pollute the environment and you will be punished: Washing cars, of course, but without detergent, there are extra washing points where you can use detergent. They have an oil and gasoline separator.
Good to see how you’re lighting up when you’re talking about getting back to Germany. I hope that it’s going to go well! 🤗
I'm more shocked that you accept having a dead persons remains in your homes as normal.
I'm guessing the law was made before cremation became a thing?
@@Trifler500 I guess having someone's ashes at home is being regarded as "disturbance of the dead's peace" which is a felony btw
@@lapislazuli2896 Huh... I would never imagine them as hanging around.
It is kinda strange. I would feel so weird if I knew that my dead grandma was just chilling in the next room over
To me as a german it’s weird as well but I guess it’s a culture thing. Like how open caskets are a thing in America while this would be considered SO creepy in Germany
You might have misunderstood the "Du"-thing with police officers, although it is not at all polite, you could use the informal version of verbs and say "du" to police officers(in some regions it´s actually the norm). But saying "DU!" with a raised voice, maybe even lifting your forefinger is sometimes considered as a threat, as it is comparable to the English "Be careful!" (often used by "Karens").
edit: In many situations policemen will actually use the informal verbform to deescalate, calm down, or reduce stigma against them. (showing they can relate to the other person)
Unfortunately, I can only partially agree with you here. Perhaps there are differences in different regions in Germany, as the "Du" is handled with police officers but here in Rheinlandpfalz i think a large part of the police officers feel it as impolite to be addressed with "Du". Mostly they talk to you about it and if you still do not refrain from it, you can get a complaint for insult.
Yes the Police also say „Du“
@@dennismulti9459 I think you didn´t read carefully, I said that it is considered quite impolite. BUT you don´t get fined for it. Only if it´s with bad intentions. And it always depends on the situation. (For example: deescalating a fight on the reeperbahn vs a standard traffic control)
@@dennismulti9459 Ja, but that is a perfectly fine way to talk to a Native (=German). But I doubt there would be many Polizisten, that handle a Foreigner that way.
some people had to pay 600€ for using "du" against police xD so no u cant
The most common thing about jaywalking is that you get yelled at by other people: "There are children watching!" Which is kind of true, because children who cannot yes evaluate the traffic situation that well might copy that behaviour and get involved into an accident.
Some children can't evaluate the traffic situation. My brother and I were damn good at evaluating the traffic situation when we were 5. We walked to school and there was a street where you couldn't get across the street before the light turned red as a little kid. We would get 1/2 way and then wind our way through traffic. This area killed more old people than kids. Old people would walk directly in front of cars. They ended up changing the light so it was easier to cross
In Austria it is not allowed to throw glass bottles into the glass recycling bin on Sundays or at night (because that makes a quite loud noise).
It's the same rule ein Germany! Every container has a sign telling you: Mo-Sa 10:00-20:00 ore something like that
I did not know about Autobahn law for running out of fuel! Good to know as I'm getting a new car this weekend! Danke!
in Ireland they used to close the pubs after Sunday lunch,there´d be a hush and quiet rest over the whole country until 6pm, now everything is open every day until late, you get no rest nor break from the hussle and namely no friendly faces anywhere because of that. I sure miss that lull in the day and the happy rush to the pub afterwards.
Awesome video as always!
A random law in Germany that I know of is that you’re allowed to drive around in your car naked as long as you stay inside of the car. The moment you get out it’s considered illegal. It’s hilarious when you think about it. 🤣🤣
Also a happy 4th of July to you, your family and friends, Montana! Have a great day! ^^
Yeah, that's true. Because it's "in your own property". :D
how can this be illegal if nudity isn't illegal in germany? there is not a single law that forbids public nudity in germany hence it cant be illegal,
illegal means "against the law".. being nude is in the worst case a "Ordnungswidrigkeit" (administrative offence) and even that only if someone sees you and feels offended.. if a cop sees you it will most likely end with you being sent off aka "Platzverweis".. so if you want to you can stroll naked in the middle of the city and the chances are high that nothing will happen... worst case: you get sent away and told to dress up
quote"Strafrechtlich verboten ist öffentliche Nacktheit ohne sexuellen Bezug zwar nicht, doch auch hier kann durch den § 118 OWiG ein Bußgeld blühen. In der Praxis wird meist ein Platzverweis ausgesprochen, eine Verfolgung als Ordnungswidrigkeit geschieht dagegen nur selten.
