The German Autobahn System: The Benefits of Unlimited Speed
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- Опубліковано 17 чер 2021
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Important technical detail you forgot: The Autobahn does intentionally not have any long straights but consists of smooth, scenic turns that fit into the landscape, not cutting through it.
This feature was originally ordered by Hitler to show off the beauty of the country for added propagandistic value and enjoyment of the people. Later on however it turned out that not having long straights kept drivers busy, aware and awake. As a result, unlike drivers in most other countries, Germans tend to focus while driving and not get as easily distracted, especially at high speeds. (If you doze off or type on your phone the guardrail will gently wake you up.)
Fun fact: The concept of cupholders was completely alien to us when introduced from abroad. To eat and drink while driving was completely unthinkable and passengers surely could just hold their drinks until they were done with them.
Fun fact 2: The front seat passenger next to the diver is called "Beifahrer" (Co-driver) in German because he is expected to aid the driver by looking out for potential dangers on his own, announce oncoming traffic at crossings with bad visibility when asked (driver looks left, co-driver looks right) or perform tasks like getting out and directing the driver into a tight parking slot.
Fun fact 3: The guardrails in the middle of the Autobahn can be quickly removed in some sections to turn them into emergency airfields. This was mainly intended for the first Cold War but is still occasionally trained today.
A3, and A6 have plenty of those sections that follow the land. A8 and A5, though, just seem to follow mostly straight lines.
Good info. Thanks 👍🏿
I probably make the worst "Beifahrer" in the world. I tend to nod off if I'm in a car and not doing the driving.
"[...]the *first* cold war[...]"
Future-Proofing your comment, huh?
They told us in U.S. driving school that our highways had curves in them for the same functions (except for on- and off-ramps). Idk whether they really work though.
'Co-driver' is a rather different concept from 'shotgun', hahaha!
As a German I can say that driving as fast as my car can go is... nice to have. But driving very fast in the 200+kph area means a lot of concentration and focus. That's tiring and therefore most Germans usually go with the flow. Of course there's always a salesman hurrying from A to B in his company car (usually German premium brands).
General rule of thumb driving the Autobahn. Go to the most right lane when not overtaking and look in the mirror often and especially before switching lanes.
And then us Dutchies come along and ruin everything with our mobile homes...
@@Tim_van_de_Leur it's not the mobile homes. It's the caravans 🤣 but I agree with you
I dont know chief. Cruising at 160-180km/h keeps me awake. 130km/h is alright, but still feels a bit slow.
Driving with 100km/h for several hours makes me fall asleep. What a great idea it was of the Dutch goverment to lower the speed on the highway between 6 and 19H. Its not like alot of people drive 100km/h anyway. 😂
@@Tim_van_de_Leur I saw you guys all the time on A5 and A3!
Wouldn't work in Australia. People drive in whatever lane and they have a habit of cutting across lanes in the last few metres to take their exit, even though exit signs are prominently posted 1 or 2 km prior. The general speed limit in Australia is 100-110 km/ph with the Northern Territory having a speed limit of 130. The NT did have a no speed limit rule but unfortunately they drove like Australians - selfishly.
"Germans are brought up to respect speed."
The Mercedes AMG with flashing lights right behind me while driving 220kmh: "bonjour."
It usually is a BMW though (at least in my experience)
xD
@@boester69 More often than not its either a VW Passat or a Skoda (whatever the passat one is).
@@TheEightRain or a GTI/R.
Well get out of the way than. ;)
I was stationed in Germany in the early 2000’s. I loved the autobahn. When I came home every cross country trip I would lament about halfway through that if we were on the autobahn we would be there already. Funniest moment I had while driving on it was when I picked up a new guy for our office from the airport in Frankfurt and he was FREAKING OUT about our traveling around 150-160 mph going back to base (if there wasn’t a speed limit, I was going to take advantage of it and had a car that could). I told him I regularly got passed by other drivers while driving that fast. He was incredulous. And vehemently denied what I was saying. Ironically, as he was talking I checked my mirrors again (you have to check them constantly on the autobahn, or you’ll have a bad day) and saw a red car coming up quickly from the rear. Remember, we’re doing about 150-160ish mph… A Ferrari BLEW past me doing at least 200. Right after he finished talking. I just slowly turned to look at him and his bugged out eyes. It was hilarious. I simply said “As I was saying, it happens all the time.) and gestured towards the Ferrari in the distance. I’ll never forget it, I couldn’t have planned it better than the accidental timing that happened. God, the look on his face! 👀
Yes, there is always a faster car behind you!
Was stationed in Mannhime nothing like a 10 minute taxi ride to Heidelberg.
this comment made me smile :)
Cool story.
Aye Mannheim. I lived in Mannheim. Where were you stationed?
“I paid for the whole speedometer, I’m gonna USE the whole speedometer!”
-some German guy on the Autobahn
Not only guys.
Ok Dad
That's why I drive like a drunk to get my tax dollars worth.
Watch my yellow plates ruin their experience ;-)
"Where's the cup holder?"
- some American guy.
Most Germans react to the word "speed limit" in exactly the same way that many Americans react to "gun-control"
That's a good reaction. 👍
Reminds me of a conversation I had with a member of the the Victorian (Australia) government team which came up with a successful and award winning "Speed Kills" road safety campaign in the 80s... They proudly took it to present at a conference in Germany only to have the locals boo and throw paper cups at the screen. The German view was that Speed in itself does not kill but is part of a vast range of other factors...Training, attention, road conditions, suitability of cars, weather etc...
Which one makes more sense...
@@julianhopkins3966 "Speed kills" is demonstrably false, since traveling by airplane is far safer than traveling by car even though the former is an order of magnitude faster.
@@phamnuwen9442 speed never kills. Abrupt deceleration aka impact does.
Germans: ''the Autobahn has no speed limits''
me, sitting in the fifth traffic jam on my way to Berlin from Munich: ''it doesn't really need one when you can't go faster than 10kph''
there are no speed limits mostly at night time....unless u pass near villages where there are speed restrictions for 1-2 km because of noise concerns. after that you can floor it.....unless you pass through a tunnel or a bridge where there are speed restrictions for 1 km. after that you can floor it.....unless u pass through a small depression where mist usually forms and there are weather related speed restrictions.
@@Deceba1 thats not really true for a good amount of the Autobahn(en), there's actually lots of areas where you're generally restricted to 120km/h or less...and on the rest there's always a construction site every few kilometres! ;-)
The most and longest actually unlimited parts are in Bavaria where admittedly the roads are in top shape, too.
In the wild regions at the border between Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg the Bavarians and Schwabs fight everyday in neck breaking races with each others in their BMWs and Mercedes for all of eternity, so legend has it... :-D
@@dereinzigwahreRichi Those aren't necessarily construction sites.
There's just no storage place for those signs and markers.
@@shugthehornyhaggis i'm a van courier
Dang stau!
4:42 "2 very long straights and 4 turns"
Americans/nascar fans: heavy breathing.
I think I just finished inside my pants...
@@chrisp-uk1wo what the fuck
As someone who frequently uses the Autobahn, I'd like to add:
Autobahn: well maintained, clean and smooth
Toilet stops with parking: *I'm gonna pretend I didn't see that*
I also "did not notice" strange nocturnal behaviours at said toilet stops.
well maintained. except in my town i believe. road construction for 5 years now. every year the same part of the autobahn is under construction again. of course mainly at holiday season
@@brainslayer666 was just speaking in general though, wanted to point out the public restrooms are gross af
Der Bruder hat einfach Autobahn Toiletten gefickt
You mean the rest stops choked with trucks from all over Europe with toilets of questionable sanitary concerns?
Seeing how most vehicles stay in the right lane except when passing brings me tears of joy.
They don't, believe me, they don't! There's hundreds, THOUSANDS of idiots getting on the Autobahn, directly onto the middle lane and then dreamily rocking themselves from Berlin to Munich at 120kmh while the right lane is completely free. It drives me insane. When you have to switch lanes 4 times to overtake one car, you know that car is being driven by an imbecile. Arrrgghhh!
@@florasoft5016 yeah, I hate them too, but it's really good compared with countries like the US
@@florasoft5016 It's not an issue on roads with two lanes per direction tho. People start getting lazy when they not mandatorily need to change back right. Classic excuse: "I don't drive on the right lane because there a wheel ruts from the trucks.".
jeah and when there are idiots driving left constantly we say "left lane is lava". But it is not oki dokey to drive left constantly.
@@florasoft5016 Guess you never drove in other countries if you think its bad
The issue resulting in deaths on American interstate highways, is the failure to enforce a "Keep Right" policy. If you examine all the available crash data (and there is a lot of it) the cause of a fatal accident isn't so much speed as the effect of disproportionate speed. Someone flying along at 80 MPH going over a crest or a curve in the road suddenly faced with most or all the lanes blocked by cars and trucks going much slower. The fact that German drivers strictly adhere to the "Keep Right" policy leaving the left lane open for the fastest vehicles is the main reason their death toll is so much lower. Not the only reason, but the main reason.
