When is a driving ban imminent?

A speeding offence is the most common reason for a driving ban.

If you want to keep your driver's license, you should never exceed the speed limits by the following numbers:

• Inner cities: 30 km/h
• Out of town: 40 km/h

But also 26 km/h too fast endanger your driver's license. A driving ban is also imposed if you are flashed twice with more than 25 km/h within 12 months.

You will be banned from driving at a distance of less than 3/10 of half the speedometer value. For comparison: The optimum distance is equal to half the speedometer value.

With a value between 0.5 and 1.0 per mille, a four-week driving ban occurs (at the first offence).

But beware: in the event of an accident, your driving licence can be revoked from as little as 0.3 per mille. In addition there is a fine and/or imprisonment.  In addition, a blood alcohol limit of 0.0 applies to all new drivers during the probationary period and under 21 years of age! You can find more information about offences during the probationary period under Extension.

Drugs (e.g. cannabis, ecstasy) at the wheel mean a fine of 500€ and two points for the first offence in addition to the one-month driving ban.

Passing a level crossing without observing the waiting obligation and despite yellow/red light signals or lowering barriers leads to a driving ban.

A red light or stop line violation, which lasts longer than one second or is associated with danger, means a fine of 200€, two points and one month driving ban.

Since October 2017, the use of mobile phones with damage to property or danger to road traffic has also led to a four-week ban on driving.

70 km/h too fast leads to a three-month driving ban.

If you keep a distance of only 1/10 of the speedometer distance or less (that's not 10 meters at 100 km/h) you are not allowed to take the wheel for three months.

If you are alcoholic for the second time during a check, your driving ban also lasts three months. With more than 1.09 per mil or endangerment of road traffic, your driving licence will even be revoked and you could face a fine or imprisonment.

The same rule applies to drugs as to alcohol. If you are noticed negatively more than once, you are not allowed to drive a car for three months. In addition, driving licences may be withdrawn and fines or imprisonment may be imposed if road traffic is endangered.

How hard the consequences are depends on how much alcohol you have in your blood and how serious the accident was.

• At 0.2 per mille, new drivers who are under 21 years of age or have not yet obtained their driving licence for two years must expect serious consequences (extension of the probationary period). 
• At 0.3 per mille it becomes more difficult even for experienced drivers. Up to 7 points are threatened in Flensburg and in particularly serious cases also a driving licence withdrawal, a fine or even a prison sentence.
• At 0.5 per mille, the driving licence may be blocked for 6 months to 5 years. This means that you only get your driver's license back after a new driving test and can only take this test after the blocking period. 
• At 1.5 per mille, a medical-psychological examination is added to the previously mentioned penalties. If this is negative, the driver's license is no longer returned.

The severity of the consequences for driving cannabis depends on the amount of THC in the blood and the consequences of driving. Many judges impose a penalty as soon as the limit of 1 nanogram THC per ml of blood has been exceeded.

If one was caught with a joint at the wheel or with THC in the blood, the punishment is still relatively mild. For the first offence and a low THC dose, a driving ban of about one month and a fine of 500 euros must be expected. Repeat offenders must expect a driving ban of three months and a medical-psychological examination.

If you have an accident under the influence of cannabis, a fine and a possible prison sentence of 12 to 15 months are to be expected (including driver's license withdrawal). There is no way around the MPU here either.

The narcotics law mainly covers strong pain killers made of substances such as opium, morphine and cocaine. Known drugs produced from these substances include heroin, ecstasy and cannabis, as well as therapeutic narcotics such as ritalin, methadone and oxycodone. Driving vehicles is prohibited with medication that is considered BTM. 

If the consumption is medically permitted, there are no criminal consequences. However, in this case you should avoid the car. In the case of illegal consumption, there is a threat of criminal penalties such as fines and imprisonment as well as an MPU order. 

If you have been caught in a traffic check under the influence of drugs, the driving licence authority is in principle obliged to withdraw your driving licence. Before the driving ban becomes effective, however, there is a court hearing in such cases. With small amounts of BTM in the blood, there is a chance to circumvent the driving ban due to narcotics.