"
quote: "Der in diesen Fragen meist relevante § 118 gilt als so genannter Gummiparagraph. Da der Paragraph so allgemein und unbestimmt formuliert ist, lässt sich das entsprechende Gesetz gummiartig dehnen. Daher kommt es hier oftmals auf den zugrunde liegenden Einzelfall an - und auf die Auslegung der Richter. Doch landen Fälle von Nacktheit in der Öffentlichkeit selten vor Gericht."
so the random law that you think you know does not exist at all, but feel free to let me know § and article
@@crappiefisher1331 “Ja, es ist erlaubt, unbekleidet Auto zu fahren. Es gibt kein Gesetz, das dies per se verbietet. Der Deutsche Anwaltverein (DAV) macht in diesem Fall rechtlich gesehen keinen Unterschied zwischen unbekleideten Fußgängern und unbekleideten Autofahrern. Bevor sich jetzt alle Autofahrer ihrer Kleidung entledigen: diese Erlaubnis gilt natürlich nicht uneingeschränkt. Es kann nämlich durchaus eine Ordnungswidrigkeit sein - nämlich dann, wenn sich Passanten oder andere Autofahrer belästigt fühlen und die Angelegenheit wegen Belästigung der Allgemeinheit (§ 118 Ordnungswidrigkeitengesetz) zur Anzeige bringen.
Steigt also ein unbekleideter Autofahrer beispielsweise aus seinem Fahrzeug aus und ein anderer stört sich daran, droht theoretisch ein Bußgeld. Praktisch kommt es aber nur selten dazu, denn in den meisten Fällen werden Personen, die nichts an haben, in der Öffentlichkeit schlicht des Platzes verwiesen. Kommt es doch zu einer Zahlung, kann diese aber saftig ausfallen. Zwischen fünf und maximal 1.000 Euro können fällig werden.”
@@DerRoemer2000 es geht mir darum, dass du gesagt hast, dass es ein gesetz gesetz nach welchem es illegal ist nackt aus dem auto zu steigen, wohingegen es legal ist nackt auto zu fahren...
tatsache ist aber, dass eben beides nicht illegal ist. es gibt in DE kein gesetz gegen nacktheit in der öffentlichkeit.. kannst also wenn du bock hast nackt durch die innenstadt laufen... im schlimmsten fall ist es eine ordnungwidrigkeit, die mit geldbuße geahndet werden "kann" es aber in der regel nicht wird und meist kommt nur ein platzverweis raus...
verwechseln darf man das ganze natürlich nicht mit exhibitionismus, den der ist tatsächlich strafbar... laut gesetzt allerdings nur wenn du ein mann bist.. equality ftw!!!
@@crappiefisher1331 Guess she meant that Erregung öffentlichen Ärgernisses. And you could get fined because of that. So here we are.
The second person singular in English was earlier (time of Shakespeare, old English bible) "thou". This has been replaced by the more polite second person plural "you". So when an Englishman says "you" that is the polite "Sie". You can also say "du" (= thou). The spelling reveals th-> d , ou-> u.
There are three "Sie" in German: second person singular polite, always with a capital letter.
The "sie" means she (third person singular female, only h ->i ) and the third person plural, which means they (th -> s, y -> ie )
To make it complicated, "Mädchen" is neuter, not female, because it is diminutive from "Maid" (old German) or "Magd" (newer German) = maid.
Yes you're not allowed to be noisy at night or on Sundays but most neighbors will either call you or knock on your door or shout out of the window to you to be quiet. And yes often they will also call the police, but cops will only tell you to be quiet and if you are they won't come back and there won't be any trouble.