Is the death toll percentage based or just sheer amount of people? Because the US has an enormous population.
a "good" driver would not have sped over a crest where they could not see
@@shahnxaoc7749 no, it's always deaths per million inhabitants or per x km driven.
Otherwise you couldn't compare different countries.
As someone who has frequently driven in the US, I can attest to this. Driving culture and road regulations regarding the use of all lanes is so inefficient and a major accident hazard, because it forces everyone to constanlty having to keep attention in a 360 degree area since you never have a system to rely on, and anyone can come out of any angle - and also leaving most of the lanes clogged even in minimal traffic, leading to faster vehicles having to swerve between lanes and exponentially increase the risk of someone not seeing them and causing an accident by merging into the same lane. And all the UA-cam cam footage backs it up as well.
When compared to European - and specifically German/nordic standards, the driving culture of the US seems so outdated and inefficient.
@@Thomas-jj1zo As a German who has also driven quite a bit in the US, I think this is the primary reason (as was also mentioned in the video) - (most) German drivers are taught to respect and how to handle speed. In particular on the Autobahn and more so when the circumstances (weather, crests, bridges, tunnels, ...) are not ideal. This is actually also part of the (traffic) laws: If you go faster than the circumstances allow (no matter whether there is an explicit speed limit or not), you can be fined for that. That law is usually only applied if something like an accident happens, but it shows the emphasis put on making people drive safely - and on a good road with good visibility and light traffic, driving 200kph can be a relatively safe thing to do (not for too long, however, because it requires 100% attention and focus). Most Germans choose a "cruise speed" of around 130-140kph - 130 also happens to be the official recommended speed and if you go significantly faster and are involved in an accident, you can be in trouble if you can't prove that your speed wasn't a major contributing factor in the accident.
Another important factor not mentioned in the video: German cars have to undergo quite strict safety inspections every two years, there are enforced rules on tire wear, in wintery conditions, you have to use winter-rated tires, etc. - all of this also contributes greatly to the general road safety, especially at high speeds.
Having ridden my motorbike in Germany only the once mind, I found German drivers to be very aware and lane discipline was fantastic I felt very safe riding at speed down the autobahn.
My highway is scary in Australia. People don’t care they will just do what they want and use all 3 lanes and sometimes your stuck going slower then the limit and sometimes people don’t speed up enough to let people by. It’s hell at times
@@Jo_Wardy Yep. Speed doesn't kill anyone, poor driver training and lack of respect for other road users does, and Australia is FULL of that.
Australian highways are structurally just as good, if not better than the autobahn, but Australians simply lack respect and that's why we'll always be stuck with pathetic 110 highways. I'd move to Germany in an instant if I could.
Fun Fact: The official record for "the highest speed, driven on a public road" was set on the Autobahn. It still stands today....
It was set, by Mercedes, on: January 28th, 1938 !!! on the A5 between Frankfurt and Darmstadt
Mercedes and Autounion (a collaboration of the 4 brands Horch, Wanderer, DKW and Audi / Audi is the onlyone that exists today) did the so called "Rekordfahrten / Record runs" to see who could go faster. Mercedes-racingdriver Rudolf Caracciola got to 432,69 kph / 268,86 mph
When he returned from his run, neither Mercedes or Autounion could believe that number, so AU-racingdriver Bernd Rosemayer made himself ready for his run. By the time he lined up, the wind had picked up. His friend Caracciola and the bosses of Mercedes told him, not to run. They would ignore the results and try another day in "fair weather". Rosemayer ignored them and went of, into the dawn ..... at a speed of 430 kph his car was hit by a gust of wind. The car was catapullted into the air... He died on impact.
Until today, his memorial pillar stands next to the A5 on the spot, were his car hit the ground.
Mercedes and Autounion / later Audi would never try another speed-record again.
As of 2017 this record now belongs to Koenigsegg actually. (Edit Further Down - The newest record has been captured in 2020) Koenigsegg now claims the fastest flying kilometer on a public road (276.9 mph), fastest flying mile on a public road (276.36 mph), and the highest speed on a public road (284.55 mph). The Agera RS averaged 277.9 mph traveling in opposite directions. They also released footage of its new 0-400-0 km/h (0-249-0 mph) record of 33.29 seconds. With factory driver Niklas Lilja behind the wheel, Koenigsegg managed to set five world records on a closed stretch of Nevada highway. These records were completed with a customer-owned Agera RS, equipped with a 1MW engine upgrade-which means it makes 1360 hp running on E85-and optional carbon fiber wheels. The car also managed to complete all of its records using just one set of stock, Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.
All of Koenigsegg's records were certified independently by a Racelogic VBOX unit, which also captured video of the two runs.
Edit - The most recent record now stands with a car called the "Tuatara" by SSC North America. A car built in Washington, that took 10 years to design, engineer and build, set a speed record on highway 160 in Southern Nevada between Las Vegas and Pahrump on Oct. 10. The car, built by SSC North America and called a 'Tuatara' averaged 316 mph on its two runs that day. The car driven by Oliver Webb, 29, hit 301 mph on its first run, then, an hour later, hit 331 mph, for a 316 average. The car produces 1,750-horsepower and costs $1.9 million. Only 12 will be built. Officials were on site to verify all world record criteria was met -- including review of Dewetron GPS measurements, which tracked the speed runs using an average of 15 satellites - and to confirm the new record.
In addition to the “Fastest Production Vehicle” record, the SSC Tuatara broke the world records for:
“Fastest Flying Mile on a Public Road” at 313.12 mph (503.92 km/h)
“Fastest Flying Kilometer on a Public Road” at 321.35 mph (517.16 km/h)
“Highest Speed Achieved on a Public Road” at 331.15 mph (532.93 km/h)
@@aSinisterKiid but that was set by a hyper car, build to do that. That record was set in a "normal" racing car.
They are faster yes, but also not compareable. + Half of the records are debateable because they were "GPS pfoofed" or the company claimed they could do it.
@@thomasnieswandt8805 It doesn't matter what kind of car it was that did it. They are absolutely comparable. The record no longer stands with Mercedes back in 1938. There is flat out video evidence of all the current record runs. You can try to nay say it all you want but you are just being ignorant to the technological achievements of these hard working people. The runs were done and were a marvel to witness.
@@TRC2002 Are you trying to imply that the 1938 record was done in a "normal" car for the time? Pffft hahaha
@@thomasnieswandt8805 What the heck is a "normal racing car"?? Is a 911 that's been modified for racing like the Porsche Cup cars a "normal racing car" ?
12:30 - re: emergency phones vs cell phones
They are way more useful than cell phones. They don't need cell tower coverage, you're always connected directly to the operator.
You don't need to remember which highway you're on or which mile marker you passed last, the operator knows which one you're using and its, your, physical location.
In the UK, they started removing the emergency phones then realised people didn't know where they were or which motorway they were on and so the government dept decided to put the phones back.
To be fair when I blew a tire on the M6 here in England, I used the phone at the side of the motorway. Didn’t even think about using my mobile.
@I love you but go and pay for that pile of bollocks. It is crap.
@I love you but oh yeah, pay for data plans you have literally no use for. Buy more expensive phones because of that GPS tech. Piss off. Many people has no need for that shite, me including.
@@AKUJIVALDO Pay for data plan for what? GPS? GPS in mobile phones is passive. It just receives the information from satellites that once were shot to orbit for the US military. GPS is included in every mobile phone capable of doing navigation. A lot of cars also have navigation systems on board that use GPS. In the EU, all new cars since 2018 need to have an emergency system on board (eCall) that will automatically transmit e.g. your GPS coordinates to the next emergency agency in case of a car crash.
> They don't need cell tower coverage, you're always connected directly to the operator.
Especially useful in a country with lacking coverage. Like Germany.
wait...
Fun fact: The Bundestag voted against a general speed limit 4 times already. But some partys bring it back up for voting over and over and over again.
And its getting annoying
The Greens wont give up. They claim to love the environment but are also angling for conflict with Russia
@@Nyjawonder Problem they are some time back to the 70´s the bad time for the enviroment
@@Nyjawonder No worries as always… The green party destroys itself like everytime before the National Votings…
@@SchmockD they really suck at everything they do.
"Without any fear of flashing lights behind you"
That's of course only until a faster car approaches from behind you
12:13 Roadside phones on the autobahn will connect you directly with emergency services. You don't have to dial a number, you just press the button on the receiver and you're good to go. It saves time, which is probably the main reason why we still use them so frequently. Because in a life and death situation every second counts.
they also know exactly which telephone you are on, so no need to remember/find the kilometer sign
dialing 112 or any other 3 digit number is not much more work either, plus you have to work to that phone, so it is not that it is faster...
BUT 2 advantages, the emergency services can see from which phone you are calling, so you don't need to explain where you are and some folks, especially older ones don't carry around a mobile phone all the time.
@@tzarcoal1018 Well, the phones are only 1.5km apart from each other. So driving to the next one and pushing a button, after you've spotted an accident is probably still faster than getting your your cell/mobile phone, dialing, waiting for an operator and explaining its exact location to 112. But I guess it's personal preference, guess I'm just used to the "old ways". xD
It's probably illegal for the driver to be talking on the cellphone on the autobahn. Which basically means that if someone doesn't have a passenger they have to stop anyway.
