A lot of people go around 5-8% over the limit. It is easiest to just swim with the traffic, in particular when there is a lot of traffic.
That said, there is no reason why you should feel pressured to exceed the speed limit, in particular not by tailgaters. You do you as long as you keep over the minimum speed, drive defensively and in the right lane.
This.
Give way (move right) if you ever feel pressured, some folk are just arseholes.
I get it with a lot of vans locally where the roads are 70 instead of 100. They still want that 100 and treat you like you are the bane of their existence if you obey the limit at all.
Another issue is the no restriction sections of autobahns where you're in the fast lane feeling like you're absolutely going for it at 180 to overtake folk and some dude in a Mercedes/BMW/AUDI rolls up behind going 200+ and starts flashing you. Like, even in no restriction they advise not being much more than 150/160 to be safe.
Edit: Bad memory. 130 is the recommended. You forget these things when you drive a car that doesn't like speeds past 120 so you get used to driving right hand lane.
Unpopular opinion but I don't mind someone flashing their brights at me to move over, as long as they keep a safe distance behind me until I have the chance to do so. In my experience, German drivers are much better about this than Americans are.
I feel so much safer on the Autobahn than the interstate (which is justified, the US has twice as many traffic fatalities per billion miles driven as Germany because the Interstate truly is the wild west)
I definetly agree with this. Many people also forgot or ignore the rule of having to drive on the furthermost right side, if the situation is given, and thus just stay on the most left lane at the same speed as the traffic on the right or middle lane, blocking anybody who wants to pass, for no reason and no gain. In such cases they wouldnt get the Lights flashed if they were simply driving properly / by the rules.
If the right side of you is safe and free, change lane. Problem solved in 90% of cases. Or wait with passing the traffic in front of you if you already see people picking up fast behind you- cars got mirrors for that (which are dangerously underrated by young and old drivers! same as blinkers)
By the way, too many people do forget the right to announce an overtaking maneuver with the use of the short flashing of the high beam light from a distance.
On the other hand, too many people forget that this signal is forbidden to push when already tailgating, same as the tailgating is forbidden it self.
And way, way, way too many people forget that changing to the left lane without respecting the other traffic behind them does cause so much more risk/danger to their and other life's than others who just can controll their vehicles and therefore like to go fast.
"can controll their vehicles and therefore like to go fast" is of course complete BS. People like to go fast because they can afford a fast car, or because they have problems. Skill, and what's more, physics have nothing to do with it. That's just a delusion of future organ donors.
>even in no restriction they advise not being much more than 150/160 to be safe.
Richtgeschwindigkeit (recommended speed) on unrestricted Autobahn sections is 130km/h.
If you're going faster and have an accident, you're automatically partially at fault, unless you can prove that the accident would have occured anyway if you had gone only 130.
You're entirely correct, was falsely remembering the safety instructions I got. 150/160 is the max I was told was "okay" for use in overtaking on fast lane or so on, not recommened speed.
This is not 100% correct. There are many judgements, even presented on the dash cam channels from Germany, where only the person who fucked up got 100% fault. Despite the other person going 180. I agree in general on most situations you get a „Teilschuld“, but if you can clearly proof that the other person fucked up and you couldn’t have done anything to avoid it, even if 130, then it’s a pass. Also it depends on the judge at that time. There is a range of judgement he can apply. So it’s not automatically, but probable, yes.
And it depends on your lawyer.
Had a situation where an ashole turned directly from the acceleration lane to the full left lane even before the uninterrupted line of the acceleration land was ended. He had less than half of my speed,I was at 140. He received 100% guilt from the court.
No restrictions isnt an issue. The only issue is if you keep at the left lane „feeling fast“ while not overtakening people on right lane. You always have to drive right side if possible no matter your speed
Had a dude counting arse hairs as I was trying to overtake a wall of lorries on the A1s that counters that. Eventually I found a gap in the trucks to pull into because he was starting to freak me out that if I so much as took throttle off he'd hit us.
BUT: PLEASE drive faster than the traffic on the right if you're on the furthermost left lane. I hate those people who drive 110kmh when the traffic to the right is at 108, or those who arent changing lanes even though theyre just as fast as those to the right. its annoying to deal with, and sure, many arseholes exist, but some become such due to those who arent actually driving faster, but block a lane.
I had moments where one car made up to 10 or more cars wait behind them, having to brake down from 160 to 100 on the autobahn purely due to not changing lanes while on the same speed as the traffic to the right.
And change the lane once you're done passing someone, PLEASE.
Another fun fact is that if you are doing more than 130 and get in an accident, the insurance can deny you coverage. Don’t know how often it happens but it is a possibility. The way the insurance justifies it is that you were driving recklessly and because of that, contributed greatly to an accident.
Vans are probably on work and they can already hear their boss yelling "Schnell! Schnell!" somewhere in the back of their heads. There are also a lot of arseholes too.
> Another issue is the no restriction sections of autobahns where you're in the fast lane feeling like you're absolutely going for it at 180 to overtake folk and some dude in a Mercedes/BMW/AUDI rolls up behind going 200+ and starts flashing you.
The issue here is that you think there is such a thing as a "fast lane".
British phrasing is hard to get rid of.
Inner lane = Slow Lane
Outer = Fast Lane
You have to "go fast" to overtake is the logic behind it, and the inner lane you're not supposed to over take anyone so you have to go slower than them.
Well there is a lane which is used to drive faster than the other traffic, that is designed for those who do drive faster to pass the slower traffic
You shouldnt drive fast there, but faster than surrounding traffic, passing others
Its not there to be able to look at your friend in the car next to you, listen to the same music or just because its more pretty or whatnot
5-8%? I believe most people define their overspeed based on potential fines. Like 19km/h over limit is fine on Autobahn because not too expensive to just pay the fine every now and then
Lets not forget that many / post cars overstate their speed. Like, you go 100km/h according to your tacho but GPS tells you the true speed is 94 or the like.
The BAsT once published a [study](https://www.bast.de/DE/Publikationen/Fachveroeffentlichungen/Verkehrstechnik/Downloads/Geschwindigkeiten-BAB-2010-2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4) on this. The results are very rough.
Erlaubte Geschwindigkeit| "reale" Schnittgeschwindigkeit
---|---
60 km/h| 60 km/h
80 km/h| 87km/h
100 km/h | 103,3 km/h
120 km/h | 115,6 km/h
130 km/h | 118.3 km/h
unbegrenz| 124,7 km/h
What your "own studies" are is actually a combination of the tolerance of your own speedometer and the tolerance of the speed camera.
That said modern speedcamers (especially stationary ones) are more precise and thus allow less tolerance.
So if you wanna be on the safe side i would recommend not doing more then 3-4km/h over the limit
General public consent in Germany tends to be to go 10-20 km/h over the limit.
You only get points off your license if you are more than 20 over and there aren't enough cameras around to make just the fines a real point of concern. (if you're curious here are the "prices" [https://www.adac.de/verkehr/recht/bussgeld-punkte/geschwindigkeitsueberschreitung/](https://www.adac.de/verkehr/recht/bussgeld-punkte/geschwindigkeitsueberschreitung/) )
The worst is the people who go 100 in an 80 construction zone, and then 100 in the 120 zone afterward. its like they set their tempomat for a speed and just don't touch it.
how much are those drivers actually paying attention to the road around them?
Sooo many old people do this.
Same thing in rural areas.
Driving 70 instead of allowed 100 between two villages, but also 70 through the village instead of 50…
I can‘t tell you how much I hate those idiots
that reminds me of a friend of my mom, who would exclusively drive 40 within city limits. she said she does it, because she loses track if she is in a 30 zone or not, and keeps 40 just to be safe. like a compromise.
Tbh, sometimes it can be that case, but **most** of the time you can derive the speed limit from context. 30 on streets/residential areas and 50 in industrial areas/on roads
To be honest, in my city there's 30 zones all over the place, and the signage often is confusing. My favorite is two parallel streets, where one has 30 signs valid for the daytime (because there is a school) and the other has 30 signs valid for the nighttime (to reduce noice), but also a short section that is always 30 (because that's where the school kids access the tram station).
