Points from Flensburg

Flensburg is more than just a pin on the map ...
Were you driving too fast? Did you run a red light? Did you get a good picture? “There will definitely be points in Flensburg for that ...”. Every German has heard this sentence at sentence at some point, or perhaps even muttered it themselves. That’s because the German motor vehicle authority, the KBA, has its headquarters in Flensburg. This KBA is responsible for collecting information about misconduct on Germany’s roadways and entering it into the “traffic offender file” in order to give points for reckless behaviour.

But the employees at KBA do much more than that. For example, they are responsible for approving vehicles and vehicle parts, auditing the test centres responsible for performing general inspections and emissions tests, assisting in recalls from vehicle manufacturers and providing information from the central traffic registry, not to mention preparing and publishing statistics – e.g. about vehicle shortages and cargo transport – using data derived from the registry.

By the way: if you’re ever in Flensburg, feel free to stop by the KBA. You can "take away" your current point status for free, right at the entrance. Is your souvenir from Flensburg too bitter? Then get some genuinely sweet “Flensburg Points” instead – delicious! These are for sale at the Flensburg tourist information office in the nearby historic city centre.

Find out more here