@@jonnunn4196 It is illegal to Use your cellphone while driving anywhere.
Only hands free Connections are legal.
Bonn wasn‘t the capital of east Germany (socialist DDR) but of the western part, the federal republic of G.
Had a chuckle at that moment as well.
Yeah, East Germany always had (East) Berlin as their capitol. Bonn was the capitol of West Germany.
There wouldn't have been a lot West Germany left, if Eastern Germany had stretched to Bonn :P
Haha, I went into the comments just to make sure someone corrected that!
I mean, nobody expects Simon to state actually correct information, right?
Me as a German:
"Morgen wieder Stau - gar kein Bock."
😂😂
I translate:
„Tomorrow jam again - no goat at all“
@@jonassimon2412 dein Ernst 😂
@@jonassimon2412 Ich übersetze:
"Morgen wieder Marmelade - Echt keine Ziege"
@@Perfektionist Lol
Driving without speed limits can be so liberating. Many people think we drive 180kph all the time and abuse it, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Whenever I make a longer trip (>30mins), I just cruise, sometimes 130kph, sometimes 150kph, whatever. The streets are busy often anyways. But having the opportunity to go flat out at an empty part once in a while is just wonderful, mostly when visiting a friend on a short empty part in the middle of nowhere with nobody else being around.
You have to look at speed limits on the Autobahn like traffic lights. Do they exist? Yes. Does it make sense to have traffic lights at every intersection? No. 70% of the time you'll have speed limits and/or traffic anyway, the other 30% of the track just don't need them because of good visibility and few cars around you.
"Does it make sense to have traffic lights at every intersection?"
The local governments seem to think as much
Bonn was the capital of WEST Germany until re-unification.
He doesn’t write these himself it’s not his fault
@@lululemon1517 I have no way of reaching his writers, however HE can.
Also, he has, many times on several of his channels, intercut and inserted his own thoughts on the topics. Assuming he knew it was wrong, he could have just corrected it on the fly.
@@lululemon1517 No, but there is a chance he or one of the writers will read this.
@@Benson_aka_devils_advocate_88 The man from Delmonte says yes
I thought I heard it wrong, looked at the comment and there was your on top, confirming.
Can i request a video on the Green Wall of Africa? The project to hold back the Sahara from moving south
That sounds interesting.
Fantastic suggestion
Interesting suggestion. Something I wasn't aware of but would like to know.
Great suggestion! I second it!!
Ooh I saw someone made a video on it, and it's so cool
I find the autobahn rather interesting to travel on. Someone once told me they were going 100 or so mph (yes they are american) and they got passed by a local going 120 or so. I just smiled and went yep sounds about right.
Dude I've done that plenty in the Uk.
Wrote a piece on the autobahns at university many years ago, most staggering part is the fact the vast majority of autobahn accidents are in the areas with speed limits. And at the time I wrote it they were in the top 5 lowest accidents rates with a minimal percentage difference.(too long ago for me to remember exactly but it was 1-3%)
It's the other way round: speed limits are put up in dangerous parts where lots of accidents happen. So these places stay dangerous and accidents happen BESIDES speed limits, not BECAUSE of them.
@@dereinzigwahreRichi Doubt
This is the kind of specious nonsense the speed lobby peddles with monotonous regularity, because it supports their position by only telling half the story. Yes, the number of accidents _of all types_ is higher on the sections with speed limits (0.79 per billion vehicle-kilometres vs 0.71 per billion vehicle-kilometres on the unrestricted sections, according to Der Spiegel newspaper), but those limits were imposed to reduce the risk at the most dangerous stretches and known accident blackspots (which they did extremely well). So all that revelation proves is that the number of collisions is greatest in exactly the places where you would expect them to be!
And no great surprise that you conveniently forgot to mention that the number of KSI's (people Killed or Seriously Injured) is far higher where there is no speed limit. The DVR (Deutscher Verkehrssicherheitsrat, Germany's own road safety council) put this figure at about 25 per cent in 2008, and a 2019 study found it was 0.95 per billion vehicle-kilometres on the sections with a speed limit, and 1.67 on those without. That's over seventy five per cent more.
Even if we take the mean of these two figures, we still have an increase of 50 per cent in serious and fatal accidents on the stretches of the Autobahn with no speed limit. That's a highly significant number, and you cannot simply brush it under the carpet - although I'm sure you'd love to.
@@MSM4U2POM i aint readin allat ‼‼
@@gamesmile1440 Is that because you have the reading age of a five year-old, or because you're afraid it might not tell you what you want to hear?
“Speed doesn’t kill, it’s coming to an abrupt stop that does”
JC
"Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary, that's what get you". To be exact.
Said a dumb 12 year old drivers with no guardien to guide them in the most logical sense.
Or the swedish version. It's not the fart that kills, It's the smäll
It's not the fall that kills you, it's hitting the ground.
Well said by president jimmy carter
Simon's beard will be a good video of MEGA projects
And pubic hair for side projects?
Lol hell ya, I'd watch.
@@eustache_dauger What if he manscapes?
@@jonathanmatthews4774 gotta fill fifteen minutes somehow
Something needs to be done before a family of chipmunks move in there. How about more sweet sweet Manscape sponsorship cheddar for a demo vid of it being brought under control again? Of the beard, I mean. Not the nutsack.
I swear this man has like 100 channels I can’t escape him
Me, a German: "Oh wow, I wonder what this Autobahn thing is all about"
?
Me, also a German: "same”
As a foreigner who has spent some time on the Autobahns, I have to say that driving there is very simple, smooth, and safe. You always try to keep to the right. Where there are three lanes, you normally use the middle one for overtaking trucks (or those original Folk Cars or Trabis), and leave the leftmost one for those in a real hurry. On a two lane section, you can use the left lane for passing the really slow ones even in something that's only capable of doing 120 km/h. Almost no one is doing crazy speed on those stretches. You just take a really good look behind, and return to the right as soon as possible. Nobody's going to rear-end you, unless you pull an unexpected manouvre.
That's pretty good advice and observation. Would be nice if more people drove as far right as feasible as dictated by law. Although I have to admit that on a 3 lane Autobahn, going 200 or so I tend to ignore the right lane unless there is really no traffic.
BTW a Trabi can surprise you depending on what engine is in it. They are pretty light but the original engine was very weak but if you fit something more powerful into it...
As a rule of thumb: there is alway someone who wants to go faster than you. Even if you are driving at speed limit (plus a little extra, tbh) there is always someone in a "small pen!s compensation car" who thinks he deserves a free lane to drive even faster.
I often drive from Belgium to Austria, mostly at night and it’s just lovely to put the cruise control to 200 kph and watch the kilometres fly by.
My favorite is how they turn on hazards to alert people of a sudden slow down. Brake lights are like "ok we are slowing down." Brake+hazards are like "oh shit we are slowing the f down"
We Americans could learn a lot from this
I find it fascinating that the success of the Autobahn system is as much due to the social aspect of its use...I don't know if one can call it "social engineering" but certainly it makes an enormous difference. As you said, the Germans are brought up to respect speed; by contrast I feel that we Americans can be rather obsessed with speed, and "respect" is quite simply not a term I'd use to describe MOST of the drivers on American roads. I am certain that there are plenty of problems with drivers all over the world, but the specific aspect of respecting the dangers inherent in an automobile is just not something Americans really talk about in any substantive way.
My mother, brought up in Germany, constantly drummed it into my head that a car of ANY size is dangerous. She described our car as a 1500 pound weapon that she just happened to pilot to and from the grocery store.
your mother was right, everything, especially cars need a certain amount of respect and the knowledge what your car can do and where the limit is, not only technically but personally too =)
The speed cameras they have everywhere on German roads also force you to respect the limits.
I don’t think it’s quite that simple. Germany has relatively few large vehicles than the US. On say a 50 mile drive on the interstate you’ll run across probably 30 or so semi trucks.
I lived in Germany for two years. And after I got my German driver’s license I noticed that large truck were sparse in comparison.
Why is this a problem; truck drivers are paid by the mile, and only allowed to drive a set number of hours in a day. So that incentivizes speed from them. And they aren’t limited to a separate speed limit. Also people dislike be near semis. So people will zoom around them recklessly.
Let me put it this way: have you ever seen one large truck pass another. One’s going 74 miles an hour the other 75. It takes 10 minutes for him to pass. All the while cars are bunching up behind them. Now when they finally clear ever single car is going to want to speed off in annoyance or in road rage. That increases accident risk.
Sorry for the long comment, but I don’t think German drivers are much more better than American ones. They just have a better system.
@@arkad6329 What part of Germany did you live in? I lived several years in southern Hessen, and drove back and forth between there and Belgium frequently. There were times where it seemed like the right lane was nothing but trucks...what's the abreviation they use German, LKV?
Smart mom. I am a german who loves driving fast, and i describe a car as kinetic projectile you have some but limited control of. You gotta respect physics.
