The ADAC (Allgemeiner Deutscher Automobil-Club e.V.) is Germany's and Europe's largest automobile club, with more than 18 million members in May 2012.^[1] It was founded on May 24, 1903 as "Deutsche Motorradfahrer-Vereinigung" (in English: German Motorbiker Association) and was renamed in 1911. Today it is still the largest motorcyclist association in the world with 1.5 million members.

ADAC Yellow Angel

A Eurocopter EC 145 (German ADAC air rescue helicopter)

Dornier 328 Jet flying for the ADAC

Both the ADAC, and its older rival AvD (the organizer of the German Grand Prix), are members of the FIA and the DMSB. The European Grand Prix, the former ADAC Eifelrennen, the 24 Hours Nürburgring and many other races are hosted by ADAC.

The ADAC also operates a large fleet of mobile mechanics in yellow cars that assist motorists in trouble - the Yellow Angels. The ADAC runs its own modification center whereby ordinary vans are turned into mobile garages (pictures only depict Ford Galaxies) in 55 man-hours.

In addition to this, the ADAC provides 44 helicopters for urgent medical rescues in Germany, strategically placed so that any location can be reached within 15 minutes. Air ambulance jets are used by the ADAC to rescue their members with a "PLUS" membership or customers who own an ADAC international travel insurance from any location worldwide in the case of accident or extreme sickness. During the 2004 Tsunami in south east Asia, the ADAC evacuated thousands of German citizens and members from the region.

The ADAC also offers its membership to non German residents, having signed contracts with automobile clubs worldwide. In the UK, it is possible to have breakdown recovery through the local AA whilst having an ADAC membership.

The ADAC is publisher of the magazine with the largest distribution in Germany, the ADAC Motorwelt. ADAC Motorwelt, which is also distributed (still in the German language) to ADAC members outside Germany, features articles of common interest to all participants of public traffic, such as product tests, safe driving tips and also places to visit by car or motorbike.

On June 3, 2008, the ADAC suspended its involvement with the FIA over the scandal surrounding Max Mosley and his subsequent retention as FIA president.^[2]

International affiliates[link]

The ADAC has reciprocal arrangements with a range of international affiliates, including

• The AAA in the USA
• The AA in the United Kingdom

History[link]

The ADAC was founded on 24 May 1903 in Stuttgart's Hotel Silber (Silver Hotel), as the „Deutsche Motorradfahrer-Vereinigung“ (German Motorbikers' Association), with an annual membership fee of six Marks.^[3] Following a name change in 1911 it became the „Allgemeinen Deutschen Automobil-Club“ The Prussian Eagle, which for many years was the main feature of the ADAC badge was chosen as the organisation's symbol in appreciation of the support received from the German Kaiser who was also Prussia's hereditary king.

The ADAC break-down assistance service was launched in Germany in 1927.^[4]

During the Nazi period, starting in 1934, all motorists' organisations and clubs were replaced by „Der Deutsche Automobil-Club e.V.“ (the German Car Club) which was closely associated with the National Socialist Motor Corps. After the Second World War the ADAC was re-established in Bavaria in 1946, and from 1948 it was also permitted to operate in the other western occupied zones which in 1949 would become the Federal Republic of West Germany.

At the end of 1962 ADAC announced the retirement of their motor-bike-sidecar combinations which would be replaced by 40 appropriately equipped Volkswagen Beetles.^[5] Equipment on the new cars included a flashing roof-light, repair tools, a radio-based communication device, compressed air canisters, a spade and broom set, and a basic "doctor-kit" incorporating blood-plasma.^[5]

In 1974 the organisation had 3.8 million members at a time when there were 19.0 million passenger cars registered in Germany: by 1990 membership had risen to 10.2 million, with 35.5 million passenger cars registered in the country, so that ADAC membership has grown more than twice as fast as national car ownership.^[6] Growth rates during the ensuing twenty years were greatly boosted by German reunification.

