PhD Handbook

29 100 m, or 200 m (inner-city, country road, motorway) before the location of the accident. • Driving is permitted only if you are below the legal blood alcohol limit of 0.5 per mill. However, should an accident occur when your blood alcohol is lower than the limit but higher than zero, you may become the at-fault party when you would otherwise not be. • Winter or all-season tires must be fitted when travelling in snowy or icy conditions. Should an accident occur, you may be considered at fault if your tires are not appropriate for the conditions. On the spot tire inspections can also be made by police and there can be stiff fines for having the wrong tires equipped. Car Insurance (“KFZ Versicherung”) There is a large number of companies that offer insurance in Germany. Insurance usually falls into three categories: • Third-party insurance • Third-party and extras insurance • Comprehensive insurance Every car must be covered by at least third-party insurance even before registration of the car is allowed. For more ex- pensive cars, comprehensive insurance is often preferred. For second-hand cars and cheaper alternatives third-party and third-party with extras insurance is the standard. Insurance is expensive in Germany and will make up a large part of the running costs of your car. Registration, Technical inspection authority and emissions sticker (“Registrierung”, “TÜV” and “Umwelt-Zonen”) Environmental zones (“Umwelt-Zonen”) exist in many major German cities. Cars are equipped with a red, yellow or green sticker based on the carbon emission of the car. Some cities will ban your entrance into a city if your current emissions sti- cker does not match their restrictions. Over the coming years, the severity of the restrictions will be increased so it is recom- mended to only consider cars with a green emissions badge. The “TÜV” is the Technical Inspection Authority that is in charge of the roadworthy test in Germany. All cars must pass this test every two years (costs appr. 90 € + repairs). A large number of places can undertake this test. If your mechanic cannot carry it out, ask for somewhere nearby where you can get it done. To register your car, you will need to go to the local “Landrat- samt” or “Kreisverwaltung” with the car papers, identification, car insurance number and your residence permit. If all the paperwork is in order, it is possible to register your car, have your license plates (“Kennzeichen”) printed and stamped with the required TÜV and emissions sticker on the same day. 5.12 COMMUNICATION Telecommunication Mobile phone calls are getting cheaper, and it might not be necessary for you to organize a landline connection. Anyway, having landline is usually not much more expensive than having home internet only. It’s also not necessary to arrange a mobile phone contract, but it is often cheaper to get a prepaid card. In many com- panies you can pick prepaid based monthly flat rate options, which if you want, extend automatically if enough credit is available, but you are more flexible in picking the right option for your current situation. Also, single calls without a flat rate option (even within Europe) are very cheap and getting cheaper. For calls home, internet calls (e.g., Skype) might in the meantime be the best option, but also telephone and mobile

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