German here: Whilst it's true that East German roads are generally less well kept than West German roads (speaking of the two countries historically), you will NOT notice a degradation of road quality on the A2 Autobahn (and many others). The main cause of that, is that that West German citizens have been paying a "Solidaritätszuschlag" (a kind of additional tax (fairly heavy as is) to help improve eastern infrastructure since 1991). I commute between the two regions weekly and have to admit, that East German roads are, in sections, superior to West German roads.
Hope this info helped :)
Macht's nicht gut, macht's besser!
...all Germans pay Soli. Not "just" West Germans.
Well that tax is not really much compared to all other taxes we pay
Ja
The A71 in Thuringia was the best Autobahn I ever drove on, the worst one was definitely the A81 between Heilbronn and Würzburg
Also taxation is theft
I remember driving on the Autobahn at 160 km/hr (100 MPH), and not feeling a single bump on the road. Truly amazing!
I love how there are no left lane campers. I wish the USA would enforce the traffic laws regarding the passing lanes.
Well in Germany it is enforced by BMW drivers driving with 280kmh into your tail if you camp there.
@@Carewolf or some crazy tuned audi/VW
@@SuperUltimateLP True, I forgot for a moment there that BMW is a car for old ladies in Germany
@@Carewolf unless you ram the car in front of you, they won’t move over.
No, they migrated to the middle lane and camp there
The other reason for less accidents is that the German highway code is 100% law! So in reality, you cannot have an accident, someone has broken the law. The insurance companies or Police then decide what percentage of blame is applied to each driver. Also, on the "unregulated" stretches there is an advisory 130 kph (81mph). If you exceed that & have a crash, the insurance companies go on a 50/50 fault instead of blaming the person who broke the law.
Thank you, I couldnt remember the rules and/or if they changed them. I went there very often in the 80s and I remember that foreigners were mostly the problem. Rich people with sport cars, who took it for a race track. Go to the Nuremberg race track or any other one if you want speed.
not at all.consider the difference between straftat and ordnungswidrigkeit. speeding is not breaking the law. its just breaking the current speed limit rule. driving und infuence is breaking a law.
Man way to destroy the fantasy of no speed limits and insurance companies getting out of paying out like they should no matter how fast you were going that I've always had....Fun Fact: Montana tried a "reasonable and prudent" speed limit but it didn't last long due to all the tourist doing 100+ MPH on 2 lane highways that they didn't know
@@fabiandieziger2714 Not Nuremberg; that is a city much further to the east. You are talking about the Nuerburg ring (and Nuerburg is actually rather small). There is another speeding track, the Hockenheim ring, which had been used for cars until they became too fast for manoevering this tight loop; now it is used for motorbike races and a famous yearly rock festival, Rock am Ring.
@@brainslayer666 you are breaking a regulation, but that regulation is based on a law. This StVO (street traffic regulation) has its foundation in the Straßenverkehrsgesetz (street traffic law). So, in essence, you are breaking a law.
Autobahn doesn't mean "car runway" (which would be "Autopiste"), it rather means "car lane". The term is also used in German for railway, which is the Eisenbahn ("Iron Lane"), usually just shortened to Bahn
I think, "Rechtsfahrgebot" and "Rettungsgasse" would have been worth noting
Kannste beides Knicken, interessiert keine Sau
@@Dinitroflurbenzol Blödsinn, gerade das Rechtsfahrgebot wird in Deutschland wesentlich besser eingehalten als in anderen Ländern.
@@Dinitroflurbenzol spricht die Sau
In the Northern Territory in Australia, sections of highway that previously had no speed limits had a 130km/h speed limit placed on them and road deaths went up, mostly due to fatigue.
this is a interesting fact, i hope your government had it undone back to no-limit to save lives
mhm
I live in Germany, and that is something i can atest to. If there is a long part where the speedlimit is 130kph i get extremely tired. But beeing allowed to drive like i want, changing speeds and alle, it keeps me way more focused.
@@Hosenbisla and alle .. your Autokorrektur screwed you
So it's safer to fall asleep at 200 kmh than it is at 130? If you say so, mate.
"Hey manscaped, do you want to sponsor our video about the Autobahn System?"
"sure, that sounds fun and innocent!"
_Cue surprise video about hitler_
Perhaps they could use that typical Nazi "shave the side of your head" haircut in an ad.
What would Hitler need manscaping for? He only had one ball...
Hitler has only got one ball,
The other is in the Albert Hall
his mother, the dirty bugger
she cut it off when he was small.
She threw it into the apple tree
It fell, into the deep blue sea
The fishes got out their dishes
And had scallops and bollocks for tea.
Hitler has only got one ball
Goering has two, but very small
Himmler has something similar
but poor old Goebbels has no balls at all.
GOTCHA
Guess what the us does far worse than hitler had ever done to this day 🤡 for so called peace 🤷♂️😂
@@antonycharnock2993 There were more verses to that, I didn't know.
I lived in Germany and drove on the Autobahn. FANTASTIC!
Best was driving home after 2 am. Alone at 100+ MPH, blaring tunes, and civilization's light fantastic on the ever present stratus clouds. No worries and no gun and badge thugs behind every tree. Gives me chills just recalling it.
_The 80s: Lived 'em. Loved 'em. Miss 'em._
We can't only drive as fast as our horses can carry us, we can also build words as long as we want to 😁🤣🤣
Wales: Hold my Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch
I still remember my Autobahn session in driving school. It was the instructor, another student and me in the instructors new car. New in that case meant dealer car. So it was very nicely optioned. Golf 5 i think it was back when. Now these cars have to be converted for driving schools. My instructor took the opportunity and did a little something, you know, while you're in there. Not sure exactly what anymore, but it had a tad more power and some suspension work done. I mean, after all, there are kids driving that thing. So we got to talking about it, of course. This led to the guy in the back asking the instructor how fast it would go. I had just merged on the Autobahn. Our instructor shrugs, looks over at me and says: "Hit it." And, as a good student, i did as i was told. Though this thing being no rocket ship, i still don't know many ppl who drove 220kph during a normal driving lesson. And yes, i drove plenty of faster cars afterwards. It's kinda nice to be able to just floor it sometimes and not have to worry about being harassed by road pirates XD
Also, has anyone ever tried an "emergency stop" from 200kph? It's an experience. It feels like it takes forever and the noise the ABS makes becomes disconcerting. I highly recommend it. Maybe wait for 30 mins after eating something. My stomach felt a bit odd after that adventure.
most good drivin instructors will, if a suitable strech of autobahn exists and the traffic allows it go over the richtgeschwindigkeit with the driving student at least once
Oh yes, transferring all of the cars weight to the front tires, the rear breaking out, the car swerving left and right at hight speed, almost touching the car in front, getting off the autobahn, stopping somewhere to have a calming smoke but dropping your cigarette due to your trembling hands, promising yourself to never overtake someone with a 100kp/h+ speed difference again.
FUN
When I was on the Autobahn with my instructor it was basically empty so he said that I should drive as fast as the car can go. While driving 200+ km/h we passed a couple and after a while I slowed down and made myself ready to merge to the middle lane. The couple then over took us and waved their hand in anger and probably shock basically telling my instructor that he sucks at his job and that driving students shouldn’t drive that fast.
My instructor just started laughing.
That was the best driving lesson I had.
@@merlin9702 r/oddlyspecific
I was requested to do the same in my first Autobahn lesson. Did as I was told and then also had the chance to test the emergency stop when a small truck moved onto my lane without indicating. That day I learned what my maximum heart rate is :-D
But it is even more funny when such things happen while you are driving a motorcycle at roughly 300 km/h. Really scary.
Fun Fact: The actually driven average Speed on the Autobahn is just 3kph higher than on US Highways.
Peter Hacke , Where do you get your figures?
Yup, but excluding Trucks and Busses, that's 122km/h on average for cars.
The Americans have ten signs for every eleven feet of highway..LOL
@@wombatwilly1002 10 signs per mile.
@@wombatwilly1002 Hey, we now very proudly have one sign every foot. 🤣
Simon: The Avus isn’t the most interesting race track in the world
All nascar tracks: surprised pikachu face
The roadside telephones can't be out of juice, can't have "no service", and they not only patch you through to the emergency services by the push of a button but they can also tell the person on the other end where you're at.
You can have an emergency, juuuust manage to press the button, not say a word and they will know where to go.
5:30 "back when Bonn was the capital of East Germany". I beg to differ, it was the capital of WEST Germany.
Mein Gott!
Just imagine the utter chaos and confusion when suddenly all the East German politicians showed up to work one day.
Obnoxious knocking at the plenar hall door, an old white dude peeking in, saying that they'll be needing the room for a session and that the Bundestag should please hurry up.
Beat me to it...
As a Frenchman I feel perfectly safe going fast or slow on the Autobahn, where Germans drive quickly but with rigorous respect of road rules. When crossing back to France, it feels like everyone is trying to cause an accident.
