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I live in Germany and get to drive on the no-speed-limit Autobahn regularly. It's fun! But what many newcomers or tourists fail to understand is that you can't

by akie 7y ago

I live in Germany and get to drive on the no-speed-limit Autobahn regularly. It's fun! But what many newcomers or tourists fail to understand is that you can't just go and drive 230 km/h just because there's no speed limit. Whether or not you can safely drive 230 km/h hugely depends on circumstances, mainly on how dense the traffic is. If the left lane is almost permanently completely empty: go for it! If the left lane is regularly used for passing people in the middle lane, then driving 230 km/h makes you a dangerous amateur who's actively endangering other people's lives. Unfortunately, people who've never driven the Autobahn before don't usually get this and some seem to get in a blind haze and just push push push until their car is at their speed limit. That can be so stupid and dangerous. Use your common sense, please.

jacquesm 7y ago
Plenty of Germans who are neither tourists nor newcomers also don't get this. But compared to Poland, Romania, Greece, Lithuania and Latvia driving in Germany is pretty safe.
adapiz 7y ago
Interesting. My favourite is the A5 near Frankfurt with 4 Lanes on Sunday evening. Usually the whole traffic is on the left lanes. When I hit the end of this "traffic jam" I'm using the rightest (!) lane to slow down from 200 km/h down to around 120 km/h to match the left lanes because nearly nobody is driving there. If I'm not driving "gemütlich" (like not in hurry), I stick to 120-130 km/h. For faster travels my personal enduring maximum is 180 km/h. Everything above is very exausting (and fuel consuming). Regarding "safe" driving: There is probably a lot more than traffic. A45 has some unlimited sections with three lanes, but the curves are strong. With 200+ km/h (if you dare), you'll feel strong G-forces. Thrilling but also dangerous! My personal advices would be: Observe how traffic works, see some idiots pulling left without using blinkers. It's often possible to tell if someone is going to change the lane in the next seconds. Monitor the traffic with your mirrors. Don't underestimate speed and keep track of the cars near to you. Especially on the left lane you have to manage looking forward and into the mirror. And last: Drive only as fast as you can. Cars tend to get noisy or tend to steer left or right. Be honest to yourself, if you feel that the car is flying, very sensitive to any steering or you simply clutch the steering wheel, you are on/above your limit. However: The memes are true: On a lot days, it's not even possible to maintain speed around 130 km/h (probably depending on your route)
axiom92 7y ago
You're right, one should obviously drive per the road (traffic + weather) conditions. I personally wouldn't dare doing 200kmph+ unless both the left lanes are almost empty; passing someone at that speed makes me nervous.

by akie 7y ago

jacquesm 7y ago

Plenty of Germans who are neither tourists nor newcomers also don't get this. But compared to Poland, Romania, Greece, Lithuania and Latvia driving in Germany is pretty safe.

adapiz 7y ago

Interesting. My favourite is the A5 near Frankfurt with 4 Lanes on Sunday evening. Usually the whole traffic is on the left lanes. When I hit the end of this "traffic jam" I'm using the rightest (!) lane to slow down from 200 km/h down to around 120 km/h to match the left lanes because nearly nobody is driving there. If I'm not driving "gemütlich" (like not in hurry), I stick to 120-130 km/h. For faster travels my personal enduring maximum is 180 km/h. Everything above is very exausting (and fuel consuming). Regarding "safe" driving: There is probably a lot more than traffic. A45 has some unlimited sections with three lanes, but the curves are strong. With 200+ km/h (if you dare), you'll feel strong G-forces. Thrilling but also dangerous! My personal advices would be: Observe how traffic works, see some idiots pulling left without using blinkers. It's often possible to tell if someone is going to change the lane in the next seconds. Monitor the traffic with your mirrors. Don't underestimate speed and keep track of the cars near to you. Especially on the left lane you have to manage looking forward and into the mirror. And last: Drive only as fast as you can. Cars tend to get noisy or tend to steer left or right. Be honest to yourself, if you feel that the car is flying, very sensitive to any steering or you simply clutch the steering wheel, you are on/above your limit. However: The memes are true: On a lot days, it's not even possible to maintain speed around 130 km/h (probably depending on your route)

axiom92 7y ago

You're right, one should obviously drive per the road (traffic + weather) conditions. I personally wouldn't dare doing 200kmph+ unless both the left lanes are almost empty; passing someone at that speed makes me nervous.