Well it’s nice not to have a speed limit, but every time I see one, it’s such a sigh of relief.
Story time:
Not so long ago, I was on that 4 or 5 lane autobahn before arriving to Munich. I was already dark, overtaking some car, leaving the most left line empty. Then these laser high beams basically illuminating the nearby Alps. I was thinking geez I’m doing 160, relax dude, you have a free lane here. I moved to the right, 2 lanes to my left are now free. Car flies by me, doing probably like 50-70 more than I, AND, AND this guy gets overtaken by another one with about the same speed difference relative to the guy doing 210-230.
Which is probably why they were freaking out trying to get you to move. Don’t get me wrong it’s been fun when I drove the autobahns as a tourist trying my best to respect the unwritten (and written) rules, and pushing my car like I can’t do elsewhere, but god damn was it bad for my blood pressure!
The US drivers could not handle the German traffic rules, punishments and technical checks for their vehicles. Over half of the vehicles in the USA would fail the Dekra and TÜV inspections.
Absolutely! So many incredibly bad drivers and so many garbage cars. Never seen so many broken down cars along a highway. And all the shredded tires. Makes me glad to have something like the TÜV, even though it can be annoying at times.
Yep, poor people need cars to survive in the US. Barely any public transport outside of the very biggest cities. Only richer people can replace their rusty cars every 10 years.
Well, the idea is to maintain the car and not just chug it out after 10 years. If you do this, then you shouldn’t fail a bi-annual test that determines whether your car is safe for the road or not.
I moved to Germany 2 years ago, and was afraid of highways being like Mad Max, but I was positively surprised.
Most drivers are very attentive and skilled, keeping the rules, driving safe. I like it much better, than Eastern EU, where people are also going 150+, and are being assholes in the meantime. The upper limit of 130 just puts stress on me, because I obey the laws, but the giant SUV in my ass flashing their highbeams does not. In Germany this barely happens to me, most drivers are polite and safe, even in expensive sports cars.
I really came to enjoy the liberating feeling of driving at my own (and the traffic’s) pace on the autobahn. Yesterday I was travelling between Dusseldorf and Berlin, long open stretches of 3-lane roads, with only a few cars around. I was going around 200, yet I saw a car far behind me coming up fast, some polite flashes of lights from the distance, I pull to the right, and let a Porsche pass me quickly.
I might sound like a carbrain, but I’m not. Everybody should try German highways once, so they can form their own opinion, and not judge based on internet memes. I feel 10x safer on the autobahn, than on some shitty Eastern EU highway with a bunch of apes around me, who don’t care about the rules.
200 kph is 9,500 mph, for us Americans.
What the hell is that figure, it’s 125mph
Either way it makes a whoosh sound as it goes by
It’s hyperbole. He’s saying you’re driving so fast it might as well be the speed of sound.
because I obey the laws
flashes of lights from the distance, I pull to the right
Doesn’t sound like you were obeying the Rechtsfahrgebot.
Of course, you are right, but …
if you are driving fast and don’t want to constantly switch lanes imo it is ok to drive in the left lane while constantly checking if there is someone behind you for whom you need switch to the right lane (yeah, yeah, still illegal).
No it’s not okay, sorry. Switching lanes is what you do when overtaking, there is no way around it regardless of speed. And on the Autobahn, your attention is supposed to be directed ahead. Waiting to switch lanes once traffic approaches from behind is not a reliable strategy. Please keep right.
You can consistantly overtake in the left lane which is more or less what he’s doing anyway.
it also creates a buffer zone… personally, i don’t like going by trucks that close at that speed
If you’re continuously overtaking it’s okay. But far too many drivers stay left regardless how much space there is in the right lane, and that’s a problem.
I’m not sure what you mean by buffer zone.
I like it much better, than Eastern EU, where people are also going 150+, and are being assholes in the meantime
You should try Italy. Total culture shock the first time I drove there. Especially, entering via Switzerland where they are completely anal about traffic rules.
On the Autobahn, always stay in the right lane if you are not passing. If the Polizei catch you lingering in the passing lane, they might ticket you.