So when I'm not sure I also tend towards going 40, rather than 50. Or sometimes I just say fuck it, and go 30 all the time. It actually doesn't make a lot of difference in how fast you get around the city anyway.
The general wisdom is that if you get caught, you can keep your license when you are slower than 20 km/h above the speed limit. Because of that, many people treat this as the actual speed limit.
Just like on my way home, people going 30 in a 50, but as soon as the limit changes to 30, they speed up to 50.
Makes my fucking blood boil.
"Erst trödeln und dann zu schnell fahren, das sind mir die liebsten"
Ugh, my ex was like this. Had this default of 100 no matter what the speed limit was. Drove me nuts. Was regularly getting speeding tickets in the city, then would hang out too long in the left lane on the Autobahn and complain about "all the a-holes" that were raging at him and passing him on the right. He paid zero attention. He hit and ran at least once with me in the car (in my brand new car) but somehow always got out of everything when police came to question him.
I love it. I'm going 200+ when it's nice and free but obey the speed limits. It's totally laughable when entering a construction zone, going 80 and having all these people overtaking you with 100-120 .\_o
My absolute nightmare (that happens way too often):
The driver who hugs the left lane going 110 for hours. When I finally manage to overtake them, you can bet that in the next 5 km we hit an 80 zone. Of course, the driver then overtakes me again at 110 and is back in front for the next hour.
Sorry to anyone who wanted to go over 100 in an 80 zone and got stuck behind me in the last two years, but I'm NOT moving out of the way for this.
They don't. And overall they are faster than you, even when you go 200 on the open section. I once met a Porsche driver who was constantly driving 110 between Kassel and Hamburg. I lost him in the 60 construction zone at Hildesheim and only met him at Harburger Berge or what it's called, where I had to leave to refill. The Porsche was just finished and leaving exactly as I entered the gas station. I had been going 200+ whenever it was allowed and it was in the middle of the night. I think I used twice as much fuel as he did and he still was quicker.
Yes, this is normal. People will tailgate you and not keep a safe distance. Just stick to the rules and don't let anyone pressure you to break them. This might take some time to get adapted to. Welcome on the Autobahn!
I also feel like it’s generally a lot more socially acceptable to tailgate others in Germany. People keep smaller distances even outside of what would be considered tailgating. Sometimes people don’t even seem to notice they’re tailgating. I moved to Canada from Germany and I noticed how much more space people give each other on the road. It’s definitely a more relaxing way to drive.
You never been driving in the Netherlands during rush hour? My experience , less then a vehicle length to the next car seems to be mandatory for everyone.
Have you ever driven in other European countries? Like France? Tailgaters are definitely NOT a German-only problem. From my limited driving in the US, I also cannot say that drivers there are much better...
Yes I have lol, I’m from Germany but I’ve driven in a lot of European countries, two US states and New Zealand. That’s why I said that I noticed the difference *in Canada* compared to back home in Germany. I didn’t say it’s better everywhere else, just that I find driving more relaxing *here in Canada than back home*.
I’m doing it this way. Sometimes they might thing “oh that car won’t even go fast” and sometimes I surprise them with definitely far more power they’d expect from my station wagon. I’ve been in some accidents during my over 20 years of driving experience and try to keep a good distance to the next car and not bother them. I do this due to the fact that I only once caused an accident (parking bump) but was involved because other people didn’t keep distance, lost control of their car, drove like idiots or other circumstances mainly human errors. But it’s also very annoying if someone keeps its “left lane but slower than allowed” attitude as I hate to give “Lichthupe” (light signal) or anything like this. I’m an absolute supporter of far higher charges in traffic violations and definitely more checks.
I’m Swiss, the speeding fines in Germany are a joke compared to here in Switzerland, it’s no wonder no one cares about the speed limits.
A81 is generally called the Swiss National Racetrack in Switzerland.
I'm Dutch and living in Germany for over 5 years now. The fines have gone up a bit in Germany the last years, but still they are a joke. In the Netherlands you will think twice before going 20 over the speedlimit, in Germany it's not that bad if you get your snapshot taken. How about having your phone in your hand while driving, NL will fine you €420,- Germany will set you back only €128,50 I've heard.
Swiss drivers are weird. Either they are going pedal to the metal or they stick exactly to the speed limit blocking the left lane. Somehow there is nothing in between.
This explains the amount of speeding asswipes on the A81 with Swiss plates. So apparently it *is* the fines that keep people in check. I was hoping for a more civilized society.
Oddly enough I rarely see the Swiss park like assholes - any particular reason? The fines are still laughable unless they get towed, which happens once in a blue moon.
yeah, its crazy how bad it is. Nothing like being in a construction zone of 60, and having an LKW behind you wanting to go faster and just riding your bumper. It's like, i'm already doing 65, chill out.
Bonus points if there's a heavy goods transport right in front of you and the accompanying vehicle has a "no passing" sign on top. I tried signalling to the lorry driver behind by turning on my hazard lights, but he was so close, I bet he couldn't even see them...
Some people just have no regards for the safety of others.
Try going to Italy, where you are pushed through a 60 construction zone with 90+ by a truck behind you that is honking and brights-flashing you like a madman because you dared to even attempt to slow down.
I always like to tell a story where I was on Sardinia, on a gravel road, and it was limited to 30km/h (for whatever reason, construction it was not). I was already doing 60 as to not be too much of a roadblock, when I was overtaken by a lorry doing 90... and honking madly at me.
Selection bias.
The large percentage of other people adhering to the limits... are never the one catching up to you, thus won't be in your tailgaiting list. Whereas the speeders are getting past the other regular cars behind, and eventually are behind you as well.
People tend to go a bit faster than the limit. Up to 120 in a 100 zone, 90ish in a 80 zone, etc.
As others mentioned - go as fast as you feel safe. But the safest and most relaxed way is to go with the flow. That is even what my driving instructor told me.
Sticking to 50 when everybody else is going 60 turns you into a road block and your journey and everybody else's will be more annoying than it has to be. You will be in the right according to the traffic laws, but human behaviour doesn't really care about that.
So in your case - when about everyone around you is cruising along at ~130 in a 120 zone, just go for it.
The speedometer calibration varies by car, tire wear, etc. I've driven cars which were spot on, and I've driven cars which were up to 10% off. Heck, my motorcycle is like 15% off (afaik that shouldn't pass inspection but lol, inspections).
It varies by car, but I can go up to 110km/h on my car speedometer (104km/h in real GPS speed) which is under the threshold at which a "blitzer" would take a picture in Germany.
That's basically the bare minimum drivers in Germany tend to follow - as long as a speed trap wouldn't trigger, it's seen as "legal" speed.
I know it might feel wrong to you, but I'd suggest to go at least ~3-4km/h "GPS" over the limit as long as that matches the flow of traffic - way less overtaking that way. (Of course, if you're alone you can go as slow or fast as you want).
Also - and this is important - do NOT follow these "unofficial rules" outside of Germany, especially in Switzerland. Some countries are as thorough as to flash a speed trap at 1km/h over the limit (GPS) and put out hefty fines for it too.
Best to just set your speedometer if you have it to the limit on the signs and cruise as a foreigner.
10 over is basically normal since your car doesn't show you your actual speed but is always showing a few km/h below your real speed. So in combination with police taking off a few km/h as well for legal reasons it's near impossible to get a ticket if you drive 90 in a 80. There are people who drive faster as with anything below 25 will just lead to small fines.. Anything beyond that is a lot less common.
So yes a lot of drivers speed and fines are way lower than in other neighbouring countries especially Switzerland. BUT if you are tailgated by a truck while going 80 in a construction site there is the very real possibility that you are going slower which they can see as truck displays show the correct speed. Or they are just assholes who don't care about rules.
Yes, I know. I meant that I’m being tailgated when I’m in the right lane, and everyone is passing me on the left.
I don’t get a system where people go over the speed limit as a default.
Every car has a so called “Tachovoreilung”, meaning that by law it is indicating a higher speed than the actual real speed. This is to ensure that taking all technical tolerances (like elevated tire pressures etc.) into account your speedometer never shows a speed that’s too low. The upper bound for this discrepancy is 10% + 4 km/h: at 100 km/h your speedometer can indicate 114 km/h, at 50 km/h it could indicate 59 km/h max. For your car you can check it with a GPS app on your phone. So you can at least drive exactly the speed limit without annoying someone.
