driving in germany

fun, slightly crazy

[stef25]

only in germany does a van overtake you when you're already at 180Km/h

and i (legally) took my baby upto 200Km/h ... she rules, my new Golf 5

however much fun it is, and however disciplined the drivers are, its quite scary that people routinely drive around 250Km/h in that country

[pmkpmk]

Wel, well.... not routinely.

Yes, you are right, the average speed is rather high. I guess nowadays 140km/h is considered slow. The majority runs at 160-180 km/h.

What I see increasing is that driving is very aggressive. Not only those cars that all of a sudden appear at 250km/h behind you while you overtake a truck, but also driving itself is very aggressive.

Nevertheless the above-200-km/h are still a (rich, or noveaux-rich) minority.

Those minivans however are a problem. Considered as cars they don't have the truck-speedlimit of 80km/h (which no truck obeys to) applied to them. But they are often heavily loaded, have inexperienced drivers which are used to "normal" cars only, and simply don't obey the same physical laws like normal cars do.

Actually right now there is talk in Germany to change traffic laws so that minivans get a seperate spped limit of 120km/h applied to them. This is due to the fact that there is an immense(!) increase in accidents involving these minivans.

[vkaryl]

My daughter's lived in Germany for almost 12 years. Her experience matches yours, pmkpmk - she's routinely white-knuckled at least 3 or 4 times a day and it's pretty much the minivan situation you describe (her kids go to the Int'l school, have a lot of outside activities, and she's the "bus" for a 40 mile round trip whenever they have to be somewhere.... the "real" bus costs $5k a year....)

They have 2 Ford Explorers, simply because they make them feel safer than small cars do. And the 4WD is nice too in the winter! Where they live, the streets don't get plowed much....

[Essex_boy]

Ok, copuld someone please converts Kilometeres to Miles per hour please.

[vkaryl]

Um. About all I know is that 45 klicks is about 25 mph. I think....

Well, megaconverter says 180 kMh is about 111 mph....

[Neo541]

100kmh = 62mph

[encyclo]

Last time I drove in Germany, I was chugging along quietly at only about 200km/h (approx. 130mph) in the right-hand lane when suddenly to my left I saw a vehicle arriving fast. It swept by as if I was standing still, and disappeared around a slight curve in the autobahn. All I know was that it was red.

The biggest problem I found was when I saw the sign saying that I was entering the Netherlands (no border psts these days). Beign respectful of speed limits as a rule, I slowed down to 120km/h (approx 75mph) as the signs had indicated - it is incredibly frustrating as it is if you are hardly moving at all!

Of course, back in Germany, there are plenty of suburban streets where the strictly-enforced speed limit is 20km/h (12mph). That's hard too, but in terms of safety, it makes a lot of sense.

[snowman]

Man I'd be terrified driving that fast today!

Yes, when I was younger I could handle 160 kph. But age and time slows one down - that plus a few near misses. But nowadays I need the comfort of a slower speed.

90 to 100 kph are good enough for me.

[vkaryl]

I hear you snowman.... I used to run my 240Z wide-open from Vegas to Los Alamos - hit 150mph on the straights. But that was a LONG time ago.... now I find 75 on the freeway plenty fast. My reflexes are still extremely good, but I'd just rather not have to find out they're not quite good ENOUGH, y'know?

[Essex_boy]

Oh Boy! I hit 100mph once in a clapped out old (antique) Nissan that was scary.

Strange car that, couldnt get to 60 easily but once there it went like a missle!

[ska_demon]

Heh heh! I just came back from swansea last week in the 911. (a very beaten up old one)
It does 260kmh according to the speedo.
The oil fell out when we got home.

He he

Ska

[lawman]

>>I used to run my 240Z wide-open from Vegas to Los Alamos - hit 150mph on the straights

vkaryl:

Either your speedometer was defective or one or more of the following had to exist:

1. You were on a very long strecth of downhill road;

2. You had significant engine modification;

3. You had the mutha of all 240Zs.

Knowing you, I suspect 3. :)

[vkaryl]

lawman.... it was "slightly" modified to suit....

[shigamoto]

I always thought the strange part of driving in Germany is that you sort of go along with the speed and tempo of the autobahn.

When you first get there you think, oh I'm driving a 160km/h better slow down and so on. But after a while you find yourself doing 200 and cursing over the car in front of you for just doing 180.. It's strange, and sort of scary.. :)

[AWildman]

I lived in Germany is a kid and its odd, but the only time I realized that people there drove much faster is when I actually saw an accident. One car clipped another in the left lane, sent it spinning across two lanes of traffic onto the shoulder, into some trees. It landed upside down. It was an elderly couple and my dad pulled over and got them out of their car. The guy who hit them never stopped. Luckily, they were uninjured, but the whole thing happened SO fast, I didn't even see it and it happened right in front of us!

[pmkpmk]

Welcome to the jungle!

[crashomon]

Having travelled to Germany this past summer, I must comment that although the speed was high, I never felt threatened on the Autobahn as EVERYONE stayed right unless overtaking. Try that in any USA highway and you'll get some clown blowing past you on the right if you're not passing quickly enough.

Since no one passes on the right in Germany (an immediate 50 euro ticket), I felt much safer there at 100mph, than I do in Chicago rush hours going 40mph!

Oh, and the DUI laws are like this: legal limit is .10, but if in an accident, the legal limit is dropped to .08! therefore, don't even THINK about drinking and driving over there! (and believe me, the beer is SOOO good I didn't want to come back to the US!)

Ahhh, the memories of the frauleins too! :-)

[RonPK]

I've read reports of Chinese tourists coming to Germany for one reason: a speed kick on the Autobahn.

Great song by Kraftwerk btw, Autobahn. Fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn Fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn Fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn Fahr'n fahr'n fahr'n auf der Autobahn Au ... toh ... bahn ...

[pmkpmk]

Not only Chinese! There was a documentary in German TV, where "rich Americans" ship their own cars in containers to Germany to get the 250km/h speed kick on the "Autobahn".

However, either the Autobahn is congested, or there's construction work, or there's a speed limit.

[encyclo]

Of course, if you want to be really scared when driving, try Italy, not Germany!

I drove down to Milan for lunch once, from Switzerland, where drivers are pretty well-behaved. Once you realise that the traffic lights in Milan are merely a suggestion rather than a rule, and that you can fit three cars and a bus side-by-side accross a two lane street whilst all moving at 75km/h, then you tend to find the experience easier to handle. :)

[AWildman]

Oikes! And I thought rush-hour Cleveland traffic was bad! We only drove through the country-side in Italy so I guess we were spared that experience.

[pmkpmk]

@encyclo

Ever had the chance to witness traffic in Bombay (Mumbai), India? After 5 minutes there, I was deafened by the continuous honking horns. I assume they use it as sonar... Traffic signs and lights are mere suggestions, lanes always get used in - at least - twice the number of painted seperations. And all drivers seem to have suicidal tendencies.

I asked my driver if the traffic is always that bad, and he answered "Well, this is Sunday, wait until Monday to see it getting REAL bad..."