Yeah, it only works cause every german follows the rules which are being hammered into your brain while in driving school. Without those rules (like always driving on the most right lane possibly and only overtaking on the left etc)
Yes. If you want to drive only 100 on any stretch of the Autobahn, just stay in the right lane and nobody will bother you. It's only in the left lane that some BMW might get a bit pushy (it's 80% BMWs doing that) because they want to get even faster. It's easily avoided by just leaving the left lane to those people in a big hurry.
@@Yora21 No, Audis are the pushing ones.
@@MarsOhr Not in my experience. Audi's are the only expensive car that usually doesn't bother you.
It's 80% BWM, 10% Mercedes, 5% VW and then everyone else.
As a German, I always feel safe on French highways. Also long stretches of relative boredom (130kph speed limit) interrupted by moments of sheer terror (speed camera). Once got a ticket in France for going 1 kph to fast - 40 EUR(!). Outrageous ;)
Look, the biggest difference between german drivers and lots of other drivers is our driving school system. It takes young drivers between 4 and 6 months of training to get the licence and the costs are aroung 2000 € (2370 $). People can get an assisted driving licence (a registered person over 30 with at least 5 years of driving experience has to sit next to them when they drive) at age 17, or the real one at age 18. Either way, you have at least 12 90 minutes theory lessons and one 90 min preparation course before taking the theoretical exam. if you pass it, then you start the practical training of, on average, 15 90 minute sessions. Night-driving (1.5 sessions), Autobahn-driving (2 essions) Countryside-driving (2.5 sessions), are all mandatory lessons. The rest is mostly city-driving and how many lessons are needed varies. The professional trained instructor is the one who decides when you are ready to take the practical exam, or if you need more driving lessons. Those instructors are highly recognised in our society , becuase of their important job to train the next generations of german drivers and to keep our streets as save as possible. And if they are good, they can earn a lot of money.
Then at the end you have your practical exam. A 45 minute drive with a specialy licenced examiner who tests your handling of the car, your parking scills (backwards, sideways), driving scills... and if you break one rule, you are done. You know... like not looking over your shoulder befor taking a turn, forgetting to blink, take more then 2 tries to park...
So if you look at the costs and all the work you have to put into it, getting a drivers licence is a huge part of growing up in germany. Its like being accepted into the long line of german car drivers and you are now a part of this elite class of people who have a german driving licence. You know... thats why germans can be a little elite when driving in other countries, specially the US. Cause we know drivers here train with their parents or older ciblings and then drive on a taining track and tadaaa, they have their licence. I know thats a bit exaggerated, but thats exactly what germans think of the US system. Giving 16 years old teens a drivers licence, but not allow them to drink a beer till they are 21, because that would be irresponsible... that makes sense.
"The professional trained instructor is the one who decides when you are ready to take the practical exam, or if you need more driving lessons. Those instructors are highly recognised in our society , because of their important job to train the next generations of German drivers and to keep our streets as save as possible. And if they are good, they can earn a lot of money."
wow what a difference here in Australia. I bet my left nut we dont alot of training to become an instructor. The amount of people who can't do the basics like reverse parking, or how to indicate off a round-a-bout is embarrassing.
Coming from Australia, I think our system is a bit silly, but yours is nuts.
Yes, let kids drive with parents. I learned that way, had hardly any formal lessons though we have a few. Way cheaper, more useful (as you get a supervisor (anybody who's held a license for 4+ years) and drive somewhere you would've driven anyway with the supervisor in charge. It's more like actual driving, because it is actual driving, not a class-room on wheels setup. Also get to learn practical tips that parents know. Minimum of 50 hours practice, but nobody checks if you fake them. (I didn't though. But I could have.)
Theory test beforehand, but it's fairly easy. What the fuck do you need 20 hours of theory stuff for? Road rules aren't that complicated.
Rules fussery is bad enough here, where they let minor mistakes slide (only a few. there is a points system) but biggies nail you straight away (like running a red light). The rules are not what drivers actually do though, like indicating on roundabouts, where nobody except learner drivers actually does it the "correct" way, and nobody but slow idiots ever drives less than the speed limit, and frequently a little over (because the cops won't bust you if you aren't too over) yet the test fails you instantly for 6km/h over, so the general advice is to go 5-10 under for the test then drive normally with a license.
They test parking skills, but it's not as rigorous as the german tests. And why should it be? Parking is the safest part. If you're not reckless you won't hit anything, and usually it doesn't matter if you take a little bit of time to do it right. You'll get it quick with real world practice anyway. It's not an American test; I hear those sometimes hand out licenses after driving around a block. It takes 30 minutes (or it's meant to. Nerves had me, and I whizzed through mine in 15, despite not speeding.) I think it's pretty practical, could use a high speed section, without being overboard like the German test.
That's 100% true. German drivers have a special kind of mentality when driving. When I first saw people in other countries casually using their phone while driving I was literally shocked. There are so much danger prevention programs and rules. Really everything is regulated except for the speed limit. And depending on where you live there is a speed limit at most places anyway.
@@dabbinghitlersmemes1762 Why is our system nuts?
A car "can be" a deadly weapon, in the wrong hands and under wrong circumstances. Therefore, a proper training is absolutely mandatory.
Especially, if you taking passengers with you. You are then responsible for driving them safely from A to B.
Also, maybe consider this:
Australia has round a bout 25million citizens, we in germany have around 83 million citizens.
If you compare the size of australia to germany, I hope you understand, why we are so rigorous in drivers license training.
Much more drivers on a way smaller area, compared to australia.
@@dabbinghitlersmemes1762 There's much more to theory than learning the rules. It's learning about everything about the car, how it behaves in certain scenarios, safety procedures, and learning to recognize dangerous situations (we see a LOT of pictures of situations before we actually take to the road). I think that's pretty good, especially if you have a good instructor. We also got visits and people from the fireforce explain in excruciating detail how it is to have to cut open a car to get out a person that's literally about to die. Not strictly necessary for basic driving, but gives you that extra little respect that makes it so much safer on the roads.
And practice lessons are not just classroom-on-wheels. When you start to drive you are expected to know the rules, and you get experience with a gentle, but very real intoduction to driving. For example, I was told to floor it on the autobahn during training - because if I do it now (with a much better car than I would drive even until now) you won't have to attempt it haphazardly just to try it out, because you already did. They know the difficult stretches of roads around, and they will make sure to lead you through them, and that is very valuable. You can drive for months or years without ever encountering some weird road constellation that might be otherwise difficult to handle.
And of course after the exam you can drive with your parents before you're 18, and before that on special tracks. It's just that a parent doesn't replace a trained instructor (provided you do some research and find good ones that actually care).
While it looks boring on paper, Avus' long straights provided crazy slipstreaming battles and the final banked corner was probably the most fearsome corner to ever feature on a race track.
I worked for VW years ago and they didn't understand our need for cup holders all over the car. They thought we should be busy driving! Maybe that's why we wreck so much stuff.
If you're not busy driving, what the hell are you doing instead?
@@donvielenio8956 Playing with your cup holder?
Driving in the EU for the last 30 years used a cup holders maybe 4..5 times in 30 years
@@altergreenhorn I used to work with an older gentleman from Germany and he told me they were pretty strict about getting a drivers license and following the rules when driving. Probably not a bad thing.
I´m German and I absolutely love it. Just going for a quick blast has saved me many times.
I don´t understand how anyone can feel scared by that, if you don´t want to go fast just drive slow on the right.
Even the fast people in Germany make right…. No one stays in the left… unless they want cameras sending them fan mail!
Wouldn't people hugging the middle or left lane at 90 even in Germany be French ? My fellow countrymen have this terrible habit.
We have stupid liberals commenting that people in "penis compensation" cars wanting to just speed past. These idiots don't get the exhilaration of driving and are the types wanting to force people to use automatics if not autonomous driving as well as forcing people to use bicycles for everything.
@@NightMotorcyclist it has been predicted that in a near future only autonomous vehicles would be legal and driving by humans forbidden for safety reasons. I sadly believe it may come to pass.
@@426baron It's the way the West is headed. All risk must be eliminated from society, and with it, all the fun.
Canada's Yellowhead highway and Trans Canada highway need to be like this. They literally traverse the entire country and are engineered for higher speeds with no sharp corners that I can think of. Not having speed limits on sections could save a lot of drivers a lot of time.
great vid as always.
side note: as a professional photographer for 30+ years and a TOTAL production snob, i absolutely love your set. it's exquisitely lit. bravo
I have done some calculations. I input the number of UA-cam channels that Simon Whistler hosts, multiplied by the amount of time each video runs, added the number of hours each video takes to prepare, subtracted rehearsal time (because Simon obviously reads his copy cold on camera), and compared the results to the number of hours in a day and came to the conclusion that the only way Mr. Whistler can produce that much content is by using a Time Turner.
When you don`t have to check your speed every 5 seconds you can actually watch what`s happening around you.
This I’m so much more aware when driving as fast as I want. Driving in the US for long periods of time is much more tiring to me than going 250kph in Getmany.
hahaha there's plenty of sections with speed limit ranging from 100-130 kph
exactly
@@salamipitza theres also plenty of sections without limit
@@leksluthor3 same here
Also: We have rules for which lane to use. You should always drive as far right as possible and only go to a more left lane to overtake. If you cant overtake the next car within 20 seconds, u are supposed to change back to right. So you can cruise relatively relaxed at 100km/h on the middle lane, but when you are on the leftmost you are taught to be very aware of faster cars coming to overtake you from behind and make space for them.
