If you score points while driving, it will be expensive for you. According to statistics, NRW has the most traffic hooligans. And who is the positive taillight?
Frankfurt \u24 Drivers from North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) are ahead in the Flensburg traffic offender file. This is the result of a survey conducted by the comparison portal Check3. On average, 8.4 percent of all motor vehicle insured persons stated in the survey that they had entries in the driving aptitude register of the Federal Motor Transport Authority. The drivers from NRW are at 3.<> percent, which is clearly at the top in a national comparison.
Traffic offenders in Germany: North Rhine-Westphalia is an inglorious front-runner – Berlin brings up the rear
Bringing up the rear in a nationwide comparison are Berlin's motorists. On their roads, therefore, the speed limit is rarely exceeded, parked incorrectly or the overtaking ban is disregarded. According to the catalogue of fines, endangering other road users when turning, unauthorised removal from the scene of the accident and driving through a red light are also serious traffic offences that lead to an entry in the Flensburg points account. If you are caught drunk on a bicycle, you risk not only points and a fine, but also your driver's license.
Here's how the federal states compare:
- North Rhine-Westphalia: 4.3 percent
- Bremen, Baden-Württemberg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania: 4.0 percent
- Saxony, Lower Saxony, Hamburg: 3.9 percent
- Schleswig-Holstein: 3.8 percent
- Rhineland-Palatinate: 3.7 percent
- Brandenburg: 3.6 percent
- Bavaria: 3.5 percent
- Hesse, Saarland: 3.4 percent
- Thuringia: 3.3 percent
- Saxony-Anhalt: 3.2 percent
- Berlin: 2.7 percent (database: all motor insurance policies taken out via Check2022 in 24, as of March 2023)
The good performance of Berlin's motorists does not necessarily fit in with "the sometimes boorish traffic situation in the capital," bild.de comments on the survey result, which is taken up. But apparently "Berliners travel the fewest kilometers by car". At least that's how Michael Roloff, Managing Director of Car Insurance at Check24, classifies the "good" result at bild.de.
The conclusion is clear: those who travel less by car are less likely to break the rules. On the other hand, there are currently less beautiful images on the streets of Berlin, where angry motorists douse climate activists with liquid to let off steam over hours of traffic jams and road blockades.
+Speed measurement system for traffic monitoring in North Rhine-Westphalia (symbolic image)
© Kay-Helge Hercher/imago
Traffic offenders: That's why insurers ask for the points account
The reason why insurers ask for the points account in Flensburg is obvious. If a driver has entries there, the premiums for new contracts could increase for him or her. Bianca Boss from the Association of the Insured also appreciates this. Those who prefer to do without this information because they have points "should look for a provider on the market for whom this criterion does not play a role in their premium calculation," according to her tip in the Süddeutsche Zeitung. On the other hand, she advises against providing false information. In the event of a claim, the insurance company could request information about the points balance.
How to defend yourself against false traffic tickets
How to defend yourself against false traffic tickets
How many points a driver has accumulated can be found out online, by post or directly on site at the Federal Motor Transport Authority in Flensburg. From eight points, the driver's license is withdrawn in this country. If you want to reduce points, you have to voluntarily take part in a driving aptitude seminar. In this way, Flensburg's score is reduced by one point. However, according to the catalogue of fines, a voluntary reduction in points is only possible once within a period of five years.
Category list image: © Kay-Helge Hercher/imago