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I've spent quite a bit of time driving in Germany. I have some random observations about German Autobahnen leading to no specific conclusion. * Autobahns have

by Zak 17y ago

I've spent quite a bit of time driving in Germany. I have some random observations about German Autobahnen leading to no specific conclusion. * Autobahns have narrower lanes, and fewer of them relative to US Interstates. The most I've seen is four per side near Berlin. Two is standard, even in fairly high-traffic areas. Three is becoming a little more common than it was a few years ago, but it's still quite rare. * Lane discipline is usually quite good. Passing on the right is illegal except for in traffic jams, and it's fairly rare that anyone does. Failing to cede the left lane to passing traffic when the right lane in clear is also quite rare. * Drivers wishing to pass often become impatient with anyone using the left lane to pass at a slightly lower speed than they would prefer. * Traffic jams are exceedingly common, often due to construction zones, which have even narrower lanes and very low speed limits. During a traffic jam, traffic comes to a stop, and occasionally moves for short periods of time at low speeds. During an extended stop, it is common for drivers to get out of their cars and chat, referred to as an Autobahn party. * Very slight imperfections in the pavement usually lead to a Straßen shäden (damaged street) sign and soon after, a complete rebuild of that section of highway. It's rare to drive for an hour without encountering a construction zone. * Most cars drive at speeds between 80 and 90 mph when there is no speed limit. Truck and cars pulling trailers are limited by law to 60 mph. On occasion, a car, usually a high-end German make will drive by in the left lane at around 150 mph. * I have never seen an accident on an unlimited-speed section of Autobahn.

ghshephard 17y ago
Compared to the United States (Northern California) Lane Discipline is almost non-existent. People think nothing of passing on the Right, and it's frequently done (They get used to it during Rush hour Traffic, where you have to pass on the right, and then extend that bad habit to open highway conditions). Most drivers aren't even aware they should cede the left lane to passing traffic - even when the right lane is _completely vacant_. This, by the way, is not an American habit - I understand that drivers from Texas can't stand the poor highway driving habits of Northern Californians (particularly those from the Bay Area) [Edit - After a few seconds though I realized that the Northern Californians unwillingness to cede the left lane is probably a major contributing factor the frequency of people passing on the right - the two behaviors have probably co-evolved]
mturmon 17y ago
I would add that German standards for auto maintenance are much higher than American ones. There are regular inspections (yearly?) to enforce these standards. I wonder if the authors of the study would be as on-board for intrusive inspections as they are for removing speed limits?
- trin_ 17y ago
  you have to renew your "TÜV" (the vehicle is safe and in good condition) and your "AU" (the pollution nis in certain limits; helps detec engine failures etc)). every two years. i think for every week or two you#re over your due date the fine rises up to a point where they take the vehicle of the road until it passes the inspection.
brc 17y ago
My experiences are the same as yours, but you've clearly spent more time there than me. I would say the two greatest differences between German Authobahns and US interstate traffic comes down to two factors: - road condition and maintenance. The Autobahn roads are near perfect in design, drainage, signage and smoothness - driver attitude : as you noted, 'undertaking' or passing on the right is not only illegal, it is considered to be rude. Someone driving faster than you is in a hurry, not throwing down a challenge to you. You let them on their way, not try and impede their progress. A single flash of the lights to a slower vehicle to move right is not considered rude. - I would disagree on the average 80-90 mph on the unrestricted sections. I would estimate that most occupants of the 'fast' lane in ordinary vehicles would be doing 100-120 mph. Another bonus of the Autobahn system is that 'normal' cars are more popular than SUV's because you just can't drive SUV's that fast, unless you have a high-end Mercedes, Porsche or BMW. Having an artificially lower speed limit encourages oversized vehicles because the speeds are low enough that their mass and frontal area don't affect progress and fuel consumption as much. While I would say the study probably has some merit, it's very important with these time based studies to allow for the increased driver survival rate in more modern cars. I did not see that with this study, but it can be a crucial factor.
- Zak 17y ago
  I don't think the Autobahnen are perfect in design and maintenance; in many areas, I think they don't have enough lanes for the amount of traffic they're required to handle. Freeway traffic jams are more common in Germany than in any other country I've spent a significant amount of time driving in. I would also classify the maintenance as excessive; they're so eager to repair minor problems with the road that there are severe delays resulting from road construction on a significant portion of drives over an hour. WRT speeds in the fast lane: I wasn't talking about the average for the fast lane. I was talking about the average for all lanes. It's common to see economy cars driving at similar speeds to the trucks. I think fuel prices have more to do with the unpopularity of SUVs than any other factor. Regular gasoline here in Florida costs around $2.50/gallon. In Germany, the price is around $7/gallon.
Dove 17y ago
>During an extended stop, it is common for drivers to get out of their cars and chat, referred to as an Autobahn party. Awesome! I feel sad and deprived now, given that we don't do that in America.

