Saturday morning we took off to visit our families in NRW (North-Rhine Westphalia). Google map indicates that the selected route calculated 470km (292 mls) and 4h and 45 mins of driving time. We made it within four hours (and that included two pit stops).
Reason of going faster than the suggested time frame is that (some stretches of) the German Autobahn do not have speed limits. Yes, you can go as fast as you dare, and your car allows you to go.
However, it requires a well maintained (and capable) vehicle, and appropriate driving skills and discipline from all traffic participants including oneself. It is not only about going fast, it is about anticipating within a split second what other motorists might be up to, and always be prepared to react without jeopardizing others and yourself.
The designated driver
In Germany motorists are obliged to keep in the right lane except to pass. If there are more than two lanes, the rule still applies, so please avoid driving in one of the middle lanes if you do not plan on passing. This simple rule will keep traffic flowing, will help avoiding traffic jams, keep everybody safe and also allow for emergency vehicles to pass quickly.
Whoosh! Make way for us!
At a Mosel valley rest stop.
I wish people here (USA) would take a lesson in "stay to the right except to pass"! It's one of the many things about driving here that gets me going. There is nothing worse than someone in the left lane driving UNDER the speed limit while yapping on the phone! In many of the more populated areas near me, it's not uncommon for there to be 3 lanes each way. Often, the middle lane moves the fastest?
ReplyDeleteI would love a chance to drive my motorcycle in a better disciplined country, especially someplace with higher or NO speed limit. I was quite comfortable driving squad cars at 125 MPH (201 kph) on the highway when I was working. At night at that speed I was always afraid of hitting a deer!
Eric, you would have enjoyed driving your law enforcement vehicle over here, everybody would make way on cue when you come with the lights flashing, and wildlife on the road is a very rare occasion in Germany.
DeleteI'm with Erik.....except most (any??) of my machines would not got 201 kph. I don't know what we can't get this figured out around here. I've seen the left lane Pluggers everywhere but we seem to be really masters of it here in the Midwest.
ReplyDeleteCoop, believe me when I say that BC drivers are also masters of blocking left lane under speed limit.
DeleteGood posting and reminder, though there's folks here in the USA who like to spend time in the left lane, either mindlessly talking on the phone or "enforcing" the speed limit. Clueless, and causing a danger to others as traffic works its way around their obstacle, and causing more issues usually.
ReplyDeleteIn Germany, is it true that speeding tickets take into account one's salary? So the more money you earn, the higher the fine?
dom
Dom, one would wish that speeding tickets would take into account one's salary because it is often those who have the dough and the big cars who violate the law, but that's not happening. There is a catalogue of fixed fines for all kinds of traffic violations in Germany. But from what I know they have adapted this rule in Scandinavia (Finland I believe). And one of the German left parties have demanded to go this way.
DeleteWe appear to operate the stay on the right principal in England too! Albeit we keep to tree hugging speeds. Stress free progress is made in the 'slow' lane on the left.
ReplyDeleteInteresting concept. Indeed we found that best practice when driving in Scotland was to stick to the slow lane to move forward faster than others.
DeleteI do think system in Germany is the best I've come across, having driven there quite a bit. But the two aspects - no upper speed limit and keep right work together. Knowing that that dot in your mirror will be right up your rear in seconds is a great motivator to move over.
ReplyDeleteHere in the UK we have heavy traffic almost all the time, trucks limited to 56mph in the slow lane and a (widely disregarded) upper limit of 70mph. The result is the 2 or sometimes 3 outer lanes of traffic going roughly the same speed and often so bunched up that changing lanes only makes matters worse. Bit of a mess really but a higher, or no upper limit would go a long way to ease it.
Oh well, of course we also have our traffic congestions, and lots of it but without those rules the motorways would be even slower and more jammed.
DeleteThat last shot is so pretty of the lush valley. Glad you had a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteI am amazed that people actually do keep right. It is the law here too, but you'd never know it driving I-5. You've driven I-5, I am sure you know about it.
Brandy, as a matter of fact most people do, and I remember that driving on the I-5 was a disaster where sometimes the slowest were on the left and being overtaken by trucks on the right.
DeleteIs "keep right" enforced? Up here in AK, we have so few multi-lane highways that it is rarely an issue.
ReplyDeleteKeep right is indeed enforced, Richard. Especially since it is unlawful to overtake on the right. So you are obliged to change to a left line if you plan on passing a vehicle. Passing is indeed only allowed on a left lane.
Deletemiss the German Autobahn pretty much, feeling like a snail while driving the highway here ;-(. But I'm happy for you, that you could spent some time with your families ;-).
ReplyDeleteYvonne, can you imagine BC drivers being allowed to drive sans speed limit? Mayhem would ensue... ;-)
DeleteWe are no friends of high speeds, in fact it scares the hell out of us but getting from A to B quick and easy has quite some advantage. I could not imagine Ontario drivers being allowed off limits, that would end in a big disaster, lots of them seem to have won their license in a lottery and are way too busy texting, phoning, drinking, eating .... while driving. Drivers here in our neck of the woods needed about 3 years to learn how to use a roundabout and it's unbelievable how many still don't know what to do. Pretty scary! tzz tzz tzz
ReplyDeleteBob, I have also found that police presence in BC is rather low (too low?). Our law enforcement patrols on the highway (marked or unmarked), video-tape potential traffic violations and catch speeders, tailgaters, unsafe vehicles or too slow drivers in the wrong lane...
ReplyDeleteAlso we recently had a previously announced (!!!) "speed control day", yet people managed to get caught violating speed limits...