Status: 15.01.2024, 08:15 a.m.
By: Melissa Sperber
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If you drive to Kaufland or Lidl to go shopping, you should be aware of one innovation. This is because a certain traffic rule no longer applies in the parking lots.
Drivers have a few things to consider in the new year 2024. For certain age groups, the driver's license exchange is due in January - and anyone who misses it and is caught with an invalid "rag" must expect a fine. Changes will also apply to assistance systems and motor insurance in the coming months.
But that's not all. Because a new rule now also applies to parking lots at Kaufland, Lidl and Co. This is not about the question of who will win the battle for the parking space in the event of a dispute or whether pedestrians or cars have priority, as echo24 reports.
New rule in parking lots of Kaufland and Lidl: This is what it is all about
The change in parking spaces at supermarkets and discounters revolves around the "right before left" rule. This is because, as the "ADAC" explains, the Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has ruled that "right before left" does not apply "in public parking spaces without an explicit right of way regulation" (BGH, judgment of 22.11.2022, Az.: VI ZR 344/21). This also applies to parking lots from Kaufland and Lidl.
In the case in which the Federal Court of Justice pronounced the verdict, two motorists had collided in a DIY store parking lot. They hadn't been able to see each other because of a parked truck. The driver coming from the right saw himself in the right, sued – and won only partially. The damages were divided in a ratio of 30 to 70 percent, in favor of the plaintiff.
"Clear street character is missing" – "right before left" does not apply to supermarket parking lots
But why is there no "right before left" in your supermarket parking lot, even though the road traffic regulations generally apply to private parking lots? The BG justified the ruling with the fact that the lanes in parking lots, such as those at DIY stores or discounters, are not the intersection of two streets. In other words, the "unambiguous street character" is missing.
Nevertheless, drivers in Kaufland or Lidl car parks should not insist on their rights, but drive carefully – and thus avoid unnecessary accidents. If you are not sure whether a traffic rule really applies or is just a myth, you should get clarity as soon as possible. After all, it is the task of road users to know the current rules and to be able to apply them.