Free ride for diplomats? 18,288 traffic violations - and nobody pays!

When diplomats drive through Berlin, different rules apparently apply. Wrong parking, speeding, hit-and-run - the whole nine yards. But while normal drivers collect points or pay fines, the gentlemen and ladies with diplomatic license plates get nothing. The reason? Diplomatic immunity.

In 2024, 18,288 traffic violations by diplomatic vehicles were registered in Berlin - an average of around 50 per day. And that is still the lower limit. Anyone who thinks these are trivial offenses is wrong: there were 48 accidents involving embassy vehicles - 19 people were injured and one died.

Who are the biggest traffic offenders among diplomats?

The ranking list reads like the field of participants at a geopolitical conference - only with penalty slips instead of meeting schedules:

• Saudi Arabia leads with 1,225 violations.
• This is followed by the USA with 1,162 cases.
• Also prominently represented: Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Egypt, Ukraine, Italy and the UAE.

The most common offense is parking illegally - often in the second row or in disabled parking spaces. But speeding and red lights are also apparently part of the "diplomatic driving style".

Hit and run? No problem - as long as there is a message sign on the car

Particularly explosive: in more than half of all accidents involving diplomatic vehicles, a hit-and-run was committed. And yet: no proceedings. No consequences. The reason: so-called diplomatic immunity protects embassy staff from prosecution - regardless of what they do on the road.

The police can write reports - but in the end the proceedings are regularly dropped because there is no legal basis. And this applies not only to fines, but also to serious accidents.

No control, no awareness of injustice?

If a diplomatic vehicle hits someone and then simply drives on - without punishment - then this is not only a legal problem, but also a moral one. How credible is international understanding if representatives of a state can disregard any law in everyday life?

Diplomatic immunity is an important tool - it protects diplomats worldwide from arbitrariness and political persecution. But it was never intended to protect parking offenders or endanger human lives.

RECHT 24/7 says:

Honestly? Enough is enough. Diplomatic immunity has long been abused in Berlin as a free pass for ruthlessness. Trust in equal treatment before the law is trampled underfoot on a daily basis - or rather: run over.

We say: immunity yes - but not for everything and every kind of crap. Diplomats who endanger others should also be held accountable. Or should Berlin citizens continue to pay their dues while the embassy fleet flees down the left-hand lane?

Our suggestion: For serious violations: Give your name, inform the country - and if repeated: withdraw your visa. Those who do not behave are welcome to take their vehicle with them on the flight home.