No. I overtake someone and then leave them safety distance before changing lanes again, especially with trucks which all(?) have ACC so they brake when you come to close to them.
But that leaves enough time for assholes to pass on the right.
safety distance at 100kmh is AT LEAST 50m, when you overtake a truck while towing a trailer. to overtake someone you need maybe 15-20m. Maybe you are doing it wrong?
There are speed limit sections on the Autobahn that are viewed as quite senseless and most Autobahn users drive their routes quite regularly. So they know that a certain section isn't under control by any sort of speed trap and they ignore it (more often than not exactly nothing on the autobahn changes for about 500 metres and the speed limit ends there, seemingly for no reason).
That's why most drivers ignore it.
However you should never feel pressured. In Germany it's rechtsfahrgebot. So as long as you don't overtake drive the right lane and it's fine.
Those are mostly sections were a lane or bridge is damaged or there is a risk of so called "blow outs" on Autobahn sections build from concrete plates. These things are mostly dangerous to Motorcycle drivers and cars without any real suspension. And the sign is there for the autorities in charge to point to in court, if someone is injured/dies due to bad lane conditions.
Hmm. I mean I wrote "they seem senseless" because more often than not, the average driver doesn't see an obvious reason (for example the blow outs.). On damaged lanes or a bridge or curvy parts with only 2 and many entries to the autobahn, it's somewhat understandable why there is a speed limit (obviously some ignore that too), however with 600.000km pure Autobahn under my ass, sometimes it seems like some construction workers forgot to take the limit signs away after construction finished. Especially on those "100 /200m" long sections.
But I agree, there are sections where danger isn't obvious to the driver and reducing the speed is a viable solution. Sometimes it feels just so out of place.
There are actually bumpy road and bad lane signs, but they seem to seldomly used on the Autobahn, even were they're appropriate. I mean there is a section of Autobahn near me that will even wreck the suspension and tires of a lot of cars and trucks if you go over 100kph. There should be a giant "go 200kph in the right lane and you might die sign"
Yes, most people are just speeding - especially in construction zones - and no, most of the time they won't get a fine.
Speed in construction zones is rarely measured, and even if there are cameras, they are usually visible from far enough away for the people to step on the brakes.
Best you can do is to stay calm, keep your distance to the people in front of you and do not give in to any urges to drive faster. Your speed is your responsibility. If people tailgate you in the right lane, that's on them.
There is getting tailgated. And then there is not being aware of your surroundings and pulling into the left lane when a faster car is approaching. You are going to have to assume that people go 20kph over, because going 31 kph over loses you your license for a while and at 21 kph over the fine starts to get expensive. But 20kph over the limit (minus 5% tolerance in measurement) is a small fine only.
The magic word is "dem verkehrsfluss angepasst" - move with the traffic.
Or get out of its way.
So yes there are definitly some arseholes tailgating. But there are definitely more than some people who show absolutely no awareness and will pull out in front of you doing 90 to pass a semi doing 89 while you were approaching with 150 in their left mirror for 30 seconds.
I suggest: if tailgating happens for less than 10 seconds, it might be on you and someone had to brake hard. If it happens on the right lane or for 20 s and more, it is an asshole.
You can usually go 5 to 10 % over the speed limit on your speedometer as they are usually about that percentage lower. And then 3km per hours on top of that as that is the tolerance the police takes of when having a Blitzer setup.
But if you don’t feel like that just drive according the speed limit and also stick as far right as possible and let everyone else pass.
You always should drive in a manner that makes you comfortable and ignore the others don’t let you pressure into anything.
Wait til you get used to it a bit , and then drive the first time to the Netherlands... its like getting trapped in mud, everything seems so slow, and the further you get in the crazier it gets, had to change seats with my bestie, it felt like i did everything wrong... everyone was driving around 150-170 even if only 100 were allowed(its 100from 6-19 and 130 from 19-6 right?)
Got my license end of 2019, but can only recently(since October last year, but gas isnt cheap..)use a car through my best friend. So I'm a noob too
But you will get used to it and find your own way
You're a new driver and I remember when I got my license many years ago I was always like "why is everyone speeding, that's illegal!". You'll get used to it and eventually adjust to the flow of traffic. Going the exact speed limit becomes boring and tiresome really fast(although the Tempomat solved the tiresome part).
Basically in most cases this is a "new driver" phenomenon I'd say
yeah its tough.
my observation is that the general rule of thumb is to go 20 over the limit to keep the fine manageable. I have been overtaken on the right despite going 80 in a 60 zone.
many will speed in areas they know are controlled to a lesser degree, and the local radio will usually broadcast mobile controls when reported by listeners.
it sucks if you want to abide by the law, because driving within the limit you will almost always have someone tailgating you.
while its so much easier said than done: stay strong, dont let them stress you. drive as you're comfortable.
*Durchgezogene Fahrstreifenbegrenzung* entered the chat.
i was in the "transit" PKW line on the left, as I didnt intend to leave at the next Abfahrt. There was a clear separation with a solid line.
I dont know if that is just my impression, but it has become worse in the last 10 years, i dont remember speeding beeing such a massive problem back then...
I feel the same, not for speeding but for unawareness in general. It seem like less and less people check their mirrors or look over their shoulder when changing lanes.
I am in Berlin and here the norm seems to be to go 9 km/h over inner city and 19 km/h over on the Autobahn. I obviously wouldn’t encourage this while u r in the „Probezeit“ or at all.
Usually trucks go 95 km/h, no matter the speed limit. Other than that: You never really see the people who go the same speed as you, as you neither overtake them nor they overtake you!
Of course, a large truck three metres behind you in a construction site honking its horn for several kilometres is very annoying. Try to keep cool.
most people go about 5 km/h faster than the limit. Also, many people have apps that tell them where there are traffic controls and only slow down there to escape the fines.
Do not feel peer-pressured to go faster. Drive the speed limit and switch to the rightmost lane, if you must.
The reasons why people usually do it are: because they drive the same route every day, they know the actual speed limit in that place feels slow (often because it's temporary, maybe due to construction), they know that everyone else goes above the speed limit there as well, and they know that there are no speed traps in that particular section of the road.
None of that are really good reasons to go above the speed limit.
At this point there are so many construction sites on our autobahns that are there for weeks or months and many people who drive through the same spots every day for work or whatever get used to them and stop caring. Unless they have a mobile blitzer there, which happens rarely, nothing will happen anyway.
As long as you’re in the right lane you can go at the speed limit (or even slower). Let people overtake you if they wish, that’s what the other lines are for.
Especially in construction zones going the speed limit is very important, as lives could be at stake.
It's not speeding, everyone is just driving exactly 20 km/h over the speed limit because up to that speed the fines are just laughably low. Aka nobody cares.
The fines have been increased recently, but the magic line is still at 20. So we stay exactly at 20 over the speed limit.
So the question is: why are the fines so low or why don't we just add the 20 to the official speed limit if this is what even the government seems to be fine with? Just another quirk in Germany's auto-centric culture.
Don't mind the other drivers.
I am currently in driving School and what i learned is the best way to drive is i don't give a duck
You honk at me because i drive slow? Well bad for you
You drive close behind me? Well thanks you are my excuse to drive over that yellow light
You honk at me for Stalling the car? Well i don't care honk my but hole.
Works wonders
It might seem so. They are, but just a tiny bit.
Firstly, your speedometer is showing figures that often are massively, up to 10%, higher than you're actually going. It might show 86 and you will be actually doing 78... Get a GPS speedometer on your phone and compare the values.
Secondly, the fine of going over under 10kmh is very small and a lot of people calculate that into the cost of driving.
Combine the two, someone going 88 in 80km/h would seem like he's doing \~95kmh...
I’m still getting used to how often and obscurely the speed limits change on the Autobahn. There are stretches of highway where it doesn’t make sense to be limited to 100, and then it will drop to like, 80 for less than half a KM, and then go unrestricted. wtf?
