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Originally posted by ianc You mean that Muni bus driver who was doing 55 in the left lane on the morning commute that I flipped off the other morning could have reported me? Ha!
ianc
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No, he probably did report you and you would have gotten a ticket for passing on the right as well! Germans, Swiss and Austrians are like that, they tend to stick to the rules and if they see someone violate them, and are "in the mood" are quick to run to the police and do their civic duty.
All they have to do is to report you to their local police then your local police get a report and send you a violation. You then have to prove that you did not do it (show proof that you were somewhere else, have a witness in the car say you did not do it. etc. ) otherwise you get a ticket.
I had this happen to me years ago. Was driving from Stuttgart to Berlin in my 911. Came over a hill and 1 klick in front of me was an old fart in a trabby going 100 klicks per hour in the left lane. I sat in back of him for a while hoping he would move to the right lane but he did not.
Finally gave up and passed him on the right but did not finger him even though he deserved it. Two months later got a letter from the police in Berlin saying to come immediately to the police station. I called my lawyer (everyone in the country has "legal insurance" for things like this) and he told me NOT to go to the police station and send him the letter.
We admitted to my passing him on the right side but told the story as it happened and that he was sitting in the left lane and blocking traffic. The police then went after him for blocking traffic and he got a ticket.
What helped was that he was a 68 year old retired gardener from East Germany, and I was one of three medivac pilots for all of Berlin. The police knew us well as we were the ones who flew them to specialized hospitals after they got into trouble. Before the Berlin Wall fell, if someone needed specialized treatment they had to go to Munich, Stuttgart or Hamburg and your only fast way out was by air with us.
Its a real different system and took a long time to get used to it.
Joe