A parking ticket under the snow can occur at any moment. The days are getting shorter, and the temperature is dropping. These are clear signs that winter is slowly approaching, bringing along with it the snow.
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The snow likes to blanket the car in a thick white cover. This can be particularly frustrating when the car is parked in an area where a permit and a special ticket or disc are required. Is there a fine in Germany for having a car parked covered in snow?
Parking ticket under the snow: What consequences await the driver
Is there a risk of getting a fine if the windshield is covered in snow?
The answer is no.
Even if the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) stipulate that a parking permit must be displayed in the car so that it is clearly visible from the outside, the driver fulfills this obligation when placing it behind the windshield.
In this case, it is not necessary to check the car during parking. Therefore, when it's snowing, the driver doesn't have to approach the car to clear the windshield.
The same situation applies to road signs, as they are often covered in snow. Whether they retain their validity depends on the road sign. A stop sign is recognizable even in the snow, thanks to its octagonal shape. Similarly, a "yield" sign is also easy to identify.
Here, signs of the same shape pose a challenge. If a speed limit sign is covered in snow, drivers may not understand the specific speed limit for a particular road section. Therefore, courts have ruled that such road signs lose their validity when covered in snow. However, drivers will have to prove that the sign was unrecognizable.
As always, there are exceptions. Drivers familiar with the area must still adhere to the speed limit even if the sign is unreadable. Courts assume that they should know the speed limits. Therefore, someone caught speeding near their place of residence cannot use the unreadable sign as an excuse.
No-parking signs covered in snow also remain valid. In this case, the law assumes that drivers must fulfill their duty and exercise caution. This means manually clearing the sign of snow first and ensuring that parking is indeed allowed.
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The text mentions that in Germany, a parking permit must be visible even if the car is covered in snow. Thus, two possible sentences are:
- Even if a car is parked in an area requiring a permit and is covered under snow, the driver meets the obligation by placing the permit behind the windshield.
- During winter, drivers in Germany don't have to clear the windshield to display a visible parking permit, as it fulfills the requirement when placed behind the glass.
