A German court issued a decision on a truck driver who blocked an emergency corridor on the A7 motorway in Lower Saxony. The man was severely punished.
The District Court in Hann decided that the truck driver, who blocked the left lane on the A7 making it difficult for the traffic police to reach the accident, will be fined 240 EUR. Police officers could drive a car, but it was impossible to drive a larger emergency vehicle. The driver’s case went to court because he refused to take a penalty from the police.
However, the fine did not end there. The trucker has also been banned from driving for one month.
There will be more fines
The aforementioned driver was not the only one who behaved improperly at the time on A7 motorway. Officers who were on the spot photographed many other trucks whose drivers made it difficult to drive. They will be punished soon.
Duties of the driver and emergency corridors
According to German regulations (§ 11 (2) StVO – Road Traffic Regulation), the emergency corridor should be created when the traffic stops, not only when the rescue vehicles are driving.
Vehicles in the left lane go to the left and all others to the right, regardless of the number of lanes. However, it is important to remember not to stand in the emergency lane, which must be available at all times during traffic jam.
Ein Problem, das Leben kosten kann: Autos blockieren nach einem Unfall die Einsatzfahrzeuge. Dabei wäre eine #Rettungsgasse so einfach. pic.twitter.com/ORA4rPGYAe
— SRF News (@srfnews) 10 stycznia 2019
Fines for blocking the emergency corridor
In October 2017, Germany tightened penalties for blocking the emergency corridor. Previously, the law provided for a fine of only 20 euros. Currently, the amount is from 200 to 320 euros depending on the consequences of the offence.
Drivers risk EUR 200 and 2 penalty points for not creating an emergency corridor in Germany.
– For failure to set up a corridor that will lead to blocking the emergency services vehicle, drivers risk EUR 240, 2 penalty points and a driving ban for 1 month.
– For failure to establish an emergency corridor leading to a life or health threat, eg a firefighter or an injured party, there is a 280 euro penalty ticket, 2 penalty points and a driving ban for 1 month.
– A 320 EUR fine, 2 penalty points and a driving ban for 1 month are foreseen for failing to establish an emergency corridor leading to property damage.
In addition, from 30 May 2017, blocking the rescue corridor may result in criminal penalties. It is punishable by imprisonment for up to one year (§323c of the German Penal Code – StGB) for deliberately hindering assistance.
Photo: wikimedia.org