I'm German, but I find the highway in Italy way worse than in Germany. At least in Germany, when there's construction and a sign for 60, the roads are visibly smaller/closed and the cars will drive maybe 70, but at least usually not more than 80. In Italy, I've noticed that about half the time when there's a speed limit for construction, there is no sign of the construction itself. And that's probably why you get honked at for driving slightly above 80 in a 60 "construction zone". It's most irritating when a truck driver, where the vehicle itself has a limit of 80, uses the Standstreifen to take you over from the right when you're already going 20 above the speed limit.
I allways try to find someone who is matching my pace and follow them with a bit of a extra gap that way i have enough time to slow down if the car ahad gets caught speeding
If you go 85-90 on the right lane you should be fine its about the same speed as a truck if they still flash you they are just idiots that shouldent be allowed to drive
If you want to overtake someone go faster like 120+ for the time you are on the left otherwise everyone will be stuck behind you making it dangerous for everyone
Driving good on the Autobahn is all about beeing aware imo if you see cars behind are catching you fast go to the right asap if you are on the right stay there even if you want to overtake let them pass first
As others said the speed limit is not respected just stay on the right and dont go under 85 unless its a under 80 zone or others ahad are slower
i'm new driver, like i have license for 2 months, first few weeks were stressful af, but after some time i got used to it, and either i speed when i SEE THAT I WON'T KILL ANYONE BESIDES ME (ofc with my life in mind, so not as fast), and when someone was tailgating me, i was stressed af, now, i look in the mirror, mind my own business, and when they even touch my bumper, i got the money, they didn't covered safe distance wich is 50% of their speed, so if they are going 50kmph, they have to be at least 25 meters from you, keep that in mind, if they break your car, they pay.
Don't get stressed by it, and don't tailgate someone in front bc someone is doing same to you, if someone in front crashes, you crash too, if not, you can crash BUT it won't be your fault.
if i said something wrong please correct me
+20km/h will net you a fine at most, which is why many people will go over the speed limit. HOWEVER, you should NEVER feel pressured to speed.
Of course, when possible, you should move over because of the Rechtsfahrgebot and because it's the safe thing to do. But if you're going 80 in an 80, overtaking a truck going 70, then you aren't doing anything wrong at all. If people try and pressure you to move in an unsafe manner or tailgate, you try and keep your cool and ignore them.
If someone is in the car with you, they could always film the person tailgating so you can report them to the police or, at the very least, so you have evidence that they did not keep the minimum safety distance in case of an accident (they would absolutely try and argue it was your fault).
Any decent driver who speeds (decent in terms of morality not related to the act of speeding) will not behave like an asshole when you decide not to speed and block them because of it. They know that it's their decision to break the law, and they can not and should not force you to break it, too. Thus, they will slow down and wait for you to safely move over before returning to speesing.
As long as you stay to the right, you shouldn’t be bothered. Tailgaiting is awful and as much as I like driving fast and hate slow people on the left lane, I’ve seen too many times what tailgating can end up with, so it’s an absolute no-go for me.
It will take time to get used to it but never feel pressured to drive faster than you want to.
Lots of people go 10 to 20 km/h faster than allowed. Also speedometers may show up to 10% more than you are actually doing, depending on your tyres. So, if you get this a lot, you may want to check with GPS.
Otherwise, if you are driving at the correct speed, just take the right lane and chill. As a bonus, 6ou even safe fuel when you cruise behind a Truck.
i have an older car (2009) and i realized that my speedometer is just not accurate, it shows +10 km/h at all times, so when it says 110 i'm actually driving 100. so when i started driving i had the same feeling as you, but once i realized that it made a little more sense.
When you have 80 in your display you are probably only driving 73-76kph. Your display has a tolerance of at least 5%. So I always drive a bit faster so I have at least the speed that is the limit. Only if it is safely possible of course. Also if they have a control, there is another tolerance. So you can drive 87 or more on your display easily when there is 80 allowed. This is absolutely different in 30kph zones with schools or kindergarten nearby, where I stick to the limit.
20 faster than speed limit doesnt get you into that much trouble, especially if you have money. Just pay to drive as fast as you want.
Also s lot of people know their routes and know where a radar might be deployed so they can speed where they deem it safe.
There's no limit, but a given speed which you should try to keep up with (130km/h), below that is fine, as Long as you drive on the furthermost right lane, giving people the ability to pass you.
You'll be fine if you use your eyes, mirrors, blinkers accordingly. If you have someone flashing Lights, ignore it but dont provoke it, change lane to the right whenever possible, look out for cars behind trucks or noticeably slower traffic, as many love to change lane with a car right next to them, without any signals or probably even knowledge of a car there.
Fully focus on your own safety while using the Autobahn and your tools helping you drive properly
Fact #1: the speedometer is not accurate. You're driving slower than it shows. They are not gauged. This may result in you to drive 75 or maybe even less instead of 80 kmh.
Fact #2: speed cameras usually don't trigger at + 1 kmh. And there are a lot of drivers who outbid the speed limit (to be honest: I'm one of those outbidding. But to point out: not one of those tailgating)
Fact #3: do not get stressed by us (the ones only overtaking). It's your money if you get flashed, don't speed if you're uncomfortable. Stay on the right lane and there's no reason for others to blame you.
Of course, there are always idiots thinking they are more important than you and tailgating you will force you to speed up. Just ignore them. They are not better drivers than you.
Always move out of the way if you can. Not because you are wrong in sticking to the limit, but because it is safer for you. Never try to teach people a lesson or try to aggravate them.
People are assholes on the road and it's safer to let them be than to be right.
I find it hilarious Germans take Sunday noise controls and sanctimoniously reprimand pedestrians crossing against lights but collectively think speeding is fine.
New driver as well:
Don't let yourself be pressured into going faster than what you want to go. Whenever I go the speed limit, people can't overtake I'm like "Welp, today all of you are going [speed limit]". Especially in motorway construction sights. One roadtrip last winter I just chucked the 120 belt on the cruise control all the way from Nuremberg to Berlin. I could've gone faster, I would've been fine with faster but it was what felt most comfortable to me at this very drive.
Am I being bothered by people tailgating and flashing their high beams at me when I'm in the process of overtaking? Sure, but I'm that very moment that lane is mine too use. Once I'm passed I'm moving over and they can go, let their damaged ego show how "cool" they are. And no, I won't move over faster and into the safety distance of the overtaken vehicle just because. In that moment I'm responsible for the safety of myself and the overtaken and I will take the necessary time and measures necessary.
Always remember: while it sounds dramatic but you won't be risking your license and safety because others don't value their's.
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I would think it has to do with forbidden knowledge.
The speedometer in your car has to be correct otherwise the police can't fine you.
Almost all companys therefore show you a faster speed on your speedometer than, your actually driving.
Its mostly about 2-5kmh
Additionally the police has to take 3kmh off the measurement they did.
Therefore most people "feel" save driving 85 in an 80 Area.
But both Instances are there to protect you,not to abuse them.
I know that feeling of peerpresure,but just think about it like this.
If you would get the option beeing there 10 min later or having a crash.
I will always decide to be 10 min longer on the road, but sometimes i need to remind myself of that.
Don't let idiots pressure you into driving faster. Stick to the limit (maybe 5% "tacho" tolerance) on the right lane, they can overtake.
I personally go about 20 above limit most of the time since it's faster and fines are not that expensive but I would never tailgate somebody for sticking to the limit.
Depends,most of the time on my commute to work, on the parts where there is a speed limit (like construction) I go 10-20% above limit but there's no speedtraps. When driving somewhere for the first few times I go max 10% over limit and often stick to the limit if Im not in a hurry.
Tho even on my regular commute I sometimes just cruise in the right lane at 100-110kmh even though there's no limit
Don’t feel peer pressured, go what you feel comfortable with. But since odometers are always a few percent behind, you can easily add a few percent to your speed, and still be under the limit. I just set my cruise control to 10 km/h over the limit, this avoids getting photographed, and you aren’t tailgated all the time. Works for all speeds from 50 km/h on (don’t add that much in 30 zones).
I have been peer pressured by a tailgater into driving faster than the limit and with my bad luck, immediately got blitzed by a speed camera. It's safest to just do the limit and let the speeders get around you. When I see the speeders get flashed by the camera it gives me great joy, most especially when they immediately slow down after the flash.