It’s the exact same in America since we copied you guys but no one follows the rule here
@@alisharispoli2996 it isnt such a big deal tho. is it a ego issue or why doesnt it work over there for you? i couldnt care less if anybody goes faster than me
The German speed cameras where there are speed limits, such as at high inclines in mountains and roadworks, are no joke.
There is a camera for every lane every few hundred meters.
Roadworks are also highlighted many hundreds of meters in advance and provide significant protection to workers.
I found it a joy to drive from west to east on my way to Poland, even at 200 km/h.
Those are not speed cameras. They are cameras for traffic control, so they can selectively set speed limits, or close off lanes when an accident occurs.
@@renedekker9806 Fascinating! I did not know this.
@13:54 ,,system in execellnt condion" as a germen i had to laught really hard at that
Immernoch besser als anderswo.
Hast du einen direkten Vergleich xD? Also ich weiss nicht wie die 'Autobahnen' in China und den USA sind.
@@zaranea7920 Die Autobahnen in China sind der Horror soweit ich das mitbekommen habe. Billigstes Material, hällt nichts aus und ist nach 5 monaten Nutzung kaputt
What? They are constantly repairing it!
Don't you see all the construction work going on all the time? :D
Try driving on some US roads for comparison...
The main reason for Autobahns being as safe as they are is the mindset of German drivers: Follow every rule perfectly. And the #1 rule to keep alive on a German no-speed-limit Autobahn is: When you want to pass someone look carefully on your driver-side mirror. If you see any headlights in your mirror, no matter how far they seem to be, wait. It might be a Porsche coming at 320 km/h (200 mph). And I've witnessed this firsthand, a car passing by me like my car was standing (wanting to pass the guy driving just 120 km/h - 75 mph) . I never switched lanes without this check. That's why I am here to write this.
Well it could also be the fact that germans pay 2000-3200 euros for their license and getting that revoked would not be sound financially. lol My two sense
@@Jacob_Headley Also, Germans use their blinkers as they should, unlike Americans (ehem!)
@@timothybeardsley2715 XD yeah okay buddy. My german friends say they never use their blinkers that its a waste of time lol so you were saying its just Americans? lmfao
@@Jacob_Headley Yes, in theory. But not in practice. I live in Finland, and a driving licence costs here about as much as in Germany. Still, there are many more complete idiots in Finnish traffic than there are in Germany. And that's *not* taking in account that the population in Germany is about 10 times as large as that of Finland!
@@OldieBugger Well your laws are very different from germanys. Germanys max restricted speed is 130km/h. From what I read Finland has roughly the same traffic speeds as most of the US. Lower speeds = idiots. Higher speeds = people paying attention more so they don't die lol
13:30 There is a concept of a recommended speed limit which is 130 km/h. This speed is deemed save and ecological reasonable, Cars’ consumption is optimized for this speed. All this has implications on the insurance. If you were involved in a traffic accident and you were driving faster than 130 km/h. you will bear at least responsibility to some degree.
lets not forget the stupid idiots that get to the left lane from behind a truck driving 100km/h, and didnt check his mirror
happened to me to drive 200km/h and had to brake in 200 metters
i need new brakes
@@iuliancalin22 Happened to me with a truck overtaking another truck. Luckily my ABS kicked in and also the road condition was excellent. If the road is even slightly wet I never go beyond 130.
@@iuliancalin22 Let's not forget those who are sitting in my trunk while overtaking a truck. Flashing aggressively. Where should I go? There's a fucking truck on the other lane.
Sounds reasonable. That also helps saving money for gas.
@@jBurn_ you got yourself in that situation, when overtaking on the unrestricted part of the autobahn smash the gas pedal like a maniac to avoid shit like this, they sit in your trunk because they had to obliterate their brakes to not hit you
“But luckily Hitler had another plan…”
That sentence could have went 0-60 real quick. 😂
8:38 fun fact: That's wrong. In the oil crises years, Germany had introduced car-free Sundays and you could walk or cycle on the Autobahn on Sundays :)
There are also bicycle protests once a year in Berlin called Sternfahrt where they cycle on the Autobahn which is closed for cars.
That sounds annoying, no wonder people are constantly getting ran over there. People don't know when it's shut down, do they block off every on ramp? Would be moronic to have over 20,000 km shut down so someome can ride their bike. Thats what 20,000 people to block the on ramp, or do they just put a sign on them saying closed? Very curious
@@jamesmeppler6375 well, in the oil crisis you couldn't drive on any road with your car. So there was no need to put up signs at the autobahn.
And the demonstration once a year in Berlin is obviously protected by the police blocking off the streets where the cyclists are driving.
@@jamesmeppler6375 People constantly getting run over? Not in my experience, and generally, collisions involving cyclists are taken much more seriously in Europe. (In a lot of countries, the motorist is nearly always considered at fault.) Do you have any stats to back up your claim, or was it just bluster?
@@jonnunn4196 good questions, I imagine there's alternate routes but some things should be considered and take precedence, it has to have an emergency shoulder or lane, right?
In my city when they have the naked bike ride it's only really on one street and not the highway and happens at night when there's less traffic.
@@nomadMik no stats just individual stories of people doing tiktok things or taking new pictures for Facebook, where they lay on the road or just stand there, being stupid of course, but people will do anything for that now.
But that doesn't mean my highways are much safer, we just never hear of someome laying down on Interstate 5 for pictures in the dark
I wish Quebec would contact Germany and get their secrets to the highways.
Out here the roads are so bad you need full suspension bikes to cycle on the roads!
There are a designated roads just for bikes. Bicycles are not allowed on tbe Autobahn. :)
there is no secret,... the blueprint for a safe and stable highway is open for all, just search a bit,... the problem is the money,.... it´s expensive to build with the right materials and to keep it in shape . i just think that your government see no economic advantage to repair or even upgrade your roads so you better make the first step, collect some pro-arguments and talk to your ministry who is responsible for the infrastructure. gretings from germany =)
I was born and raised in America but due to insurance restrictions I didn’t get a driver’s license, nor did I really drive. I got my license, courtesy of the US Army in Germany. Saying, “I learned to drive on the autobahn.” is a very real statement for me.
Things I learned: There are very few accidents on the autobahn. (I think because people understand how fast they are going and understand the consequences)
When there is an accident, it’s a fatality.
the autobahn is for germany like guns for americans.
something somewhat dangerous they're proud about to handle different than other countries.
the key element is discipline and training. you're not forced to drive insane speeds! But you're expected (if you dont for no reason you'll be fined) to drive as far right as possible, and each lane further left is ment for higher speeds and or overtaking the people in front of you just to go back into your middle/right lane. since entering/leaving the autobahn ONLY happenes on the right lane .. there's the majority of traffic mixing and breaking/accelrating for traffic street reasons, the other lanes are ment not to be influenced by those ramps .. but never the less .. where ever a ramp is it's typicaly 120 max speed for savety reasons
by those small things .. it's ordrely, save and keeps the opportunity to go much faster if people want to and it's allowed where you drive
tbh .. i feel WAY saver driving 140 or 160 on the autobahn .. than 100 on a regular road between cities
the difference between the german qutobahn and american gun love is that one doesnt kill 1000sands of oeople more than necessary every year
@@Marvin-ii7bh you assume the legality of guns in the us kills 1000s if people the majority of those "official" numbers are suicides, followed by killings with illegal weapons by criminals. That's like counting people committing suicide by driving into a lake or criminals/terrorists driving through pedestrians as traffic deaths .. caused by the lack of a speed limit
with one difference about gun deaths, the former mentioned 2 primary causes are responsible for the vast majority of deaths
@@TheyCalledMeT legality of the gun in the US cause a lot of School Shooting events recent one was Oxford High School in Michigan
@@KaedeAnimation how many of those shootings where commited with illegally owned guns? something that's weirdly always brushed under the rug
Simon here: nicks and cuts where you shave with this thing....
Boy with the Blaze: WHEN YOU SHAVE YOUR BAAAWWWWLLLZZZZ
Will it abolish sack racing?😂
What I found about the autobahn was that there were sections that had a speed limit and sections that did not. However, because you could drive really fast on the no-speed-limit sections, they went by pretty quickly and you ended up spending more actual time on the speed-limit sections.
And there's also lots of construcition sites, which have speedlimits of 80 or 60 km/h, but on the most important parts, there's lots of unlimited way. Also a little hint; you are allowed to slow down AFTER the speed limit sign. There aren't any speed cameras allowed within 100meters and usually they have to be announced a few kilometers before to prevent people from breaking hard and causing an accident.
