That line reminds me of my favorite Autobahn pic ever:
I wouldn't recommend trying to pass...
Posted on 08/14/2014 5:39:21 PM PDT by WesternCulture
I used to consider myself a very competent driver.
One day back in 2010, I accelerated my precious 200 hp Volvo V70 out of a boring ferry departing from a Danish harbor and felt I was ready for the legendary Autobahn.
Rather immediately though, I got stopped by a bunch of German highway police officers.
"Most welcome to Germany, but take it easy", I got told (off).
I soon forgot all about these words.
10 minutes later I nearly caused an accident because I failed to understand there was a que developing just one kilometer ahead of me. However, several German drivers cooperated in correcting my behavior in a very impressive manner.
Somewhere along that road I came to understand:
1. You are not your car. Don't overestimate yourself. Just because you master plenty of hp's doesn't mean you're an excellent driver. 2. Highway patrol officers probably know what they're on about. Respect them. 3. Try and understand the differences in "driving culture". As you're not a London taxi driver nor a test driver for Koenigsegg, Lamborghini or McLaren, don't make a fool of yourself. Fitting in is not always a bad option.
Anyhow, could you, as a driver, handle the Autobahn/European highways like these guys? (Check out clips below)
These performances are not you:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWlxtww_aeU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww-1NK1IrKQ (stupid beamer owner parking his car in 100 mph)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwicTKbWam4 (not das Autobahn, not legal, but someone who masters stuff - I personally do not support his behavior)
A recent issue of Car and Driver magazine covered this very topic (driving on the Autobahn). The article covered the many of the “Dos and Don’ts” as well as what it is like to drive on the limited and unlimited sections of the Autobahn.
One of Kraftwerk’s best pieces.
I used to do it all the time back in the mid-80’s in my Maserati Bi-Turbo with the special 5-valve heads. 300HP in a 2700 pound car.
Great ride.
I thought I was pretty special until one afternoon I was blowing up the Brenner Pass out of Italy towards Austria doing about 140MPH indicated when a Bimmer flashed its light for me to get over and a Teutonic-looking blond couple, of obviously heroic and noble appearance, with a couple of look-alike young teens in the backseat, blew past me.
With a couple of windsurfer boards on a roof rack.
The guy was a stud.
A que? I think you mean queue, or in American English, a traffic-jam or back up.
You can get the same thing here in the states: my wife drove cross country from the heartland to Santa Barbara to do a postdoc, and had to burn rubber on I-15 when the prevailing speed dropped from over 80 mph to under 20 with no apparent cause for the back up in the middle of proverbial nowhere between Las Vegas and Barstow.
Lived there almost 20 years. I loved driving in Germany, as I’m a bit of a speeder, but not all autobahns are open speeds any longer. They have started controlling the speeds on many of them. And, there are a lot of places where they are constructing new roads, more lanes, changing the old routes to slightly different swaths of the land. But, overall, I enjoyed driving there. I got a few speeding tickets, though!
I OWN the autobahn.
Its not that difficult. Just observe the stay right rule and look a long way back before you pull out to pass.
I remember driving 100mph in the far right lane and have traffic passing me going at least 60 mph faster than me. I also remember traffic slowing down and everyone instantly split lanes, turning 3 into 6, doubling the effecting stopping distance for everyone.
Probably a sign stating that it was illegal to drive faster than you can think. A common practice in New England speed traps.
Driven in it and around many countries in Europe and I was alright with it.
The Germans and most Europeans have a much more stricter driving test than us too.
Stay right unless passing, and if someone flashes their lights from behind, get over as soon as safely possible.
Also remember that only about 70% is unlimited speed when you are around cities there are limits. Also most people are not going 120 mph + on the unlimited parts, people generally travel at a speed they feel safe at, 80 to 90. I actually felt safer there than driving on the Kennedy or Stevenson in Chicago, because drivers generally follow the rules.
When I was in high school and college my friends and I loved to race our cars both cross country and drag racing. As I look back on it we were pretty stupid and several had minor to serious accidents. It is a miracle I never had one.
On the other hand I did learn to handle a car pretty well.
The autobahn tho is something I am totally unfamiliar with and I would drive very conservatively until I did become familiar with it. Actually I now drive conservatively everywhere.
Driving on the Autobahn is not all that big a deal.
Frankly, I found the Autostrade in Italy more challenging, even though there was technically a 130 kph speed limit (which was sporadically enforced). It seemed that the additional curves (and more aggressive drivers) on those roads made them more challenging.
(But the above is just my opinion, of course)
One nice part about the Autobahns was the variable speed limits where needed, particularly for potentially hazardous weather, accidents ahead, and so on. Our traffic engineers could learn a whole lot from them.
That line reminds me of my favorite Autobahn pic ever:
I wouldn't recommend trying to pass...
My husband did. It was fine.
Been there, done that. It was crazy after “the wall” came down. The Germans were begging the former East Germans to stay off the autobahns. Their little Trabants looked like they were still a mile up the road as the West Germans would come up behind them. The West Germans were driving right through them. It was wild.
Right of Way by the Law of Gross Tonnage ...
Used the autobahn this past year, seems like things are slowing down, 100km signs here and there. I had a 6 speed Opal and rarely exceeded 120km even when the road was clear. We drove all over and still haven’t found the town of “Ausfart” even though the signs at the exit ramps pointed the way.
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