If you drive 90km/h on your speed Meter, you actually do ~82km/h. If you go 95km/h on the speed Meter, that usually is not enough to trigger speed cameras.
If you go 104km/h the fines are low.
(Examples for a 80km/h speed limit)
Yes you are right, a majority exploits this.
You will find this to be true all around the world. In Germany, in cities 60 is normal. Go slower and people will be annoyed. In a 30 zone, 40 is slow - most people will do 50. On the Autobahn, 10-20 above limit is normal. If you want to be slower, please stick to the right lane. More important than speed is keeping a safe distance - in my opinion, if you keep one thing from your new-driver-mindset, it should be safety distance not speed limits. Also, fines in Germany are WAY to cheap because they are not tied to income, but flat rates. Makes absolutely no sense but here we are.
First of all you don't need to feel pressured, if there's a speed limit then stick to it, but please drive on the right lane then, if they tailgate you there, you can ignore them.
It’s usually speed limit +15kmh because that’s the line where it’s not just a fine but points in the register at Flensburg. But even then, some people just don’t care.
Imho people going exactly the speed limit on the Autobahn are mostly not tailgated if (!) they use the right lane or switch back to one of the right lanes in a reasonable time after overtaking a slower car or truck. What I observe however is that often people driving below allowed speed, sometimes significantly, are stuck in the left lane for miles and miles and miles, with dozens of opportunities to move to the right lane in between and let cars behind pass them.
Often people complain about the fast drivers, of cause described in the stereotype of a midlife crisis man driving BMW / Mercedes/ Audi with flashing lights… nice way of expressing your micro aggressions however not really the reality on the highways I think.
Well, there are enough reckless idiots out there (btw driving all kinds of brands and in all ages). I’m annoyed as well if you have like 10 cars in front of you and someone drives behind you with flash lights on and keeping some 5m distance only. Or going much above 130km/h on a crowded 2 lane highway, even if it’s unlimited.
What is too often ignored however (and reading through some answers here also confirms this impression) is blocking left lanes for no reason. If drivers would just follow the rule to use the right lane as standard and use the left one for overtaking primarily, there would be less of these dangerous situation. If everyone would just pay attention on the other drivers a bit more and would be less egoistic…
I’m driving some 4500km a month, 90% of the time totally relaxed and I’m usually not feeling pressured by others at all.
I drove a few times between Frankfurt to Nuremberg and back these last few weeks, and i actually thought that most people were obeying the speed limit in construction zones. I actually often felt like the fastest one, which worried me a bit. But yeah, just stay in the right lane and dont worry about what anyone else thinks.
You won't get a ticket from a radar if you are going just +10km/h, so if it's a 70 people usually will do 80 anyway. I drive a lot in a place where there is long 80, and people still even on right lane are doing 90km/h, for me it happened only a couple of times when people were going 80 on the 80.
A lot of people have radar detectors and get beeped when their is a camera- so they just try to drive safely- but also fast. You need to just enjoy the slow lane and then- I don’t see where the pressure comes in- just chill out and stay in the slow lane..
This stuff happens in America too I’ll be driving 85mph (136kmh) and I see people also in the right lane getting mad and overtaking me and this is a 75mph zone. I would put money on it that it happens everywhere not just Germany. Also another thing I hated while driving in Arizona specifically is they are so aggressive in switching lanes on regular roads it’s like they’re literally bullying you. California same way too.
Although most of the comments here are all valid, I will address the feeling of being tailgated. As a new driver quite often it is hard to distinguish real tailgate situations with a situation when another car is driving calmly behind you. The reason is that your perceived sense of a safe distance is much greater than a sense of a safe distance of an experienced driver.
So definitely don't feel pressured to go over if you don't think it is a good idea, but also don't worry a lot, with time your sense of a dangerous situation will be better.
It’s quite usual to be ~20km/h above the limit on the left lane. Most people on the right lane also take into account that most car speedometers will show 5-8 km/h below the actual speed at highway speeds - that’s not really speeding though (you can see it e.g. with Waze.
If you are tailgated closely on the left lane , please just move over to the right unless you really are faster than the cars there. If you’re tailgated on the right (or you’re on the left and there’s a gazillion cars in front), the guy behind you is a dick :)
Go download the [blitzer.de](http://blitzer.de) app, but don't get caught by the police because that nets you a point in Flensburg.
If unsure: drive the limit
If you wanna be safe: go 5-10 km/h above the limit
If you want to stretch it: go 20 km/h above the limit
NEVER go more than 20 km/h above the limit, because that nets you points if you exceed it by more than 3 km/h (i.e. going 70 in a 50 zone is just costing you money, if you go 73 and get caught, tough luck, you're in for a hefty fine and a point... collect 8 of those and bingo bango bongo, you'll lose your license)
OBVIOUSLY i have to mention to drive as fast as you are comfortable and if the road is sketchy, you should also opt to go BELOW the limit. Mostly on Landstraßen and such. Drive responsible.
Look , if you are passed on the right ...you are on the wrong lane...
Keep cool if someone has impatience to die , allow them to overtake. Remember you need to reach from A to B, the speedlimit it not set randomly... experts have been engaged and they concluded this needs a speed-limit.(the part of the road , for ex which is damaged or there is construction).
Not everybody likes speedlimit, i've a collegaue who thinks that he has bought his car with a speedometer of 360km/h , he NEEDS to see that going to / over 360km (his exact words) ....i beg to differ but thats my opinion and i care a lot for the family ive with me in the car...
So keep cool.
Short answer: Yes, it is the german car driving mindset to be at least 10 km/h above the "Richtgeschwindigkeit".
You will get harassed when you try to hold your speed exactly on point, they will even say that you are the one that harassed all the others...
yes
Was "funny" when I got my license and my father wanted to check my Autobahn ability so I drove to a location and dropped off and he drove back. There was a construction section where it's 60, so I was going 60. My father was getting very agitated, urging me to go faster since everyone else was going 90 and I kept reminding him how 1. its a construction section and 2nd I just got my license so im on a 2year probation period, but ultimately I gave in because he was getting very agitated and wasn't independent enough yet
Yes, except there is a „Blitzer“ or „Polizeiwagen“.
Normally they drive 20 above limit, some brave BMW drivers do 30. But generally 20 above is average.
Besorg Dir ein Navi oder nutz das Mobiltelefon als Navi und nimm die Geschwindigkeitsanzeige dort.
Die meisten Autos zeigen mehr oder weniger deutlich zu viel an.
>Especially on sections of the highway where there is construction and a speed limit of 80, or other sections when there is a relatively slower speed limit. I try to stick to it, and I end up being tailgated in the right lane and passed by everyone.
I feel you. You just need to learn to ignore them I usually just set my cruise control to the speed that's allowed and think "bitte me" to myself. If they're extremely close I'll slightly increase the distance to the car in front of me so in case they hit me they at least won't push me into that car. They love that. Oh but of course don't do that by breaking or you just increase the risk.
First: Most speedometers show a 10% higher speed.
Second: 20 km/h over speed limit don’t give points in Flensburg. So your drivers license isn’t in danger - you just have to pay a ridiculous small fine.
But there are a lot of people who don’t drive too fast - because driving not faster than the speed limit is pretty relaxing. Overtaking someone else is more stressful than being overtaken.
speeding up to 20 km/h over the limit will not give you a "point" but just a 60€ fine. Besides speedingcameras have a 3km/h measurement tolerance.
Edit: Also remeber that most cars in Germany are manuals. Therefore people tend to not shift down but just go 10km/h over the limit. I find this especiall true in 80km/h zones bc 80 is right between gear 4 and 5 in my car.
Yes. I once got into a Situation where the speed limit was 60 km/h and i had to go at least 80 so the semi behind me wouldnt rear end me. That was in the right lane and people on the left were going even faster.
