The Autobahn...please tell my fellow country men that...?

Question

Autobahn means any highway and it could be the A4 or another it is not just ONE ROAD that has an unlimited speed limit. That is what most Americans I know think.

I try to explain to them that Autobahn is the same as Highway and they DO have some speed restrictions in some areas and others have none and all their Highways are considered Autobahns. It is not just one road, though it did start that way.

AM I correct or not? Please let me know so I am informing my friends correctly. I know when you see the white sign with the black stripes then it is unlimited but many parts of A4 I have driven on had limits of roughly 120-140 KM hr.

Thanks

Answer 1

Yes you are correct.

This is a picture with the Autobahn network in Germany:

http://www.gpu-net.de/goodweb/kontakt/ka...

(It is a bit dated btw - some new Autobahns in Eastern Germany are not on it.)

Germans generally call "Autobahn" any long-distance fast-track road that is separated by a divider in the middle, has at least 4 lanes (2 in each direction) and no intersections.

Roads in Germany are designated A for Autobahn, B for Bundesstrasse (federal road) and L for Landstrasse (country road) and numbered.

Answer 2

I think you are giving them accurate information.  I loved driving in Germany. I think they drive much better than here in the USA.  I thought that the recommended speed was 130km, unless otherwise posted.

Answer 3

I tried so hard to explain that, but, once again:

An AUTOBAHN is a road with at least two lanes where driving is allowed in only one direction. Overtaking is only allowed on the left lane; on the right, it's strictly forbidden (except when traffic is moving slow). The RECOMMENDED speed is 130 km/h (80 mph), but you MAY drive faster, unless there's a speed limit sign. The lanes on the Autobahn are always physically separated, usually by a stripe of green with beam barriers on both sides.

The Autobahn is NOT equivalent to a highway.

There is another thing we call KRAFTFAHRTSTRASSE. There is a speed limit of 100 km/h (by law), which can be raised to 120 by special signs. These routes also have two lanes for each directions, but no barriers between them.

The Kraftfahrtstraße is NOT equivalent to a highway.

Then there's the LANDSTRASSE. There's a general speed limit of 100 km/h (80 mph). A Landstraße has only one lane in each direction, with no barrier in between. There may be speed limit zones, but if the Landstraße is well maintained, you'd rather see signs like "do not overtake" instead of restricting speed.

The Landstraße is NOT equivalent to a highway.

You simply can't compare the types of roads. In Germany, there are strict rules what an Autobahn has to look like, what a Kraftfahrtstraße is, and what's a Landstraße. But all three might be called a "highway" under circumstances in the US. I mean, on a Landstraße, the narrowest of all three, you're still allowed to drive 60 mph. Sure, there are a lot of speed limit zones, and mostly you can't drive that fast because you're breathing the diesel exhaust of the truck before you, but you CAN legally when the road is free.

There are traffic signs informing you when you enter a Kraftfahrtstraße or an Autobahn.

This one is for Kraftfahrtstraße:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:...

And this one

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bild:Zeiche...

is for Autobahn.

The "A" and "B" and "St" signs don't mean anything for the driver. A is for Autobahn, that's sure. B is for "Bundesstraße", "federal road", that means, the government planned and organized it, and paid for it. "St" is for "Staatsstraße", that means, it was governed by the state and subsidised, but the community also paid for it. Roads with no such sign (usually the smaller ones that connect villages) have no sign, and had no government funding. The local community paid for them because they needed or wanted them. But this is of no importance to drivers.

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edit:

What you probably want to know: What was the highest speed I ever drove on an Autobahn?

230 km/h (140 mph)

That was the car's limit.

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@Wulf, didn't I make that clear? Again? I said there is no translation. You cannot translate different road types and driving habits into a foreign language. I tried to describe them as best as I could, but there is no translation.  Like, when I read a novel translated from (American) English into German, they mention the interstate so-and-so. They don't translate it, because you can't. You must know what an interstate is to understand.

Answer 4

You are correct. Alvin is correct that it's hard to translate

but I don't think that's the core of your question.

Autobahn defines a certain *TYPE* of multilane road that

can have a speed limit in parts or total or not. It's not just

one specific road. The closest translation is freeway.

Answer 5

You are absolutely right.

1 Autobahn is the German equivalent for highway and means all of them not a specific one.

2 On most Autobahn there is a speed limit and also there are is too much traffic at least during the day to drive fast.

3 The sign you describe gives permission to drive as fast as you want if that is possible.

Answer 6

When last I visited Munich und Nuremburg, the speed limit on the autobahn was 31kph in built-up areas and none on what we Americans call "the open road"  and if you valued your life, you stayed out of the lane on the far left.  I was once passed whilst doing 300kph in my Maserati!  I said to my passenger "Was that a car or a  jet plane?"

Answer 7

Everybody hear "Autobahn" think you can drive just like that. Is not. Speed Limit is 120km. Some areas 100. So if is a constructions than lower. All Autobahns in Germany has blue sign with white writing on it. And the Autobahns has a Numbers like A4, 6 ...... Normally you drive on the Autobahn fester than Highway/Freeway. That's correct.

Right now is not so easy speeding on the Autobahns, because civilian police are everywhere, if they got you, you are paying over 350 Euro and some points and the bad things is they take your driver license for few months away. Now you can tell your friends some more stories about the Autobahn.

Have fun and Happy New Year...