by Zak 17y ago

ghshephard 17y ago

Compared to the United States (Northern California) Lane Discipline is almost non-existent. People think nothing of passing on the Right, and it's frequently done (They get used to it during Rush hour Traffic, where you have to pass on the right, and then extend that bad habit to open highway conditions). Most drivers aren't even aware they should cede the left lane to passing traffic - even when the right lane is _completely vacant_. This, by the way, is not an American habit - I understand that drivers from Texas can't stand the poor highway driving habits of Northern Californians (particularly those from the Bay Area) [Edit - After a few seconds though I realized that the Northern Californians unwillingness to cede the left lane is probably a major contributing factor the frequency of people passing on the right - the two behaviors have probably co-evolved]

mturmon 17y ago

I would add that German standards for auto maintenance are much higher than American ones. There are regular inspections (yearly?) to enforce these standards. I wonder if the authors of the study would be as on-board for intrusive inspections as they are for removing speed limits?

trin_ 17y ago
you have to renew your "TÜV" (the vehicle is safe and in good condition) and your "AU" (the pollution nis in certain limits; helps detec engine failures etc)). every two years. i think for every week or two you#re over your due date the fine rises up to a point where they take the vehicle of the road until it passes the inspection.

brc 17y ago

My experiences are the same as yours, but you've clearly spent more time there than me. I would say the two greatest differences between German Authobahns and US interstate traffic comes down to two factors: - road condition and maintenance. The Autobahn roads are near perfect in design, drainage, signage and smoothness - driver attitude : as you noted, 'undertaking' or passing on the right is not only illegal, it is considered to be rude. Someone driving faster than you is in a hurry, not throwing down a challenge to you. You let them on their way, not try and impede their progress. A single flash of the lights to a slower vehicle to move right is not considered rude. - I would disagree on the average 80-90 mph on the unrestricted sections. I would estimate that most occupants of the 'fast' lane in ordinary vehicles would be doing 100-120 mph. Another bonus of the Autobahn system is that 'normal' cars are more popular than SUV's because you just can't drive SUV's that fast, unless you have a high-end Mercedes, Porsche or BMW. Having an artificially lower speed limit encourages oversized vehicles because the speeds are low enough that their mass and frontal area don't affect progress and fuel consumption as much. While I would say the study probably has some merit, it's very important with these time based studies to allow for the increased driver survival rate in more modern cars. I did not see that with this study, but it can be a crucial factor.

Zak 17y ago
I don't think the Autobahnen are perfect in design and maintenance; in many areas, I think they don't have enough lanes for the amount of traffic they're required to handle. Freeway traffic jams are more common in Germany than in any other country I've spent a significant amount of time driving in. I would also classify the maintenance as excessive; they're so eager to repair minor problems with the road that there are severe delays resulting from road construction on a significant portion of drives over an hour. WRT speeds in the fast lane: I wasn't talking about the average for the fast lane. I was talking about the average for all lanes. It's common to see economy cars driving at similar speeds to the trucks. I think fuel prices have more to do with the unpopularity of SUVs than any other factor. Regular gasoline here in Florida costs around $2.50/gallon. In Germany, the price is around $7/gallon.

Dove 17y ago

>During an extended stop, it is common for drivers to get out of their cars and chat, referred to as an Autobahn party. Awesome! I feel sad and deprived now, given that we don't do that in America.