Driving at those speeds uses exponentially more fuel. RIP planet earth :(
I‘m all in favor of a general 130 km/h limit on German autobahn. In addition to being better for the environment, it would make our already relatively save autobahn even saver. But I have a feeling that the speed limit in Germany is similar to the gun discussion in the US. It’s a very emotional topic for many people.
Comparing the statistics to other countries, I don’t think it would affect the safety, that is I think more related to driving skill, attitude, and car safety features.
Regarding environment and emotionality, you are certainly right. For general speed limit to get accepted, DB would need to be much better, so maybe the goverment should start saving the planet there.
I think both would be great. Make public transit better AND introduce a general speed limit. We don’t need to choose only one option.
There are no “polite flashes”. If you have to bully other cars out of the left lane, you’re driving faster than traffic allows.
Polite or not, in German driving school you are taught to use either the horn or flash your high beams to signal intent to overtake. So flashing the high beams from a distance could be seen as polite since you will not ride their ass before they have time to move to the right to let faster traffic pass.
The fuck kinda driving school did you go to? Both flashing your high beams and using the horn is simply not allowed and counts as “Nötigung”. If someone is in the left lane while not actively overtaking, should move to the right, no discussion there. But when I encounter aggressive assholes, the kind who uses high beams, it’s always when there’s too much traffic to race across Germany.
To signal intent to overtake flashing the light (outside of settlements) is legal and described in the StVo. It’s not illegal. Doing so while driving very close to the front car while they have no chance to make space can be „Nötigung“, yes. The situation described by OP falls under the legal use of high beams in my opinion.
OK, yes. The issue is only that I’ve never seen it used in an OK situation. Probably because I drive in the most suitable right lane, unless overtaking. I only ever see it being used while overtaking, which should be visible for the person speeding. And that is not a situation where it’s fine to signal your intent for overtaking. When there’s an Elefantenrennen that forces others into the left lane, you can signal all you want. There are simply too many cars to drive fast. I don’t know how often I’ve been bullied out of the left lane, fearing for my safety, only to merge right back right behind the asshole who’s now stuck behind the car that was right in front of me. I’ll never understand that mindset.
Contrary to OP I hate driving on German highways because of the amount of aggressive assholes. I always found driving in the Netherlands much more relaxing.
If I’m going really fast I may give people who are just sitting on the left lane a single flash when I’m still quite far away so they are aware I’m closing in.
Going fast is only possible on a quite empty road anyways.
they are deiving in the wrong lane
Yeah. But if they pull over after somebody “politely” flashes at them, they aren’t obeying the traffic rules in the first place as those require them to drive in the right lane if they can at all times.
More often than not, people move to the right once they are done overtaking someone else. It’s just that these maneuvers take longer than the assholes who flash their high beams or who tailgate can handle. And those are the situations where the traffic situation simple doesn’t allow for their speeding.
It’s more like if you drive too fast you’re not insured. Oh, by the way, road works, 80km/h. Aaaand you’re free again! Have f- oh no, roadworks again, 80 pls. Ok done. Now you can really hit the gas! Joke, roadworks again haha, 80! Finally done, now we promise we don’t have roadworks anymore, enjoy! Aaaand welcome to the Netherlands, 100 please.
Oh, by the way, road works, 80km/h. Aaaand you’re free again! Have f- oh no, roadworks again, 80 pls. Ok done. Now you can really hit the gas! Joke, roadworks again haha, 80! Finally done, now we promise we don’t have roadworks anymore, enjoy! Aaaand welcome to the Netherlands, 100 please.
If that isn’t the most accurate description of driving through Germany, I don’t know what is :D
It’s more like if you drive too fast you’re not insured.
First time I ever heard this. You lose insurance? What?
Yeah, you are allowed to drive as fast as you like on some Autobahns, but if you have an accident and your speed is deemed to be faster than safe, the insurance companies are like “nah bro, you brought this on yourself”
Also, if you are faster than 130 kph and have an accident, you’re always deemed to be partially at fault, no matter what happened
also, car assistance software is generally only tested to 160 kph, everything above that the car maker can no longer assure no problems in the software, thus leading to more guilt by the speeder
Not always, but it’s always a risk.
