A reader last week invoked the German highway system, sparking conversation about its differences from American driving
Q: I’m responding to Joe Rudnicki’s question about the autobahn. I lived in Germany for five years and drove on their very fine autobahns. There is no speed limit in some areas between cities, though there are limits in or near cities. You would think this results in vast carnage, but it doesn’t. Fatality rates are similar to the U.S., although their speed is much higher. The autobahn works for three main reasons:
It is forbidden to pass someone on the right.
The most serious infraction is tailgating. The fine can be extreme because it can be based on your income. $30,000 fines are not unheard of.
If you are driving in the No. 1 lane and a guy who wants to go faster comes up behind you, he will not tailgate. He will flash his lights. You must move over to let him pass. There is a big fine for not moving over.
German pavement is twice as deep as on American freeways. Roads are maintained much better. You will not hit a huge pothole at 120 mph because there are no huge potholes.
The German driving license training and exam is much more difficult than in the US and can be a significant expense.
It is also essential that you look over your right shoulder for bicycles when making a right turn. They have the right of way and there is BIG trouble if you hit one!
Marshall Thomas, Santa Clara
A: And…
Q: As a holder of a German driver’s license for many decades, I think the success of the autobahn comes down to a few things:
Good training. German drivers are taught that if someone going faster comes up behind you on a multi-lane road, you move over! Police ticket drivers who don’t move over. There are speed limits on many sections of the autobahn (especially going through/near cities). Speed cameras ensure compliance.
Polite attitude. Moving over for a faster vehicle is polite (as is using your turn signal), and you also have no idea why the other person is going fast. They may be speeding (in which case, it is the police’s responsibility to enforce the speed limit, not yours), but they may be rushing to a hospital or something. Germans are very polite drivers (on the whole). They even let you in when you signal a lane change, and they do “zipper merges.”
Impeccable maintenance. German road crews actively look for things that need to be fixed, as opposed to Caltrans’ method of only fixing things when they get lots of complaints. Germans also know how to build bridges/overpasses that don’t have roller-coaster transition dips.
Jack
A: Thanks, both, for sharing your experience and observations.