May 2012 was when the organisation welcomed its 18 millionth member.^[1]

Research[link]

EuroRAP in Germany[link]

ADAC is the active member for the European Road Assessment Programme (EuroRAP) in Germany.^[7] ADAC regularly publish maps showing safety characteristics of German roads.^[8]

These maps based on EuroRAP's Road Protection Score Protocol (or Star Rating Protocol) is a measure of how well a road protects road users in the event of an accident. Data on road characteristics is gathered by driving through road inspections using a specially equipped RPS inspection vehicle (Strassentest vehicle in German). Trained assessors then rate the safety features and hazards on the inspected road and use standardised formula to produce a safety rating—star rating—which is comparable across Europe.^[9]

ADAC also undertakes road inspections on behalf of other EuroRAP members, including the Road Safety Foundation in the UK.^[10]

Campaigning for Safe Road Design[link]

The European Campaign for Safe Road Design is a partnership between 28 major European road safety stakeholders that is calling for the EC to invest in safe road infrastructure initiatives which could cut deaths on European roads by 33% in less than a decade.^[11] ADAC is the campaign's partner in Germany.

See also[link]

• Breakdown (vehicle)
• Breakdown Cover
• EuroRAP
• European Campaign for Safe Road Design

References[link]

External links[link]

Look up ADAC in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Website

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: ADAC

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Oliver Pocher
Oliver Pocher in 2010.
Born	(1978-02-18) 18 February 1978 (age 34) Hanover, Germany
Nationality	Germany
Years active	1999 - present
Genres	Stand-up comedy, Observational comedy
Spouse	Alessandra Meyer-Wölden (m. 2010) «start: (2010-09-25)»"Marriage: Alessandra Meyer-Wölden to Oliver Pocher" Location: (linkback:http://en-wiki.pop.wn.com/index.php/Oliver_Pocher)
Notable works and roles	Rent a Pocher (2003-2006) Schmidt & Pocher Die Oliver Pocher Show
Website	Official Website

Oliver Pocher (born 18 February 1978 in Hanover) is a German actor, stand-up comedian and television host.

Biography[link]

Early life and professional training[link]

Pocher is the son of Gerhard and Jutta Pocher and grew up in Hanover. His parents are Jehovah's Witnesses and he too was raised as one. In 2007, Pocher stated that, unlike his parents, he had no contact with the organization anymore as he claimed "not to have agreed with their rules“.^[1]

The general predication that Pocher attended a Waldorf school was denied by his management.^[2] Pocher successfully completed his training as an insurance broker at Signal Iduna Bauspar AG.

During the time of his apprenticeship he had some part-time jobs at various radio stations and as a DJ in clubs and during family celebrations. He also appeared in the comedian group Holla-Bolla and as an entertainer at Birte Karalus, a German chat show. After his apprenticeship he worked for the Swiss life insurance "Schweizerlebensversicherung und Rental AG" (today: SwissLife) and the "HDI Lebensversicherung AG" (HDI life insurance).

Career[link]

Pocher's first television appearance was on 28 October 1998 at the afternoon chat show of Bärbel Schäfer. Pocher was given 5 minutes to make the audience laugh.^[3]

On 29 September 1999 he presented the show Chart Surfer Trash Top 100, Was geht ab, Planet Viva and finally 2002 his own show Alles Pocher, ... oder was?.

Between January 2003 to 14 April 2006 he presents the show Rent a Pocher on ProSieben.^[4]

In 2006 he recorded the single "Schwarz und Weiss," a song dedicated to the 2006 world cup. A music video was made, featuring Oliver as several pressbox speakers, as well as him performing the song in front of fans dressed in Team Germany attire.^[5]

From October 2007 to April 2009, Pocher joined established late night host Harald Schmidt's show on the Das Erste television channel, with the show being called Schmidt und Pocher.

In 2008 his third single "Bringt ihn heim“ (engl.: bring him home) was released. It is a song for the European Football Championship of 2008. The original version is Baschi's number one hit (Switzerland) “Bring en hei“^{[citation needed]} He acted as a co-trainer of the European Team during the DEL All Star Game in 2009.^{[citation needed]}

Pocher's contract was not renewed after April 2009, so he was hired by Sat.1 instead to present his own late night show, Die Oliver Pocher Show. The show's ratings were always below the station's average and even slipping over the course of the run until it was cancelled in March 2011.