3:13 I had my graduation party in a garden the week before last week and an old man walked up to the garden and told us to turn the music off because it's too late. It was 30 minutes before what the law says. Noise can really be a problem.
I once said to two policemen, "Sagt mal, habt ihr 'nen Vogel?" when they stopped me in the middle of the night on a lonely road. They used the "du" towards me, too, and told me that my rear license plate lighting wasn't working. I got out of my car and saw they were right. No fine at all, I just had to promise to get it fixed. Which I did. It was a problem with a rubber sealing and water, no big deal.
Keeping an urn in my house, I must say, I find that a little creepy. I'm German, you know. Although I want to be cremated one day (because rotting in a coffin is still much creepier), they shall bury that urn at a cemetery.
I guess the urn thing could be creepy, but since it's always been around since I was little it's not as weird to me! Funny how your upbringing influences your perspective so much!
I say pot-ah-to, you say pot-ay-to, I say tunnel, you say "underwater bridge" 🤣
Thx for that hilarious bit 😆
"Zoll" is the German customs agency.
They operate on many levels like a border police often found at airports, stations and borders. They also drive similar cars as the police but they're green and silver instead of blue and silver.
The law you mentioned also has ,Einfuhr' in the title, meaning import so that's probably why it's on their website
The Zoll has switched to blue/silver cars as well, if any green Zoll cars are still around they're older.
"Hundeverbringungs-und-Einführungsbeschränkungsgesetz" - awesome!
May I take you saying this as ring tone for my mobile? :-) That made my day! Would that be inappropriate?
The reason why it's forbidden to keep urns at home is because in Germany the deceased have the "right to rest" (Totenruhe) and it can't be guaranteed when people take the ashes home. I think one of the big worries is that people will just take the urns home bc they can't or don't want to afford a proper burial and will dispose of the remains otherwise. They actually have to be buried in a cemetary (e.g. burial at sea is not legal to my knowledge). I myself (and probably many other Germans) find it weird and creepy to take urns home anyways, so funeral costs would be the number one reason why some people would want the law adjusted
Burials at sea are not only allowed but quite common in the north ;)
It wasn't that long ago in Germany that commercial sale of goods on workdays after 6:30 p.m. was prohibited by law. On Saturdays, shops even had to close at 1:00 o'clock p.m. No visitor from abroad could understand this absurdity.
Well crossing the street as a pedestrian with a red light is definitely something you get fined in California - personal experience. never got a fine for that in germany
Love your videos! On crossing the street here in Germany. It's not that uncommon to cross a street with a red light, or cross it some way beside an actual crossing, however, I for one only do that when the street is basically completely empty. But it also depends a lot on where you are. In big cities jaywalking is generally dangerous and thus frowned upon (after all you're not just endangering yourself, but everyone around you, including drivers), in smaller towns however it really depends on the circumstances. Also, if you jaywalk in front of a parent with their kid you'll probably get some bad looks 😅
In the USA, some states have outdated laws that were only enacted this year. For example, doctors are no longer allowed to advise or treat trans people before they are 18.
Guten Morgen, Montana. Ja, die Vorschriften in Deutschland sind manchmal irritierend, auch für hier geborene Personen . Die meisten machen aber wirklich Sinn, da viele Menschen sich selbst am nächsten sind, und ihnen alles andere am A... vorbeigeht. 😉 Weitere Beispiele für Regeln und Vorschriften findest Du in Singapur. Ein Ausflug dorthin ist dann wirklich ein Abenteuer. 😁Bleib gesund, und fühle Dich gedrückt 🤗
We had an old man as neighbor of out student housing and he always called the police when we had a party. So, we went to him and told him about the party next saturday and we apologized in advance for the noise. But he told us, Thank you, that way I can call the police much earlier this time.
why not invite him to your party?
The problem in Germany is that the country is small and people live very close to each other.
It's not enough to let the neighbors know that it's going to be noisy.
They may not want to be disturbed at all and also have a completely different taste in music.