Never heard of this, but you are likely to be deemed at fault due to reckless driving above certain speeds.
If something happens with you faster than 130km/h on the autobahn you’re not automatically covered by insurance. You won’t lose insurance, you’re just only fully insured when you stay under 130. Above you make unnecessary risks and the insurance company won’t cover that, if speeding is the cause of the accident.
I asked chatgpt and it is a bit different than what I thought. It came with this answer:
You are not automatically uninsured if you drive faster than 130 km/h. However:
If you’re involved in an accident while exceeding 130 km/h, you may be held partially liable (Mitverschulden) — even if the accident was mostly the other party’s fault.
This can reduce your insurance payout.
Your insurer might reduce compensation if speeding is found to have contributed to the severity of the accident, even indirectly.
Lose*
Thanks, fixed it 👌
If you’re involved in an accident while exceeding 130 km/h, you may be held partially liable (Mitverschulden) — even if the accident was mostly the other party’s fault.
This is the key aspect. Going over 130 kph the other parties insurance will claim partial responsibility on your side.
Ironically, Germany is the only country where I’ve gotten speeding tickets on the highway when driving through Europe east to west or vice versa. I’m still not entirely sure whether it was because of road works, the fact that I had a (small) trailer, or something else.
At least their fines aren’t as ludicrously high as other EU countries. It’s only high when you speed next to roadworks I think.
Which is wrong. Fines have to be linked to income and they must hurt or they are just a tax.
With a trailer you’re limited to 80kph (or 100kph im some cases)
And police is setting also setting up “distance traps” on the Autobahn, you can get a ticket (or even lose your license) for tailgating.
if you drive too fast you’re not insured
I explicitly asked my insurance company (verbally, not a chatbot) about this last time I went to Germany. They said as long as I’m not breaking any laws, my insurance is valid. No speed limit means there is no “too fast to be insured”.
I believe it only counts for German insurance companies. As it’s their country with no speed limit, so it’s a standard extra risk. When you go abroad to Germany your own insurance doesn’t have these high risks because it’s not all their customers driving on these roads. But that’s what I think, I’m not sure but it sounds logic to me.
Nah I think this is a misunderstanding. I’ve never seen insurance conditions that stipulate a general speed limit. But what does happen is that if you’re in a high-speed accident, police may assign part of the blame to you for driving in a reckless manner, and that may result in a reduced or no payout.
This is what chatgpt says:
Insurance and Liability Considerations
While exceeding the recommended speed is not illegal, it can affect liability in the event of an accident:
Increased Liability: If you’re involved in an accident while driving over 130 km/h, you may be held partially liable, even if the other party is primarily at fault. This is because higher speeds are associated with increased operational risk.
Insurance Implications: Your insurance coverage may still apply, but the insurer could reduce compensation if it’s determined that your excessive speed contributed to the accident’s severity.
Can you ask it for sources?
Here is the chatgpt conversation.
Link 1 Link 2 Link 3 Link 4 Link 5 Wiki link 1 Wiki link 2 Single case link
The rest are Reddit and Facebook links, so I won’t post them.
regarding the legality of breaking the sound barrier:
if i remember correctly there’s is an indirect general speedlimit, because any vehicle moving below a certain height is not allowed to go beyond 400 something kph. now this is intended for planes and helicopters and such, but afaik also applies to cars. therefore breaking the sound barrier, sadly, would be illegal. besides, i think breaking the sound barrier is limited to certain zones anyways.
i’m not trying to nitpick on the joke, but rather give supplementary information that may be interesting.
Plus there’s noise limits.
If you break the sound barrier then there is no noise.
well, the noise is not where you are
I’ve always half assumed the autobahn is littered with crankshaft and connecting rod chunks, various pools of oil and coolant, and the various now worthless vehicles they came from. Oh, and many tire marks that lead right into barriers.
Bit of both actually, the way that Germans drive is kind of an example for the rest of Europe. I’m sure that high fines have a lot to do with it but many of the best driving habits in my country came from Germany.
