Alexander Rogge > wrote:

>http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010...d-crash-berlin

>> At least 12 people were killed and dozens injured today when a
>> bus carrying Polish tourists crashed on the motorway south-east
>> of Berlin, police said.

>What was that very-important rule of driving? Merging traffic must
>yield to the traffic that is already on the roadway!

Not in Germany.

When merging, everybody gives way in a 1-for-1 manner.
StVO, § 7 Abs. 4
(4) Ist auf Straßen mit mehreren Fahrstreifen für eine
Richtung das durchgehende Befahren eines Fahrstreifens nicht
möglich oder endet ein Fahrstreifen, so ist den am
Weiterfahren gehinderten Fahrzeugen der Übergang auf den
benachbarten Fahrstreifen in der Weise zu ermöglichen, daß
sich diese Fahrzeuge unmittelbar vor der Verengung jeweils
im Wechsel nach einem auf dem durchgehenden Fahrstreifen
fahrenden Fahrzeug einordnen können (Reißverschlußverfahren).

Rough translation:
If on roads with more than one lane in the same direction,
one of the lanes can no longer be used or ends, it is
required that the obstructed vehicles be enabled to change to
an adjacent lane immediately prior to the obstruction in a
one-for-one manner with traffic in the continuing lane.
(Zipper fashion).

i.e. it is the responsibility of drivers in the continuing lane to
enable merging and for those whose lane endsor is obstructed, to
allow alternate vehicles from continuing traffic to me mixed in.

>> Feuring said authorities believed the bus, carrying 49 Poles on
>> their way home from a holiday in Spain, crashed into a car
>> merging on to the highway before hitting an overpass pylon. The
>> merging car's 37-year-old driver was among the injured, he said.

>No, no, no! Wrong!

>I am absolutely infuriated, especially considering the close proximity
>of this incident to the home of my family. The local news station
>reported that the merging car was a Mercedes which was being driven by a
>female owner. This collision may have actually been caused by one of
>the merge-impaired Sloths that I have encountered in the recent past.

The CAUSE has yet not been determined. It was raining; which always
affects visibility. Even on Sundays.

Police are still investigating.

Local report (in German)
<http://www.rbb-online.de/fernsehen/beitrag/schweres_busunglueck.html>

>If you are on the merge lane and you determine that you cannot safely
>enter the roadway, you must stop and wait! You may not continue driving
>and hope that somebody brakes in order to "let you in" while
>interrupting the flow of traffic.

Which section of the StVO says that?

You will probably find that, if you come to a stop on the Autobahn
at the end of the merge lane, that the Autobahnpolizei will be along
shortly to assist in the appropriate manner. It never seems more
than 15 to 20 minutes between one of them passing a particular point
on the main sections.
--
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