It also doesn't work to invite the neighbors if you have a completely different group of friends.
that's so funny! hopefully you had a good time anyway!
Yeah the noise thing, we german like to have done time were we can rest. And out of consideration we try to avoid noise in the evening und in der mittagsruhe. But those times can vary in any city.
As long as I know saying Du to a police officer is not illegal. But it may happen that he would remind you to use Sie to clarify his authority.
The rules about noise are fairly overseeable. We have "Nachtruhe" between 22:00 and 6:00 for the purpose of "sound emission" protection. It means that after ten, or on sundays you don't want to e.g. party loudly or do home improvement, as long as it could disturb other members of the public because they are in earshot. In condos or the like it's more considerate not to do washing machines if it could be audible in neigbouring units. Naturally if you are out of anybody's earshot you can technically do whatever you want noisewise.
1:30 „car wash on the street“ … in my youth my my dad did wash his car on the street…
decades late it turns out: that the oil & stuff you wash off your car gets into city sewer and blocking them- no oil/etc separator, like gasstations have mandatory or worse - stuff gets into ground water and pollutes it for all… But compared to #fracking this is nothing - I agree 😂
That's the thing. Where you typically do this in the US is in the suburbs. A lot of the neighborhoods dont have a city sewage. You rely on evaporation or it going into the grass.
All those rules about (not) washing your car in the driveway, (not) making noise etc. are usually *local* regulations by the way. Most (or almost all) cities, towns and villages have them, but details may vary.
Did you know that in Bavaria you are not even permitted to do visible work on sundays, because you could disturb others? So not even window cleaning is permitted, even if it doesn't make any noise.
Shocking things illegal in USA: Surprise eggs... It only contains chocolate with a surprise, but it is forbidden in the USA 😂😂
But they put toothpicks and wooden sticks in burgers or tall cakes. xD
we are a very litigious society in the us unfortunately
@@tigeriussvarne177 Haha right 😂
but guns do contain "surprises" (made of lead) too 🤔
Some crimes are only charged if the victim put charges.
Saying "Du" to a policeman can be an insult but it isn't one by default when you use "Du".
And even if you insult a policeman he must press charges.
They won't do this just for misconception of the German language.
They won't problably do this with Germans. Handling with the policw can be stressful and they know this.
When you insulting them deliberately they will press charges.
And they can't fine you for this. Insults are libels and a court will decide over the indemnities.
It really depends on the region where you live in germany and the neighbours if making noice on a sunday gets you in trouble or not ;-). I live in a city where is noice all the time and nobody would care. My Parents live on the landside and most of the neighbours doing garden stuff on a sunday like cutting the lawn. No complaints there either.
Your rolling R is so cute when you speak German. You definitely will be recognized as someone from South Germany. Not a bad thing though. Good luck in getting back!
Nice stream, thank you! The USA has 27 times as much area as Germany, but only 4 times as many inhabitants. This means that each inhabitant of the USA has more than 6 times as much space as an inhabitant of Germany. Accordingly, very many regulations and laws (for example, to protect the environment but also to enable civilized coexistence or enable to regulate heavy traffic) are designed to take into account the much higher population density.
About police-officers in Germany: As a general rule you should have to be polite with them, but if you stay being friendly and you use a "Du" being foreign not being used to the rules of formal "Sie" or informal "Du" no office will give you a penal for that. Usually police men and women in Germany are friendly and helpful as much as you are friendly and polite to them.
Best regards and greetings from Germany
Dogs: there are no illegal dogs in Germany. However there are some areas you can't bring them, aswell as some breeds (like the Pitbull) require certain training.
Gas on the Autobahn: You only get in trouble if you impede the flow of traffic. If you manage to drive to the side of the road, you'll be fine.
As far as I know, the law about not having urns in private homes is there, because there is a rule that everybody has to have the opportunity to mourn dead loved ones and if the urn is in a private home, you can't just enter that to go visit that deceased person. Imagine, your spouse and your family don't get along and when you die, one of those parties gets to keep your remains and the other party has no place to go to mourn and remember you. So either your family or your spouse will not have access to you. To avoid such situations, you have to be placed in a public place where everyone can have access to you.
