h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

When driving on the Autobahn, be SURE that you have a special decal for each country you have been in. In Austria a few years ago, we were pulled over and fined a hefty sum by the authorities. The car dealership from which we rented our vehicle DID NOT let us know about this rule, neither did they provide us with the needed decals. If you're renting a car in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, etc. and plan to travel on the Autobahn, be sure to ask about the decals.

What is a decal?

If it is a national registration sticker (D, GB, F, E) I would have thought this was obvious??? The police need to be able to identify a car - in case of accident with fatalities, or if you are doing something very wrong and need chasing. As all registration plates consist of a series of letters and numbers, this has to be specified first by saying in which country's computers the registration number is to be looked for.

I was under the impression that it was some kind of sticker that goes on your windshield. Of course, I am (unfortunately) fallible, and it could be the stickers you're talking about. Besides, I think the car we had rented had one of those. It should have at least. If not, this just goes to show that the car dealerships over there aren't too competent.

The Swiss system - have forgotten what the Austrian one is - is to have a sticker on your windscreen for which you pay about 40 CHF. It covers the cost of the use of the motorways for a year, instead of tollgates every now and then like in France and Italy. It is a far cheaper method, but it means that we (who drove through Switzerland to Italy on holiday this year and back, and didn't even stop to go to the loo in Switzerland) pay the same as someone who drives round Switzerland day in day out for the entire year.

The toll gates are just that, you pay at certain stops every now and again for the stretch you have just driven. This seems fairer, and not so easy to cheat, and, while it provides employment for loads of people, it must cost a fortune in administration.

Yeah; the Austrian system is pretty much the same way.