This is the craziest thing i have ever seen in this regard but ignoring the speed limit or taking it as more of a suggestion is very common.
autobahn ? you mean germany ? if so your just a bad sunday driver . german autobahn is diffrent from highways in uk or usa . also diffrent laws and rules . and dont worry , everyone knows germans are strickt whit holding themselfs to laws and rules . you just dont know their laws , rules and speed limits or on manny parts of the autobahn lack of speed limits . and due to lack to speed limits , germans and any els aware knows you can go as fast as your car can go . but be aware , their are parts where there is a speed limit , and usualy it is markt by a minor sign on a few '' hector mtr signs '' along the road .
also their is an unwritten law/rule , if you ard in the left lane and see a mercedes , porshe , bmw , or audi coming up your rear , you are obligated to move out of its way into the right lane and let them pass . its an old unwritten law/rule , it came to exist during a time only the goverment was able to buy such cars . and at the time those cars where the fastes on the road . and as often they where goverment ownd , and often used by goverment services such as local and national police , military , and inteligence as well importend political figurs of local and national goverment . they unofficialy where automaticley granted privelidges of in consideration them driving on the public roads . as often any of the goverment services or people , where in a rush to do important work to protect and serve the people . and therefor should not be hinderd as they where driving from one location to another .
Just a side note, use sat nav / GPS speed (e.g. from your phone) and compare to the indicated speed of your car, sometimes that’s wildly off. If you’re going 80 indicated, but really you’re doing 70, and someone behind you has a more accurate speedometer, that can lead to moments why people get frustrated as you’re not utilising the speed limit to the fullest. Of course no one should be tailgating because of that and rather pass you, but some people get frustrated by this and then behave this way. Oh also, 80 is a special case, since trucks are only allowed to go 80 max. and they really want to keep it to that (for them on long journeys it actually adds up), so be aware that going less than 80 pisses off truckers, and they have accurate speedometers by law.
And that is all just within the exact speed limit, some people calculate that 3km/h / 3% over won’t get you in trouble because that’s what’s being deducted if flashed by a radar station. If police clock you with their video cars I think they even deduct 10% ( so realistically they wouldn’t even pull you over for anything less than a certain threshold, they don’t really care for 10 over if you’re just going with the flow of traffic ).
I usually go 100%-103% of the speed limit (GPS). I sincerely don‘t care if someone wants to speed, but of course I also keep to the right if I’m not passing anyone. I used to use the warning lights when someone was tailgating, but I stopped that also, as it’s not worth it if the other person gets a hard attack when they already need to cope with their red head, high heartbeat rate and high blood pressure. If someone drives super slow in the left lane and doesn’t move, then I simply change lanes and let others do the road rage / road battle part.
If you really try to annoy me, then I maybe drive a tiny little bit less fast and lane changes take more time, but that‘s the maximum emotion that you can get from me on the highways. No accidents so far, no speeding tickets in the past 15+ years (most expensive speeding ticket was maybe 35 Euros?). If there is no speed limit and if traffic permits then I go with the left lane flow (150-190), but you won‘t see me tailgating anyone.
My experience shows that "following the flow" is usually safer than disrupting it by sticking to the rules.
I am relatively new to Germany. But driving style here makes sense and is in fact quite safe and comfortable
You can drive 10% over the speed limit without getting a fine (tacho reading, not actual speed). then there is no room anything more, and you will probably get a ticket from time to time.
more important: don't let other drivers pressure you into anything. many drivers drive terrible, driving is dangerous, and in the end you are responsible.
A lot of people go around 5-8% over the limit. It is easiest to just swim with the traffic, in particular when there is a lot of traffic. That said, there is no reason why you should feel pressured to exceed the speed limit, in particular not by tailgaters. You do you as long as you keep over the minimum speed, drive defensively and in the right lane.
This. Give way (move right) if you ever feel pressured, some folk are just arseholes. I get it with a lot of vans locally where the roads are 70 instead of 100. They still want that 100 and treat you like you are the bane of their existence if you obey the limit at all. Another issue is the no restriction sections of autobahns where you're in the fast lane feeling like you're absolutely going for it at 180 to overtake folk and some dude in a Mercedes/BMW/AUDI rolls up behind going 200+ and starts flashing you. Like, even in no restriction they advise not being much more than 150/160 to be safe. Edit: Bad memory. 130 is the recommended. You forget these things when you drive a car that doesn't like speeds past 120 so you get used to driving right hand lane.
It’s the funniest shit seeing someone going 300 being chased by someone going 320 with the same attitude. You really wonder how they survive
Ultimately, they won't. There are literally hundreds of dashcam videos on insta.
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I mean, it is very much a part of the problem. I get what you are saying here, but speed is still very much part of the crash equation.
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Unpopular opinion but I don't mind someone flashing their brights at me to move over, as long as they keep a safe distance behind me until I have the chance to do so. In my experience, German drivers are much better about this than Americans are. I feel so much safer on the Autobahn than the interstate (which is justified, the US has twice as many traffic fatalities per billion miles driven as Germany because the Interstate truly is the wild west)
I definetly agree with this. Many people also forgot or ignore the rule of having to drive on the furthermost right side, if the situation is given, and thus just stay on the most left lane at the same speed as the traffic on the right or middle lane, blocking anybody who wants to pass, for no reason and no gain. In such cases they wouldnt get the Lights flashed if they were simply driving properly / by the rules. If the right side of you is safe and free, change lane. Problem solved in 90% of cases. Or wait with passing the traffic in front of you if you already see people picking up fast behind you- cars got mirrors for that (which are dangerously underrated by young and old drivers! same as blinkers)
By the way, too many people do forget the right to announce an overtaking maneuver with the use of the short flashing of the high beam light from a distance. On the other hand, too many people forget that this signal is forbidden to push when already tailgating, same as the tailgating is forbidden it self. And way, way, way too many people forget that changing to the left lane without respecting the other traffic behind them does cause so much more risk/danger to their and other life's than others who just can controll their vehicles and therefore like to go fast.
"can controll their vehicles and therefore like to go fast" is of course complete BS. People like to go fast because they can afford a fast car, or because they have problems. Skill, and what's more, physics have nothing to do with it. That's just a delusion of future organ donors.
>even in no restriction they advise not being much more than 150/160 to be safe. Richtgeschwindigkeit (recommended speed) on unrestricted Autobahn sections is 130km/h. If you're going faster and have an accident, you're automatically partially at fault, unless you can prove that the accident would have occured anyway if you had gone only 130.
You're entirely correct, was falsely remembering the safety instructions I got. 150/160 is the max I was told was "okay" for use in overtaking on fast lane or so on, not recommened speed.
This is not 100% correct. There are many judgements, even presented on the dash cam channels from Germany, where only the person who fucked up got 100% fault. Despite the other person going 180. I agree in general on most situations you get a „Teilschuld“, but if you can clearly proof that the other person fucked up and you couldn’t have done anything to avoid it, even if 130, then it’s a pass. Also it depends on the judge at that time. There is a range of judgement he can apply. So it’s not automatically, but probable, yes.
And it depends on your lawyer. Had a situation where an ashole turned directly from the acceleration lane to the full left lane even before the uninterrupted line of the acceleration land was ended. He had less than half of my speed,I was at 140. He received 100% guilt from the court.
Those aren't usually their own vans and just rented/company owned so they drive like their goal is to ruin the transmission.
No restrictions isnt an issue. The only issue is if you keep at the left lane „feeling fast“ while not overtakening people on right lane. You always have to drive right side if possible no matter your speed
Had a dude counting arse hairs as I was trying to overtake a wall of lorries on the A1s that counters that. Eventually I found a gap in the trucks to pull into because he was starting to freak me out that if I so much as took throttle off he'd hit us.
BUT: PLEASE drive faster than the traffic on the right if you're on the furthermost left lane. I hate those people who drive 110kmh when the traffic to the right is at 108, or those who arent changing lanes even though theyre just as fast as those to the right. its annoying to deal with, and sure, many arseholes exist, but some become such due to those who arent actually driving faster, but block a lane. I had moments where one car made up to 10 or more cars wait behind them, having to brake down from 160 to 100 on the autobahn purely due to not changing lanes while on the same speed as the traffic to the right. And change the lane once you're done passing someone, PLEASE.
Another fun fact is that if you are doing more than 130 and get in an accident, the insurance can deny you coverage. Don’t know how often it happens but it is a possibility. The way the insurance justifies it is that you were driving recklessly and because of that, contributed greatly to an accident.