Another reason is disease control. Dead people, especially if they died from illness, but all dead people can spread diseases. In earlier times, burning people wasn't popular so they made a rule that all dead people had to be in one place (graveyard/cemetery) because that controls diseases.
That's why I find this rule abolutely right. Only in the city state of Bremen, you can take an urn home. There it is allowed since 2015. But I think that is the wrong way. To many Germans urns in private homes are rather weird. That reminds me, by the way, of the movie "Meet the Parents" (Meine Braut, ihr Vater und ich) and what happens there to an urn (not nice at all).
The funny thing is, when you misbehave in traffic, on foot or by bicycle, you can lose your drivers licence, but only if have one. This is because when you have a licence you have been educated how to act on the streets properly. For example you can lose your driver's licence when you walk drunk around town too often. On the other hand if you don't have a driver's licence and you drive a car, you will get a temporary ban to get one.
it's absolutley logical to forbid washing cars outside special equiped grund. all the soap, oil and other toxic fluids and dirt from cars will contaminate the groundwater and/or are a problem for the sewage treatment plants.
Hallo, Montana! Du wirkst aber richtig glücklich heute! 😎😎👍👍
You are actually allowed to cross a street at any point except marked area at red pedestrian lights. You could cross the street 1m meter besides the marked area and it would be legal.
I never had trouble with German police officers but after only three weeks in the US I was threatened to get arrested while I was just standing beside my car on a parking lot and waiting for a friend who was in the restroom. The police officer accused me of saving the parking space for someone else and would not believe that I was just waiting for my friend. He walked away talking to his radio and a few minutes later just after we left, three police cars arrived and shut off the parking lot... 😅
The thing is crossing on red is illigal yes, but you theoretically can cross the streat wherever you want and no I don't mean crossing in front of a car but when there's enough space to cross. Yes there are people hating us crossing the street at places where no "Zebrasteifen" is but for me as a person grown up on the country side it doesn' make sense to cross on a specific spot. If I want to change sides for instance, then I'll just do I won't event think of going to the next intersection to cross.. Guess it depends where you grow up bc normally crosswalks are just in larger cities and not even in small towns and especially not on the countryside. In general I think it's okay bc we pay a lot of attention on upcoming traffic which you wouldn't expect in cities.
As a German, born in 1971, I too remember washing my dad's car in our driveway. I also remember that there weren't even any seat belts on the car's back seat. Also no bicycle helmets, when I was a kid.
where do Germans wash their cars?
@@rickycoker5830 at the car wash ("Working at the car wash, yeah!")
And in the 70s we had 30.000 death due to traffic.
In 2020 we had 2.700 death even when traffic increased.
That's why I'm okay with the strikter rules.
@@marylacken4016 Of course, it's just crazy too think how times have changed in so many regards.
About the Urns: You are allowed to keep them for a specific amount of time at home to "Say goddbye" I think it's like a few weeks or so and then they have to be burried at a graveyard or whatsoever
You are right about saying "Du" instead auf "Sie" to a policeman. But ... first he must sue you for this, and then a judge decides, whether this is the "Du" was an offense. I guess that english speaking people might get away with it. Most policeman in Germany are nice and friendly.
My neighbors here in the US are from Norway. The Norwegian girl was washing the car in their driveway topless.
Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz ist das längste Wort der deutschen Sprache gewesen (63 Buchstaben), bis das Gesetz vor ein paar Jahren abgeschafft wurde.
I live in small town Missouri, US. We actually have a law on the books banning PLAYING AN ORGAN after dark. 😅😅
really?! 😂
Great to hear you'll be getting to go back to Germany soon. :)
Good morning from morrocco
Nice teacher
It is not only forbidden to keep human remains in your house, also transpot of bodies and urns is only allowed to special companies. And, furthermore, that is also true for dead animals. The reason is different, it is more of preventing diseases, but also transportation of dead animals is limited to special companies and dedicated cars.
