Overview
- Meteorological alerts remain in force, with the DWD warning for frost and slick surfaces in parts of NRW and forecasts of slippery patches along a corridor from Hamburg toward Berlin and Saxony.
- Reports note numerous crashes, including in Berlin, after freezing drizzle and spray created thin, hard-to-detect ice over the holiday period.
- Safety bodies advise drivers to slow markedly and avoid abrupt inputs, stressing that ABS or ESP cannot override physics on ice, with recommendations for full de-icing and optional winter training.
- Germany’s situational winter-tyre rule requires Alpine‑symbol tyres in wintry conditions, with possible fines and insurance repercussions for noncompliance.
- Medical experts recommend the “penguin gait” for pedestrians, while the ADFC urges cyclists to lower tyre pressure or fit spikes, drop the saddle, use strong lighting, and steer clear of braking in icy curves; many municipalities require timely sidewalk clearing and gritting.