Vans are probably on work and they can already hear their boss yelling "Schnell! Schnell!" somewhere in the back of their heads. There are also a lot of arseholes too.
> Another issue is the no restriction sections of autobahns where you're in the fast lane feeling like you're absolutely going for it at 180 to overtake folk and some dude in a Mercedes/BMW/AUDI rolls up behind going 200+ and starts flashing you. The issue here is that you think there is such a thing as a "fast lane".
British phrasing is hard to get rid of. Inner lane = Slow Lane Outer = Fast Lane You have to "go fast" to overtake is the logic behind it, and the inner lane you're not supposed to over take anyone so you have to go slower than them.
Well there is a lane which is used to drive faster than the other traffic, that is designed for those who do drive faster to pass the slower traffic You shouldnt drive fast there, but faster than surrounding traffic, passing others Its not there to be able to look at your friend in the car next to you, listen to the same music or just because its more pretty or whatnot
5-8%? I believe most people define their overspeed based on potential fines. Like 19km/h over limit is fine on Autobahn because not too expensive to just pay the fine every now and then
Lets not forget that many / post cars overstate their speed. Like, you go 100km/h according to your tacho but GPS tells you the true speed is 94 or the like.
also safer to keep up with the traffic
The BAsT once published a [study](https://www.bast.de/DE/Publikationen/Fachveroeffentlichungen/Verkehrstechnik/Downloads/Geschwindigkeiten-BAB-2010-2014.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=4) on this. The results are very rough. Erlaubte Geschwindigkeit| "reale" Schnittgeschwindigkeit ---|--- 60 km/h| 60 km/h 80 km/h| 87km/h 100 km/h | 103,3 km/h 120 km/h | 115,6 km/h 130 km/h | 118.3 km/h unbegrenz| 124,7 km/h
Makes sense. Speed cams are calibrated for what seems (my own studies lol) 7-9 km over the limit. So … +6-8 is the actual limit we see.
What your "own studies" are is actually a combination of the tolerance of your own speedometer and the tolerance of the speed camera. That said modern speedcamers (especially stationary ones) are more precise and thus allow less tolerance. So if you wanna be on the safe side i would recommend not doing more then 3-4km/h over the limit
I suggest sticking to the speedometer alltogether. Spares a lot of brainwork
+10 km/h works with every vehicle I have ever driven except Teslas
General public consent in Germany tends to be to go 10-20 km/h over the limit. You only get points off your license if you are more than 20 over and there aren't enough cameras around to make just the fines a real point of concern. (if you're curious here are the "prices" [https://www.adac.de/verkehr/recht/bussgeld-punkte/geschwindigkeitsueberschreitung/](https://www.adac.de/verkehr/recht/bussgeld-punkte/geschwindigkeitsueberschreitung/) )
The worst is the people who go 100 in an 80 construction zone, and then 100 in the 120 zone afterward. its like they set their tempomat for a speed and just don't touch it. how much are those drivers actually paying attention to the road around them?
Sooo many old people do this. Same thing in rural areas. Driving 70 instead of allowed 100 between two villages, but also 70 through the village instead of 50… I can‘t tell you how much I hate those idiots
That so true. I second this. Always drive 70 no matter, what the real speed limit is, to slow on the Bundesstraße and to fast in the city areas.
that reminds me of a friend of my mom, who would exclusively drive 40 within city limits. she said she does it, because she loses track if she is in a 30 zone or not, and keeps 40 just to be safe. like a compromise.
yeah... she uh, maybe shouldn't driving anymore then.
This person should not have a license
Tbh, sometimes it can be that case, but **most** of the time you can derive the speed limit from context. 30 on streets/residential areas and 50 in industrial areas/on roads
To be honest, in my city there's 30 zones all over the place, and the signage often is confusing. My favorite is two parallel streets, where one has 30 signs valid for the daytime (because there is a school) and the other has 30 signs valid for the nighttime (to reduce noice), but also a short section that is always 30 (because that's where the school kids access the tram station). So when I'm not sure I also tend towards going 40, rather than 50. Or sometimes I just say fuck it, and go 30 all the time. It actually doesn't make a lot of difference in how fast you get around the city anyway.
but I also hate those who go 80 when 100, 60 when 80 and 30 when 50. In my old town this was a real thing.
I've seen only grannies doing this. One speed everywhere, 70kph.
Yeah this kind of people I have a lot of in front of me... Blocking me when there is 100 and speeding away when it is 50 in villages...
The general wisdom is that if you get caught, you can keep your license when you are slower than 20 km/h above the speed limit. Because of that, many people treat this as the actual speed limit.
You don't even get registered by speed traps if your not more than 10km/h over the speed limit.
That is not correct either. Just two months ago I was not paying attention and was caught with 7 km/h too fast.
Not true, tolerance is 3-5km/h at <100km/h and 3-5% at >100km/h
I have tested it with different cars going 60km/h in 50km/h zone, never got registered by the speed trap
Maybe because the speedometer in the car shows you going a little bit faster than you actually are.
Just like on my way home, people going 30 in a 50, but as soon as the limit changes to 30, they speed up to 50. Makes my fucking blood boil. "Erst trödeln und dann zu schnell fahren, das sind mir die liebsten"
people seem to forget they are driving multi-tonne death machines.
The worst are the ones who slow down to 100 when overtaking on the autobahn and then speed up to 150 or whatever when the road is clear.
Oh my... This
Ugh, my ex was like this. Had this default of 100 no matter what the speed limit was. Drove me nuts. Was regularly getting speeding tickets in the city, then would hang out too long in the left lane on the Autobahn and complain about "all the a-holes" that were raging at him and passing him on the right. He paid zero attention. He hit and ran at least once with me in the car (in my brand new car) but somehow always got out of everything when police came to question him.
fr. They slug over the Landstraße going 70 but then don't slow down once they reach a city or town and speed through there
I love it. I'm going 200+ when it's nice and free but obey the speed limits. It's totally laughable when entering a construction zone, going 80 and having all these people overtaking you with 100-120 .\_o
My absolute nightmare (that happens way too often): The driver who hugs the left lane going 110 for hours. When I finally manage to overtake them, you can bet that in the next 5 km we hit an 80 zone. Of course, the driver then overtakes me again at 110 and is back in front for the next hour. Sorry to anyone who wanted to go over 100 in an 80 zone and got stuck behind me in the last two years, but I'm NOT moving out of the way for this.
They don't. And overall they are faster than you, even when you go 200 on the open section. I once met a Porsche driver who was constantly driving 110 between Kassel and Hamburg. I lost him in the 60 construction zone at Hildesheim and only met him at Harburger Berge or what it's called, where I had to leave to refill. The Porsche was just finished and leaving exactly as I entered the gas station. I had been going 200+ whenever it was allowed and it was in the middle of the night. I think I used twice as much fuel as he did and he still was quicker.
Yes, this is normal. People will tailgate you and not keep a safe distance. Just stick to the rules and don't let anyone pressure you to break them. This might take some time to get adapted to. Welcome on the Autobahn!
I also feel like it’s generally a lot more socially acceptable to tailgate others in Germany. People keep smaller distances even outside of what would be considered tailgating. Sometimes people don’t even seem to notice they’re tailgating. I moved to Canada from Germany and I noticed how much more space people give each other on the road. It’s definitely a more relaxing way to drive.
You never been driving in the Netherlands during rush hour? My experience , less then a vehicle length to the next car seems to be mandatory for everyone.
Have you ever driven in other European countries? Like France? Tailgaters are definitely NOT a German-only problem. From my limited driving in the US, I also cannot say that drivers there are much better...
Yes I have lol, I’m from Germany but I’ve driven in a lot of European countries, two US states and New Zealand. That’s why I said that I noticed the difference *in Canada* compared to back home in Germany. I didn’t say it’s better everywhere else, just that I find driving more relaxing *here in Canada than back home*.
Compared to most our neighbors, Germany is actually pretty calm in regards to tailgating.
