westcliffe01
Veteran Member
Having lived in Germany for 3 years, I can attest to the fact that you can be charged with drunken driving whilst on anything that has wheels or skids while on a public road or sidewalk. The implications of such a conviction vary. For instance, if you drive a car while intoxicated, you will generally be fined, lose your motor vehicle license and any other kind of vehicle license you may possess (skippers license for a boat, ORV operators permit, pilots license etc etc).
Once you have lost your licenses, there is nothing stopping you from getting on your bike to get from home to the store or your work. That is because a bicycle does not require an operators license. But if found to be riding the bike erratically, you will be subject to a breath analyser test, arrest, fines and potential seizure of the bicycle. As a multiple offender the fines become astronomical. A second conviction also pretty much guarantees a lifetime prohibition from ever getting any kind of driving permit again, for any vehicle. There is an appeals process, but I watched many documentaries of people trying to get their driving permit back 10 or 15 years after their last conviction and I never heard of a successful appeal. Multiple convictions usually are the basis for the appeals committee to rule that the individual is mentally incompetent, which is virtually impossible to overturn.
Walking down the sidewalk drunk, a lot depends on your demeanor. If you mind your own business, don't bother anyone, people will generally look the other way. But if there is a bunch of cussing, harassing other people or disturbing the peace, you will quickly get picked up for public intoxication.
It just happened that I lived right in the middle of a wine producing area and the little town I lived in (population 1800) had 200 winemakers, so there were plenty of people who had consumed more than they should have. But generally they were on foot trying to get from the wine tasting back to their bed and breakfast or hotel room. Its not that easy to land in jail in Germany, but there are certainly long term consequences for driving related offences.
Once you have lost your licenses, there is nothing stopping you from getting on your bike to get from home to the store or your work. That is because a bicycle does not require an operators license. But if found to be riding the bike erratically, you will be subject to a breath analyser test, arrest, fines and potential seizure of the bicycle. As a multiple offender the fines become astronomical. A second conviction also pretty much guarantees a lifetime prohibition from ever getting any kind of driving permit again, for any vehicle. There is an appeals process, but I watched many documentaries of people trying to get their driving permit back 10 or 15 years after their last conviction and I never heard of a successful appeal. Multiple convictions usually are the basis for the appeals committee to rule that the individual is mentally incompetent, which is virtually impossible to overturn.
Walking down the sidewalk drunk, a lot depends on your demeanor. If you mind your own business, don't bother anyone, people will generally look the other way. But if there is a bunch of cussing, harassing other people or disturbing the peace, you will quickly get picked up for public intoxication.
It just happened that I lived right in the middle of a wine producing area and the little town I lived in (population 1800) had 200 winemakers, so there were plenty of people who had consumed more than they should have. But generally they were on foot trying to get from the wine tasting back to their bed and breakfast or hotel room. Its not that easy to land in jail in Germany, but there are certainly long term consequences for driving related offences.
. Dunno why the people in this thread can't understand that.
