Fall Hazards

For motorists, a critical season starts in the autumn: poor visibility, wet weather and an increased amount of animals in the morning and evening hours. In addition, many large agricultural vehicles are also on the roads. 

In the late summer, farmers harvest their crops and then work their soil. For motorists and motorcyclists this means increased risk potential because agricultural equipment often has excess width into the opposite lane. To overtake such agricultural machinery therefore carries high risk. On narrow streets, it is safer to just wait rather than overtake. 

If you encounter extra wide vehicles, you may want to stop at the extreme right edge of the road until it passes. Also, the increased radius of harvesters is to be noted. When the vehicles turn, they often go very far. In the area of entrances and exits of fields you will also encounter heavily soiled lanes. In the rain this can turn very dangerous. 

Wet, foggy roads increases the risk of accidents in the autumn. On a damp layer of leaves, the car can easily skid. Adjust your pace to the road conditions and upgrade to winter tires by October at the latest. 

Many drivers are traveling too fast even in fog. If the visibility is less than 150 meters, you should not drive faster than 100 km/h. With 100 meters of clear view, your speed should not be more than 80 km/h. As a guide, the lateral posts can serve to support you. On freeways they are at a distance of 50 meters. If you only see one post, you should not drive faster than 50 km/h. Also ensure that there is sufficient distance to the vehicles in front. As a rule of thumb - visibility is equal to safety distance. Do not forget to switch on your lights!

In the fall is rutting season. Therefore motorists have to be careful for animals. In addition, the morning and dusk fall in the middle of rush hour. In 2010, there were more than 240,000 wildlife accidents in Germany, of which about 3,000 were personal injuries. Especially after signs of wildlife and at the edges of forests. Therefore you should drive slow and keep track of edges on the road. If there are already animals on the road, you should carefully brake and honk.