I thought not being able to keep the urn at home is also about the dignity of the dead person. That everyone has the right to rest in peace and at a place that honors that person. No one knows what you are going to do with that urn at home.
In Germany you are not allowed to buy flavoured cigarettes but you are allowed to make them yourself with basic cigarettes making products you can buy everywhere
The thing with the "forbidden" dog breeds differs from state to state. A few years ago there were several biting accidents with so-called fighting dogs. Some breeds, such as Pitbulls, Staffordshires etc., are suitable because of their bred aggressiveness to be trained to be animal weapons by evil people. In some federal states, following incidents, it was decided to ban certain breeds. (The state of Lower Saxony, for example - as far as I know - did not explicitly list any breeds.) The dogs suffered. Not the people who did this to them. Unfortunately, that hasn't changed yet.
Tolles video
Yes, you get fined when you have a breakdown on the autobahn due to the lack of fuel. Because it is avoidable by filling up in time, and it is your responsibility as the driver to check the car's running condition constantly.
And there are a lot of gas stations on (or is it at?) the Autobahn.
If you had someone as a next-door-neighbour in an apartment block who tuned his or her piano at night you would understand why such an activity is contrary to local sound-immission regulations. Those regulations often come as "Verordnungen" or "Satzungen", which mean they can be put into power by local authorities or town councils. They are no laws but they are based on laws that have more flexible, abstract and general contents and fomulations that allow those local authorities to fill them with life according on local conditions.
It is strongly recommended not to use the shoulder to breakdowns on the motorway, as this can be fatal. Even police officers who used their marked police car with flashlights on to secure them nevertheless die on the verge of the autobahn.
To run out of gas on the Autobahn you can avoid easily. But you can't easily avoid dying on the autobahn. The prohibition and the fine are not as important as your life and your health.
In Berlin people walk on red really often if there are no cars around.
Washing your car is illegal even on your own property if you do not have a special place with a unpermeable surface and a drain with an oil separator.
Well Montana, I can testify to the "Ruhezeit" as, during my first few weeks in Germany in 2005, I was moving into my super new apartment in Nürnberg and installing light fittings. You're probably aware that when somebody moves out of an apartment in Germany they take the light fittings with them. Soooo, it's Sunday and everything's o.k. but the last fitting needs an extra hole drilling in the ceiling for final installation so, knowing you're not allowed to make a noise on Sunday, I still thought that drilling a hole for five seconds (and it was only five seconds - I've thought about this loads of times) would be o.k...... fast forward twenty seconds and the door buzzer goes. There stood TWO neighbors who proceeded to berate me for about six or seven minutes as to exactly why you should not bore a hole in your ceiling on Sunday and, in any case, as a foreigner (Ausländer) I should be seen and not heard and NEVER disturb their peace and quiet on a Sunday again. Or any other day for that matter. From that day on I was too scared to even flush my toilet on a Sunday, just in case.....
Then you just had shitty neighbors I would say ;) (I´m German)
I'm German and just last Sunday the neighbour above me drilled one measley hole and it didn't even occur to me to go through the hassle of putting pants on, go upstairs, ring their bell and berate them. Sounds like super pedantic people who just don't know what to do with their free time.
that being said, if someone actually renovated a whole room that takes significantly longer than just a couple of holes, I would ask them how much longer this is going to take and depending on that and how they react I would decide whether it's worth to complain or not.
We also have this one neighbour who is just, urgh. there's a community backyards for the building but no one uses it. we live on the ground floor and since the gardener doesn't do shit, we decided to cut the dead plants ourselves, firstly due to fire hazard (we've had a couple of burning bushes already) and because they are so tall I can't look out the windows properly.