Yes, this is the usual experience most people will make. If you really want to go high speed you have to chose a route and time with low traffic.
overall, about 1/3 of Autobahn has a permanent speed limit, the other 2/3 are generally unlimited with exceptions like construction sites in place or traffic situation, as many stretches today have "Wechselverkehrszeichen" literally "changeable road signs", digital displays that will show speed limitations or issue warnings e.g. if there are conditions like traffic jams or low visibility due to fog
@@hermes7587 I found A6 east of Nurnberg, A7 south of Ulm and A8 between Nurnberg and Berlin (minus the Leipzig area) are the best areas to really experience speed.
"This is Germany. They figured it out." Well duh! :)
If only they could figure out how to make reliable cars again.
Oh yes the german "Autobahn". The world biggest permanent building site. A real mega project.
So maintenance is a bad thing?
@@Cyba_IT Absolutly not, but due to the exzessiv use of trucks and obvius waste of tax, some roads are now more a permanent building site than road. Quite impressive, considering the fact that People believe that there is "no speed limit".
I live in Germany and I'm very happy to have the parts of the track where you can drive without speedlimit. I hope that the greens, who will probably receive many votes this autumn, are not able to bring speedlimits to reality. It's nice to drive 170 km/h and reach the focused destination faster and In my opinion the experience to drive with 230 km/h is scary but interesting if you try it for a short time.
Depends on the circumstance. 230km/h doesn't feel scary to me and I do it pretty much every day. But I drive it on a piece of road I know all the cracks of with an Audi designed for it and little traffic.
@@ego4551 yes same. There is a long stretch near Offenburg that is unlimited with mostly little traffic. I can floor it everytime with my TT reaching over 260 kmh. Much fun!
I live in the Netherlands, and every time I had to travel into German, the Autobahn was amazing.. when I didnt run into road work. It seems you do get some good distances between construction, but there are quite a lot of them going on all the time.
Necessarily so. It is a large system and needs constant care and surveilance. But usually once a spot or stretch is fixed it will keep itself in good shape for a good 5 or 10 years.
Did they ever finish that section around the intersection of A44 and A4? In the four years I lived in Germany, I saw not one iota of progress. A5 south of Karlsruhe was pretty bad too, but at least they seemed to be making some headway by the time I move away.
Or get stuck in one of the Autobahn systems infamous traffic jams. It once took me 4hrs 30 mins to get from Geiselwind to Regensburg in the middle of the night. A distance of about 100 miles/160km
For 2 years I had to drive to Almere once a week. The highways in the Netherlands are of excellent quality and well maintained. But then again, high traffic, 100% focus on speed limits, overtaking other cars with 1 km/h speed difference etc. put me under stress so I was always released getting back onto the A3 towards Bocholt.
You feel a difference from Netherlands to Germany ? Beside the speed limit ? It's all the same I think.
I was in a BMW with my ex boss doing 240 kmph+ on the Autobhan and he looked over to me in the passenger seat and casually asked me if I had a problem with speed.
I said no, I have a problem with stopping suddenly.
He laughed and we carried on flying through the countryside.
"freeze resistant concrete mix" how has Canada not learned :(
Canada is way bigger than Germany so it makes sense
The calls for speed limits on the Autobahn has more to do with the environmental impact than anything regarding safety. Considering the huge environmental movement in Germany, it's creating a bit of an issue when it comes in clash with the deep rooted automobile culture
So a Tesla can still do 200 right
@@AllahDoesNotExist For 30 seconds maybe.
Yeah but there are more problems along it even if you look at it from an environmental pov... Like people taking a plane instead if they can't go fast during night and such...
@@Markus-zb5zd The solution is to not look at things from an "environmental" POV.
Look at things from a human flourishing POV, and everything becomes a lot clearer.
@@phamnuwen9442 yeah from that PoV we need to cut individual traffic urgently
the flashing lights behind you are somewhat wrong. there is always someone who wants to drive faster, even when you are already at 280km/h
if its flashing blue lights? (uncommon at such speeds, since police cars are slower with some rare exceptions). we call that "panic light" btw. but i know what you mean. but at such speeds its really a rare event that someone flashes at you. and its also not allowed. its taken as assault and fined and maybe you will loose your drivers license for one month if get caught
Driving close behind someone and Flashing lights is called "Nötigung" and is illegal
@@brainslayer666 Wrong. Flashing the headlights is absolutely fine and even taught in driving school to indicate that you want to overtake. You must however do it from a safe distance. Only in combination with tailgating it becomes "Nötigung".
On the blue lights: Maybe he was so slow that the car behind him was blue-shifted just a tiny little bit. :D
@@nicolasblume1046 What is a "lichthupe" ?
When I lived in Germany, the car flashing the lights behind me more often than not seemed to be a Porsche registered in Switzerland.
“Where you can push your foot down on the accelerator with out any fear of flashing lights behind you.” Unless it’s early 2002 and you’re driving an American made Ford Taurus, when you set the cruise control for 100 mph, and the speed Governor kicks in and brings the car back under 90 mph. Then you’re just being rude in the left lane.
Took a nearly half a year break from watching simon videos, I like this new him. seems more comfrtable and enjoying himself more.
Keep it up my G
Just to give you an idea of how safe German roads are: I came across only one fatal accident in 15 years of driving. This was indeed on the Autobahn and I had to give first aid - to absolutely no pleasure on my side, as two people died while I rendered aid. But both were ejected from one car and had no seatbelts on. So not sure how the outcome has been otherwise.
The people in the other 3 cars involved had no severe injuries, we had to smash one window, as the car was pinned between two threes and we could not open the doors.
It's a death rate of about 3600 per year, that's 10 per day. Highest share is not on the Autobahn, it's more often killed pedestrians or byciclers, or just a curve taken to fast on a normal road. To compare, USA has 4 time more population and 10time more people killed in traffic. France has about 3200 deaths, so not much difference, with speed limit.
I rented a high end BMW while in Germany so I could experience the Autobahn myself. I was end the left lane running 125MPH when I saw a car coming up fast from behind. I merged left to let the car by and was expectig a Porsche, Lambo or maybe a Ferrari. Nope. Some industrious German citizen had removed the original engine from his 72 Super Beetle and replaced it with a V8. Bugatti would have been proud...
Tbh... My golf goes faster than 125kp/h and I regularly do.
@@Markus-zb5zd So do I...
200km/h goes nearly every car, stop blocking left lane
@@donvielenio8956 yeah, right lane is best lane
@@Markus-zb5zd 125mph. That's 200kph.
Spent a few years in Germany in the 80's and the Autobahn brings back fond memories. We took our 4 cyl Cavalier and found it to be far more enjoyable at 110-120 kph (~70 - 75 mph) than 55 mph in the US. As someone is closing on you from behind, they flash their lights a couple times to warn you to move over, and I never saw anyone fail to move over. A well maintained, great highway system to drive on. BTW, you had to be 18 to get a drivers license over there.
Also, the ones that were going super fast would stay in the left lane with their left turn signal continuously on.
I was playing Kraftwerk's Autobahn while viewing this video. Your attention to detail and entertaining delivery is spot on! Thank you.
Definitely a culture/mindset for this. Montana, in the US, had a "Reasonable & Prudent" (aka As fast as road conditions allow) regulation for it's highways & Interstates for several years. While nice, considering Montana's size, our culture DID make it into the kind of "whacky races" american's are so good at. Not to mention our booze problem to go along with it.
Yeah I think it's something that can't be easily reintroduced intoa society that had speed limits for decades.
You have to have most people trained to deal with it, e.g. stay on the right and be careful, and that takes years or even decades. On top of that, I can imagine that when it was suddenly introduced, that attracted people from across states, and locals, to the roads, just to test it out. Here you can do it at any time, and people deal with it, and they know their limits. When all that hasn't been established I can imagine it going not great. Just a theory though
The odd thing about traffic is that so long as everyone is playing off the same rulebook, the rules themselves don't quite matter. For instance, in Montreal, everyone drives like a maniac, but it's a predictable mania and so you're relatively safe. In Nova Scotia, people generally drive in a more sane fashion, but you can't predict their actions so every time you use a cross walk, you are tilting with fate.
I'm German and drove in Montreal quiet often. I considered this quiet traffic. Jams on the highways. First come first go on the streets.
Actually I asked a local, about the allowed speed in the city, I'm german and want to behave correctly. The answer was "I drive as fast as the guy in front of me" or for highways "20kmh above the limit is the norm".
Save for the "German Autobahn System" part, the title sounds like the presentation my twitchy uncle gave us on last years christmas gathering.
There are some more reasons for why the Autobahn is actually safe in perspective.
First of all, our driver exams are way harder compared to other countries but you also have a minimum of hours you must learn to drive on the Autobahn in order to receive it.
Second, the "Rechtsfahrgebot" in Germany (literally translated "drive right lane whenever possible") makes sure everybody has a system to stick to. Slowest on the right, overtakers left. With 3 lanes, it mostly comes to Busses and Trucks right, normal cars usually in the middle for the overtaking and the ones going faster than those driving left. That makes sure there isn't chaos with lanehopping.
And last but not least, Germany has regular checkups on technical security of the cars every car owner has to make every year or every second year. That means it's highly unlikely a car that is a technical security risk will cause havoc on an Autobahn
So much regulation. How do you Germans live with it?
