Page 30 - FIS World

Getting your GDL
The Road to Obtaining a German Driver’s License
getting my GDL was a responsibility that required preparation. After six months, a foreign license with no reci- procity is no longer valid. You as a driver are no longer insured. Fear set in. I heard many stories of derailed
“Fear gave way to fascination
as I delved into six weeks of studying and seven hours of driving classes”.
attempts to passing the Theory Exam. Winging it is unadvisable. If you know the following--how to attach a trailer with runaway brakes to your car; if you know all the exceptions and signs marking the right before left rule; know what to do as a driver when a person in a wheelchair crossing the street in front of you cannot get onto the curb; know the safety distance of passing a stopped school bus with flashing lights--you might need less preparation. You will be asked 30 questions, from a mammoth 1800 pos- sible question pool.
Fear gave way to fascination as I delved into six weeks of studying and seven hours of driving classes. I became a more confident driver. Now as I drive on the autobahns, maneu- vering the logistics of cars going over 200k an hour and the 7.5 ton truck wall driving at 80k, as I enjoy the undulating, changing scenery of the Taunus country roads, as I veer into the narrow, needle like cobble stone streets of the old towns, and as I drive every day to the parking lot of the FIS Primary School, I am reaping the results of getting a GDL. The sharpen- ing of my driving awareness and becoming a more educated driver translates into a very German value, “consideration” for others and their safety. When in Germany, learn to drive as the Germans drive. Gute Fahrt!
Deirdre Harriet-Welsh, FIS Parent
Years of using our feet as a means of transportation to get around our Brooklyn neighborhood came to an end when we relocated to Oberursel. As a family, we were thrilled at the prospect of our move. We craved a change of lifestyle. Leaving the rushed excitement of the Big Apple for the lovely quiet, the green environment of the Taunus, the quality of life and ease in Frankfurt living, were high on our lifestyle To Do list. Relocation to Germany was actually coming home, since one of us is Ger- man and both our children carry a German passport and citizenship. Re- location for me, an Argentine-Scott, meant stepping out of my comfort zone. Little did I know when we dreamed of getting our very first fami- ly car that this entailed getting the all-mighty German Driver’s License.
Plan ahead! Do not leave getting your German Driver’s License, GDL, for the last minute. If you are one of the lucky ones to have a driver’s license from a country or USA State with no reciprocity with Germany, you will need to get your GDL within six
months of residing in the country. You read correctly. I said “lucky” because you will invest in a crash course in understanding something quintessen- tially German. The process of getting your GDL will give you a shared expe- rience with all Germans. Just ask any German. Stories abound narrating this vital coming of age and belonging to the German car-loving culture.
Remember, “no pain, no gain” as you navigate the road to your GDL. It took this proud GDL holder more than three months since sending her NY City driver’s license for translation. Then, came the visit to the optician for the Sehtest, resulting in new driving glasses. A must do is the six hour, only given on Saturdays, nur auf Deutsch, Unfallhilfekurs. A room packed with eighteen year olds broke out in laugh- ter when the elder in the class, wear- ing her brand new driving glasses, kneeled down to give mouth to mouth resuscitation to the dummy. Glasses wobbled, all present giggled.
As the In-House-Chauffer, driving my children and often FIS friends,
28 FIS World February 2015