Criticism and Scandals[link]

Oliver Pocher is widely criticised for his jokes at the expense of others. After he recommended plastic surgery to a woman of the audience of the Wetten, dass..? ("Wanna Bet..?") episode on the 22nd of January in 2005, he was sued for damages of 25,000 Euros.^[6] Although he apologized to her on the phone and repeated this apology in public during one of his shows, he was not able to solve this conflict out of court. On the 11th of January Pocher was sentenced by the district court of Hanover to pay a fine of 6000 euros. The judge in charge called Pocher’s statement (“You look quite old for your age”) a “very insulting comment”. The public insulting continued in January 2008 during the TV show "Johannes B. Kerner" when Pocher once again made fun of this woman’s appearance and mocked the verdict. As a result another suit was filed against the entertainer. The victim’s lawyer explained that the woman was insulted and that the topic is repeatedly brought up by people whom she meets during her work. Pocher did not comment on this.^[7] Statements as those made by Pocher could be legal in the future, as the Council of Europe is advising to decriminalize insults.^[8]

Pocher caused a scandal in July in 2005 during the ZDF (German broadcasting station) – show "Gottschalk & Friends" when he first insulted Mariah Carey and later accidentally spat water onto her.^[9] For this action he has been harshly criticised by some newspapers and by the broadcast station in charge. Gottschalk himself kept calm and commented upon the incident: "Of course I do not want to have jokes at the expense of others during my show and I do not want dead bodies having been carried away from the battle field afterwards. If you invite Pocher to your show, however, you should expect a different atmosphere than with, for example, Alfred Biolek."

When Pocher mocked the personal life of singer Sarah Connor and her reality show, Connor sued Pocher. While the exact outcome of the lawsuit is not known, Pocher did apologize to Connor.^[10]

In January 2009, during the TV show “Schmidt & Pocher“, Pocher spoofed the Hitler assassin Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg, who is portrayed by Tom Cruise in “Operation Walküre“. He had to face negative feedback for this and thereafter the broadcasting commission examined this incident.^[11]

Shows[link]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

• 2007: It's my life - Aus dem Leben eines B-Promis

Singles[link]

• 2006: "Schwarz und Weiß"
• 2007: "Ich kann nix dafür" (with Nena & Stephan Remmler)
• 2008: "Bringt ihn heim" (Germany: 68th best-selling single of 2008 ^[12])
• 2009: "Kennst du die Stars" (Bushido feat. Oliver Pocher)
• 2010: "Wir gehen nur zurück um Anlauf zu nehm’"

DVDs[link]

• 2005: Best of Pocher: Aufstieg & Fall eines B-Promis (2 DVDs)
• 2007: It's my life - Aus dem Leben eines B-Promis (2 DVDs)
• 2008: Best of Schmidt & Pocher (2 DVDs)
• 2009: Gefährliches Halbwissen - Die Weltrekord Live-Show (2 DVDs)

Awards[link]

2004[link]

• Golden Bravo Otto in the category „Comedy“

2005[link]

• Golden Bravo Otto in the category „Comedy“
• Comet in the category „Beste Live-Comedy“
• Deutscher Comedypreis for „Beste Comedy-Show“
• Jetix Kids Award in the category „Coolster TV-Star“

2006[link]

• Goldene Schallplatte for over 45.000 sold DVDs
• Golden Bravo Otto in the category „Comedy“
• Radio Regenbogen Comedy Award
• Goldene Schallplatte for more than 220.000 sold Cd's of „Schwarz und Weiss“

2008[link]

• Preis der beleidigten Zuschauer (Award of the offended viewers)

Filmography[link]

• 2005: Durch die Nacht mit Moritz Bleibtreu und Oliver Pocher (TV)
• 2006: 7 Zwerge – Der Wald ist nicht genug
• 2006: Hui Buh – Das Schlossgespenst
• 2007: Vollidiot
• 2009: Alarm für Cobra 11
• 2010: Hanni & Nanni

References[link]

External links[link]

• [2] Stephen Colbert about Oliver Pocher (14. February 2008)