And this neighbour stood on her balcony watching us doing gardening and told us to stop because we are not the gardeners and it's their job, not ours. We said that since the gardener doesn't do his job and it's a nuisance to us, we can do it ourselves. She threatened to call the Hausverwaltung if we don't stop cleaning 🤣🤣
I'm sorry to hear that. Well, you experienced the kind of german people who are small minded and who take everything too serious. They want 'Recht und Ordnung' (law and order) no matter what.Pitable people. But they are not the norm. To avoid this trouble you could talk to the neighbours before. Tell them what you would like to do in your apartment and how long it will take. Most people will tell you that it'll be ok. Those who say NO! in an agressive way......you better beware (ok you could try to be super-extra-friendly and they might change their mind but......)
To clarify on the "Du" to police officers (as many people here seem to have gotten things mixed up): no one will get fined for that if it isn't done repeatedly and in a provocative way (especially not foreigners). A court ruling on this with a hefty fine that became somewhat famous was actually about the "fortgesetztes Du" (continued "You..."), because the offender said "Du ..." in such a way that it was clear an insulting swearword was to follow, which he just didn't say out loud. So, he got fined for insulting the officer because even though he didn't vocalise the actual insult, it was clear he meant to do that. Hope this helps to clarify the situation.
As far as I know burials at see are very restricted too or maybe even completely illegal in Germany.
They're not illegal, but you often need a permission and you need to follow some rules. Only ashes of cremated bodies in special (dissolvable) urns may be buried at sea.
Stopping on the Interstate is only for emergencies too but people do break this rule all the time. Cops can ticket anyone for that.
In 2008, I had my Mom's Uhrn for about a week or so in my Apt. in "Frankfurt"am Main. The "Polizei" left me alone.I then handed carried my Mom's remains on a 777 to D.C. and We buried Her in ONE of Virginia's State Veterans Cemetery.
Nice video! I would also like the opposite video: things that shocked me are legal in germany (in oppossition to the us)
I think you forgot something very important. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Imagine a very bad situation with somebody in a burning car. So his/her life is really in danger. You're the only other person there who could help. But you're not like a firefighter and don't have a firefighter car with you.
In the USA, you'll get in deep trouble if you rescue that person but will have to sit for the rest of his/her life in a wheelchair because you didn't rescue that person in a perfect way.
Now for the part where I'm sure: In Germany, you will be in very deep trouble if you don't help. But you don't have to put yourself (or like kids that are with you) into danger. Don't stop like on the autobahn on the opposite direction lane. If it's in your driving direction it's ok parking on that lane before or after that vehicle. But you don't have to, because it's dangerous.
But the least thing you have to do is to try to call for help. With cellphones that's usually easy. In most parts of Europe, 112 works, even outside the EU. Even if you're in Germany and your German is very bad, you did a try. Very often also in Germany there're some dispatchers who speak English more or less. Your cellphone is not working? Try to find like a emergency telephone (search the German Wikipedia for "Notrufsäule" or "Notruftelefon") or somebody with a telephone.
Usually you shouldn't move a person who still can breathe, because moving could cause more damage. But if you see like the fire or fumes will reach the person if you don't start to rescue her now and you're currently not like in danger to breathe fumes and don't put anyone else in danger (e.g. parking your car on the opposite direction side of the autobahn or stop watching the kids that are with you): You have to try to rescue that person! If by rescuing that person out of that dangerous situation, you damage something like the person has to sit in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, you won't get into trouble. Also that person won't win in court if he wants money from you because of that.
But if there's no real danger: Try not to move the person if he can breathe.
Car washing at home: The exact rules depend from town to town. As you said, the basic idea is to not harm the environment like by spraying water on parts of the car where oil could be washed out. Or cleaning agents that could harm the environment. I washed cars multiple times in my life with best view from the main street at day time and never was fined. But I did no water spraying at all. Just a bucket with water (maybe some tiny amount of dish liquid) and cloth. Don't put that used water into the part of the sewerage which is only made for rain! Put it like into your toilet. Then it's cleaned by the sewage plant before it can harm the environment.
Noise: I think it's much more common in Germany than in the US that like multiple families that are no relatives live in one house in separate flats. I think like I wouldn't hear somebody playing piano in a flat with closed windows in the neighbor house, but if somebody is playing piano in my house. So if there's only one family per house, it's much more unlikely that someone calls the cops because it's to loud.