@@dabbinghitlersmemes1762 since we grow up with it, it's kinda normal. Most of them do make sense and are a reason for high safety standards.
But I agree, for someone that is new here it's hard to adapt and learn everything.
What? No mention of the old Top Gear episode where they were tasked with seeing how fast they could drive their cars? Temporary speed limits from road works and numerous impediments from traffic kept them from doing more that about 60 mph for their numerous attempts.
nearly noone here in germany cares or even knows about show!
Most parts of german autobahn have a speed limit, since there have been bad accidents or street races on certain parts. There aren't many more accidents on german autobahns, but if you crash badly beyond 200kph, chance of survival are pretty low
One point missed: The autobahn inspired General Dwight Eisenhower to create the American interstate highway network.
Potentially helped but California had a vast state wide high way system since 1912, development of which began in 1895. Which served as a blue print for the rest of the county. Heck even the "highway font" on every single sign in the US was developed by California.
I have also read that he built it because we needed a faster way to move the military around country. He was POTUS at the time, he was a general prior.
@@jorgegavino7458 I've never heard that before. I do like road trips, are there any remnants of that system still around?
Jorge is correct. Ike used it for rhetoric in the 50s but the German Autobahn was in it's infancy and far from a network before WWII shut down expansion.
The US mandated the Interstate Highway System as a New Deal commission in the 30s , but they had to first pave and expand the US highway system to support the interstate construction.
Before the commission several states had started building superhighways and long rural parkways (Ca, SNY, Penn, Fl,....).
Most of the Autobahn was built at the same time as the US interstate and Canadian interprovince. My dad was a highway engineer in 1948-1985 and he worked on German as well as US highway tunnel designs.
@@coldham77 who was going to attack the US? Canada?
The speed on the autobahn with no limits depends on the prize of gas. strange but the truth
Also depends on the season. Summer and winter brings more tourists that want to move through Germany quickly to get down to southern Europe (and back) ^^
No, not true at all. No idea where you got this from.
Conditions (weather) as well as traffic or even certain weekdays have an impact but not the gasoline price.
This is my first Megaprojects video and Simon's posh, educated, hipster, laa de daa accent is something else. Immediate sub. Also for the interesting content as well of course
2 straight and 4 turn. well still more action than what they see in the USA.. Drum roll ending
Unlike in the US you are required to actually learn how to drive and know the traffic laws in Germany. We pay for that education in the US, but most school systems use that money to hire a Sports coach and have them "teach" a Driver's Ed class. Our football coach, err, Driver's Ed teacher actually told the class that if someone is tailgating you just slam on the brakes, the cops will give the guy behind you the ticket!
Driving on an Early, sunny, Sunday morning from Venlo to Karlsruhe over the A61 is an experience like no other.
You mention how cold resistant the surface is, but in recent years there have been several occasions of blowups due to high heat on many sections of the Autobahn, causing speed limits to be imposed of just 80 kph or so on affected areas. And of course, causing many more construction sites afterwards. The autobahn can be fun to drive fast, but the reality often is a big number of construction sites with speed limits, reducing lanes and causing traffic jams.
Next up on Geographics
Bonn: The capital of East Germany that never was
;D
Oh gosh Mr Whistler. My granddaughter is here visiting, and can't look at your very entertaining and informative video right now. Because of the Corona virus. Haven't seen her in three months, and she commands my full attention. . so, I've saved it for later.
Nico from Trinidad and Tobago
@@DrBreadstick Thank you for your pleasant comment.
Fun fact: the American east coast highway system was inspired by the autobahn and even the part where parts of the interstate system can be turned into makeshift airfields
I’ve been talking about this for a long time. The U.S. needs fewer speed limits and more round-abouts. Europe has got it figured out 👌
Germany is the only country in Europe without speed limit. All the others are between 110 and 130 kph
@@anton95rct They may post limits but no one pays attention to them...not even the cops. I lived in Italy for 4 years. Routinely traveled between cities at 100mph, and still got passed by the occasional car. Also, if you approach someone in the left lane, they let you pass. If they don't see you, simply flash your lights, and they move over...no biggie.
@@user-px1wj2uv3r I am German so I guess I know a thing or two about living and driving in Europe. Italy especially on highways has incredibly rigorous speed controls and speeding tickets can get quite expensive. (Just look for Sistema Tutor, basically a section control system that covers 20% of Italian Autostrada, enough to enforce speedlimits effectively)
@@anton95rct You’re saying I’m lying, which is annoying, but I’lll admit I lived in Sicily. So, my experience may differ from where ever your family probably vacationed….if you’ve even been to Italy. Rome for example has more than enough Carabinieri to keep the tourism industry safe. Northern Italian culture is quite a bit different from southern though, so you may have something there. If you’re telling me though, that Sicilians abide by the rigorously enforced speed limits, you’re out of your mind.
@@user-px1wj2uv3r I am not saying you're lying. I am saying that living in a small part of Europe for a little while tells you nothing about life in Europe. That's like me claiming to know stuff about the United States after spending time in idk sth like Abilene (Texas). Yes, there is no section control in sicilia. Yet. But that says nothing about Italy as a whole, and even less about speed control in Europe.
Also, I spend quite a lot of time in Italy. Napoli, Firenze, Roma, Milano. And no, not for vacation. Yes, traffic in Italy is less ordered than in other parts of Central Europe. But no, you can't just go speeding as you wish. Especially not on the autostrada. And no, the fact that some people are speeding doesn't mean that there are no enforced speed limits or that those speed limits aren't there for a reason.
About the carabinieri. Speed control on the autostrada is - as I said - done with section control nowadays. That is a system consisting of cameras that scan your vehicle at two different points and calculate your average speed from the time it took you to cross those points (one section is 15km long). Italy is btw not the only country in Europe to use section control. Austria is also using it a lot and Germany is about to roll it out to more places.
If you want to find out more about speed checking on Italian autostrada I recommend this page: www.autostrade.it/it/tecnologia-sicurezza/sicurezza/il-tutor (But yes, as you can see on that Website there is no section control in Sicilia. Yet.)
As a kid growing up in America obsessed with Lamborghinis, I wanted to visit Europe just for the Autobahn.
Honestly i just wanna see how fast people really try to go haha i just wanna be in the far right lane and see what speed they are really trying
@@ethans7914 If you wait long enough (a few minutes) there definitively will be someone who overtakes you with 120+ km/h, and by that I mean relative speed to you. You would do 90/100 km/h in this experiment to flow with the right lane traffic. But not all of us drive always 300 km/h as some people say.
@@ethans7914 I've only been on it once, and honestly it is terrifying the first time someone rips past you in the blink of an eye, but you slowly get used to it. The fastest I ever got up to was a bit over 160kmh (100mph), but I can tell you for sure there were a few people going a LOT faster than that. I never understood why Germans took their road and vehicle safety so seriously until I got on the Autobahn...then I quickly figured it out.
@@brianrockwood2018 the road and vehicle safety is only one part. The main point being the rules, which are definitely different to those in the US.
In my driving lesson on the autobahn, I was already going 150/160kph and my driving instructor said, now there's space and clear visibility of ahead traffic, pedal to the metal. I went like 220kph in driving school. BUT its important having experienced higher speeds before with a qualified instructor nearby, since the car behaves different at those speeds.
Never seen a Lamborghinie, probably those cars are only built for people in America, maybe for some in Monaco and some garages in Dhubai.
The German version of “ Wacky Race’s “ is just normal driving.
The A555 is also called Adenauer's street. When the first site was built, Adenauer was mayor of Cologne. When the second half was built and the road became the autobahn, Adenauer was Federal Chancellor in Bonn. The A555 connects Cologne and Bonn.
Today there are many construction sites on the autobahn in western Germany. Most of the bridges from the 1950s and 1960s can no longer withstand traffic and have to be rebuilt. This is because of the enormous volume of traffic and because the trucks have become much heavier.
Speed limits, roadworks and traffic jams are the result.
i imagine people drive at speeds they find comfortable, i like driving fast because my mind wanders, i think i'm actually more alert at 130 than 30, but the point being instead of being forced to drive at one speed you can drive at a speed that suits you, if you want to drive at 50, drive at 50.
You cant drive at 50 at autobahn. Speed is not the danger but people suddenly braking and slowing down so all cars in a line have to drive similarily. Trucks drive at about 90 to 100 km/ph so that is slowest you should go. Otherwise all trucks will be passing you going and than blocking the left line.
I'm pretty sure the minimum speed limit is 80km/h, as in France. So fuck not, don't drive slowly on road built for driving fast.
@@kristijangrgic9841 trucks are limited to 80 if they weight more than 12t. And they all have a build-in speed limiter at 90. They can go faster on a downhill. But there is a chrono-stuff that record which speed you drove, and for how many time.
You need to be able to drive 60 km/h minimum. Otherwise the vehicle isn’t allowed to be used on the autobahn. Trucks have a max of 80 (and then they try to overtake each other with 82).
So, min: 60; max: none, in general, otherwise indicating signs are to follow
We do have a „richtgeschwindigkeit“ of 130, which most people roughly adhere to