The fines are low compared to where I live. One of the precious pictures of my wife is her getting cought speeding in Germany and realizing it at the same time.
Can’t stop laughing everytime I look at the picture they sent us with the speeding ticket.
It was surely worth the 15 euro fine.
Speeding fines are cheap. Road tax in a sense.
But if you get into an accident, the fines multiply very fast.
If an accident is caused by the winter tire violation, the guilty must pay a 120 Euro fine in addition to other applicable allegations of the accident.
Killing an animal with your car, you’ll be fined the cost of the animals life.
If you damage a tree by crashing into it, you also have to pay for the replacement of the tree.
You can be fined for tailgating above 80km/h.
It’s also illegal to run out of gas on the Autobahn.
It’s illegal to leave your car unlocked.
List goes on and on, but I’ve actually never seen many enforced (aside from paying for the tree, it was nearly 2.5k per tree)
Just make sure you respect the Rechtsfahrgebot
So it’s a good time to say it once more, a lot of this is based on myths, not knowledge.
Having no speed limit is a really bad thing for both the environnement AND for public safety.
https://www.datawrapper.de/blog/the-case-for-speed-limits and so many more examples.
Is it working better for the rest of the world?
Germany has fewer than average road fatalities than most of the world. Less than average in Europe too.
It’s not really statistically noticable in that regard. Not the best, but far from the worst.
Probably still better than those biways and highways that go through towns here in the US.
Fuck you the speed limit just went from 75 MPH down to 35 MPH, the local up his own ass cop is already behind you. Eat shit.
German here. It is true that yes, there are some parts of the German highway where there is no official speed limit. But often times, be it through traffic or speed limits, you can’t drive that fast.
Are the no limit zones shown on google maps?
Also how well/visible are the signs?
I fear thinking some section is no limits only to get a massive ticket.
Of course I would drive after the conditions
99% of the time it’s obvious, especially with modern cars that read the signs plus apps like google maps (though sometimes at least one of those is wrong). You can also look around and see how fast everybody is going, eg. when you enter the highway in an unknown area, and not sure about the speed limit for that section. If I’m uncertain, I just drive normally until I see a sign that comfirms the speed limit.
I am regularly going around 200 km/h, and the only ticket I got was going 99 at an 80 sign next to a closer and renovated lane. It was around midnight, I was already slowing down, but didn’t want to slam on the brakes harder.
What does the signs say? “No Limit” in german?
Also how often are they spaced?
And can you trust google maps complete? (and what does it say there?)
Sorry lots of questions, I really have no plan of driving like a mad man, but if the conditions, dry, high visiblity, good car spacing, good road, then I see no reason not to drive faster.
This is the sign, hard to miss:
Usually I only see them at the beginning of no limit sections. Google is more often wrong than the dashboard info in my car that is reading the signs.
And sorry if I misread you, but based your questions you seem quite anxious about the autobahn. Maybe this is just your general careful personality, or maybe you’re young and not an experienced driver already. Regardless, I urge you to be careful about very high speeds, it is really a very different world and can be dangerous. You need to pay an insane amount of attention and react very quickly and confidently to the intentions and actions other cars.
Again, sorry if I misread you based on your comments, but if you don’t feel confident enough yet, try getting some more driving experience at regular highway speeds, maybe even test yourself on a closed racing track, or do some driving training.
Jokes aside you are only allowed to drive as fast as is safe for those around you
There is no one around me. They are all behind me.
Yes I am a BMW driver. How could you tell?
Because it’s a 1-lane road, you’re going 20 under the limit and refuse to use any turnouts.
Well it’s midnight with no street lights, it’s super foggy, and the roads are icy as fuck.
But your headlights are still bright enough to melt everyone else’s retinas
here it’s more like follow the speed limit except for when a bicycle is ahead of you. you bike behind a car and they will obey the school zone limit. you bike over the limit ahead of them and they will speed to pass you and kill a child for bonus points.
Oh man I feel that one. I ride my bike fast. Like usually around 28 km/h. But some drivers get downright agressive, and really need to get past me especially when the need to turn into a habitation area in 100 meters.