Running out of gas on the autobahn: Your also not allowed to drive a bicycle or the walk on the autobahn (except in case of an accident like if your car is damage or you want to help people until police, ambulance etc. are there).
I think you're not fined if you can proof that that happened because of technical problems. E.g. you're car shows that you have enough gas or the gas level decreased in a extremely small time so you couldn't reach the next rest area or exit.
"Sie" when talking with police: Some foreign German speaker prefer "Sie" in general because it means using the basic form of the verb, not one of the conjugate forms :-)
And I think German police officers are not that strict with foreign German speakers.
You can remember using "Sie" a bit like using "Sir". If you "Sir" someone you would use "Sie".
Walking over the red light is something everyone does, it's just that everyone waits if someone else does it first and then everyone goes
Being an Austrian these laws are very common and not weird at all to me:
We are allowed to keep an urn at home.
We are not allowed to mow the lawn on Sundays. And you are also only allowed the piano (and other instruments) at specific hours of the day.
One day I ran out of gas on the Austrian Autobahn. The Autobahnmeisterei (motorway maintainance department) sold me some gas and it was very, very expensive...
You are not allowed to be disrespectful to a policeman in Austria. But in many rural regions it is very common to use "du" to every person in the village, so even to a policeman.
Oh wow how much was the gas?!
@@MontanaShowalter Montana, it's decades ago, so I can't remember exactly, bat it was many times more. And in Austria it is also illegal to run out of gas on the Autobahn and yo can get fined.
bat = but, I'm sorry for that typo. And yo = you...
"Jaywalking is nothing someone fines you for in America" ... except if you're black, from what I've heard.
Let me say something to the Kinder Egg thing: it is forbidden to 'hide' non food objects inside of eatable food. That's why Kinder Egg is not allowed. Which makes sense in general.
Urns or human remains in general are not allowed to be kept at home because of the several reasons. Of course religious reasons but also because to prevent diseases spreading from dead corpse into the environment.
Montana, How are ya? Here in the states, we have what are called "blue laws" which are laws that are no longer in use, but can still be enforced. Some of these laws are really stupid, too. One of my friends once visited Alaska and said that they have a blue law that states it is illegal to wake a polar bear to take its picture. I don't know if that law exists or not, but I would be the last one in the world to wake a polar bear to take its picture.
In Germany it's not legal driving an unsave or polluting car. It has to be checked every 2 years. As I know in the US no one cares in which shape a car is.
Talking about strange laws (at least in perception of an American), how's about getting ticket for a dirty car lol?
I'm German and I didn't even knew about all of These XD
Same
@@leacelina4738 hier in Deutschland ist alles irgendwie geregelt , und wenn die Grünen in die Regierung kommen , wird noch mehr verboten .
We do jaywalk in Germany... you do get yelled at if you do it while children are closeby because people generally do not like others be a bad example for their children, because generally it's safer to cross the street at a crosswalk or at a green light.
Hallo Montana. Wann kommt wieder ein Deutsch-Video von dir? LG. Aus NRW.
Had the opposite : got yelled at by police in the US for jaywalking and nobody EVER cared about that anywhere in Germany. Also, people run out of gas on the motorway all the time , call roadside assistance, have a refill and - done.
As a foreigner with English you just say sir or ma'am like you do it in the US to an police officer.
If you always cross the road or street no matter which colour is on the light 🚦, why do you need these traffic lights. It's not necessary if nobody cares about.
Montana: says a long german word
Me: wait... Thats long? Very usual for me as a german haha
Happy Independence Day 😉
What you are making on 4 of July?
Greetings Günther
You may wash your car your driveway without using hazardous material that could get into the ecosystem though.
About the cops, J was once stopped and the guy addressed me with "du". I remained with the polite "Sie" even though he was certainly out of line, but I would have been justified by addressing him with "du" as well, cause he started it.
What's so weird about the urns part? It can break and that is so disrespectful for the dead.
Nice Video