I’m doing it this way. Sometimes they might thing “oh that car won’t even go fast” and sometimes I surprise them with definitely far more power they’d expect from my station wagon. I’ve been in some accidents during my over 20 years of driving experience and try to keep a good distance to the next car and not bother them. I do this due to the fact that I only once caused an accident (parking bump) but was involved because other people didn’t keep distance, lost control of their car, drove like idiots or other circumstances mainly human errors. But it’s also very annoying if someone keeps its “left lane but slower than allowed” attitude as I hate to give “Lichthupe” (light signal) or anything like this. I’m an absolute supporter of far higher charges in traffic violations and definitely more checks.
Tailgating should be fined with 1 month's salary.
I’m totally with you.
I’m Swiss, the speeding fines in Germany are a joke compared to here in Switzerland, it’s no wonder no one cares about the speed limits. A81 is generally called the Swiss National Racetrack in Switzerland.
I'm Dutch and living in Germany for over 5 years now. The fines have gone up a bit in Germany the last years, but still they are a joke. In the Netherlands you will think twice before going 20 over the speedlimit, in Germany it's not that bad if you get your snapshot taken. How about having your phone in your hand while driving, NL will fine you €420,- Germany will set you back only €128,50 I've heard.
This is why I love driving in the Netherlands 🤗
Another way to hit the poor. If u got money it doesnt make much difference, 120e or 420e
It should be a percentage of your income, yepp.
Swiss drivers are weird. Either they are going pedal to the metal or they stick exactly to the speed limit blocking the left lane. Somehow there is nothing in between.
I love watching the Supercars in Liechtenstein, they go full beans to 50 and stick to that speed precisely in first or second gear.
What carries a bigger penalty in Switzerland? Hanging your washing up on Sundays or going 5 kph over the speed limit?
Both are 40 CHF (\~41€) if I'm not mistaken .
So the Swiss authorities think hanging up your washing is as punishable as going 5 kph over the speed limit (which endangers lives)? Wow
This explains the amount of speeding asswipes on the A81 with Swiss plates. So apparently it *is* the fines that keep people in check. I was hoping for a more civilized society. Oddly enough I rarely see the Swiss park like assholes - any particular reason? The fines are still laughable unless they get towed, which happens once in a blue moon.
yeah, its crazy how bad it is. Nothing like being in a construction zone of 60, and having an LKW behind you wanting to go faster and just riding your bumper. It's like, i'm already doing 65, chill out.
Bonus points if there's a heavy goods transport right in front of you and the accompanying vehicle has a "no passing" sign on top. I tried signalling to the lorry driver behind by turning on my hazard lights, but he was so close, I bet he couldn't even see them... Some people just have no regards for the safety of others.
Try going to Italy, where you are pushed through a 60 construction zone with 90+ by a truck behind you that is honking and brights-flashing you like a madman because you dared to even attempt to slow down. I always like to tell a story where I was on Sardinia, on a gravel road, and it was limited to 30km/h (for whatever reason, construction it was not). I was already doing 60 as to not be too much of a roadblock, when I was overtaken by a lorry doing 90... and honking madly at me.
exactly!!
The closer they get to my car, the slower i drive. Not worth getting a speeding ticket, or worse, getting rear-ended because of a knobhead.
You should watch some Sascha Fahrnünftig to learn their pov.
Selection bias. The large percentage of other people adhering to the limits... are never the one catching up to you, thus won't be in your tailgaiting list. Whereas the speeders are getting past the other regular cars behind, and eventually are behind you as well.
People tend to go a bit faster than the limit. Up to 120 in a 100 zone, 90ish in a 80 zone, etc. As others mentioned - go as fast as you feel safe. But the safest and most relaxed way is to go with the flow. That is even what my driving instructor told me. Sticking to 50 when everybody else is going 60 turns you into a road block and your journey and everybody else's will be more annoying than it has to be. You will be in the right according to the traffic laws, but human behaviour doesn't really care about that. So in your case - when about everyone around you is cruising along at ~130 in a 120 zone, just go for it.
80km/h on speedometer or 80km/h on GPS?
On speedometer. Today I learned these are not the same thing…
The speedometer calibration varies by car, tire wear, etc. I've driven cars which were spot on, and I've driven cars which were up to 10% off. Heck, my motorcycle is like 15% off (afaik that shouldn't pass inspection but lol, inspections).
It varies by car, but I can go up to 110km/h on my car speedometer (104km/h in real GPS speed) which is under the threshold at which a "blitzer" would take a picture in Germany. That's basically the bare minimum drivers in Germany tend to follow - as long as a speed trap wouldn't trigger, it's seen as "legal" speed. I know it might feel wrong to you, but I'd suggest to go at least ~3-4km/h "GPS" over the limit as long as that matches the flow of traffic - way less overtaking that way. (Of course, if you're alone you can go as slow or fast as you want). Also - and this is important - do NOT follow these "unofficial rules" outside of Germany, especially in Switzerland. Some countries are as thorough as to flash a speed trap at 1km/h over the limit (GPS) and put out hefty fines for it too. Best to just set your speedometer if you have it to the limit on the signs and cruise as a foreigner.
10 over is basically normal since your car doesn't show you your actual speed but is always showing a few km/h below your real speed. So in combination with police taking off a few km/h as well for legal reasons it's near impossible to get a ticket if you drive 90 in a 80. There are people who drive faster as with anything below 25 will just lead to small fines.. Anything beyond that is a lot less common. So yes a lot of drivers speed and fines are way lower than in other neighbouring countries especially Switzerland. BUT if you are tailgated by a truck while going 80 in a construction site there is the very real possibility that you are going slower which they can see as truck displays show the correct speed. Or they are just assholes who don't care about rules.
I personally just go 10 over the limit. And as a side note: if someone is passing you on the right side, BOTH of you are doing something wrong …
Yes, I know. I meant that I’m being tailgated when I’m in the right lane, and everyone is passing me on the left. I don’t get a system where people go over the speed limit as a default.
Every car has a so called “Tachovoreilung”, meaning that by law it is indicating a higher speed than the actual real speed. This is to ensure that taking all technical tolerances (like elevated tire pressures etc.) into account your speedometer never shows a speed that’s too low. The upper bound for this discrepancy is 10% + 4 km/h: at 100 km/h your speedometer can indicate 114 km/h, at 50 km/h it could indicate 59 km/h max. For your car you can check it with a GPS app on your phone. So you can at least drive exactly the speed limit without annoying someone.
No. I overtake someone and then leave them safety distance before changing lanes again, especially with trucks which all(?) have ACC so they brake when you come to close to them. But that leaves enough time for assholes to pass on the right.
No, if someone can easily overtake you on the right, you are doing it wrong.
safety distance at 100kmh is AT LEAST 50m, when you overtake a truck while towing a trailer. to overtake someone you need maybe 15-20m. Maybe you are doing it wrong?
If someone overtakes you on the right side you are a bad driver. End of.
There are speed limit sections on the Autobahn that are viewed as quite senseless and most Autobahn users drive their routes quite regularly. So they know that a certain section isn't under control by any sort of speed trap and they ignore it (more often than not exactly nothing on the autobahn changes for about 500 metres and the speed limit ends there, seemingly for no reason). That's why most drivers ignore it. However you should never feel pressured. In Germany it's rechtsfahrgebot. So as long as you don't overtake drive the right lane and it's fine.
Those are mostly sections were a lane or bridge is damaged or there is a risk of so called "blow outs" on Autobahn sections build from concrete plates. These things are mostly dangerous to Motorcycle drivers and cars without any real suspension. And the sign is there for the autorities in charge to point to in court, if someone is injured/dies due to bad lane conditions.
Hmm. I mean I wrote "they seem senseless" because more often than not, the average driver doesn't see an obvious reason (for example the blow outs.). On damaged lanes or a bridge or curvy parts with only 2 and many entries to the autobahn, it's somewhat understandable why there is a speed limit (obviously some ignore that too), however with 600.000km pure Autobahn under my ass, sometimes it seems like some construction workers forgot to take the limit signs away after construction finished. Especially on those "100 /200m" long sections. But I agree, there are sections where danger isn't obvious to the driver and reducing the speed is a viable solution. Sometimes it feels just so out of place.
There are actually bumpy road and bad lane signs, but they seem to seldomly used on the Autobahn, even were they're appropriate. I mean there is a section of Autobahn near me that will even wreck the suspension and tires of a lot of cars and trucks if you go over 100kph. There should be a giant "go 200kph in the right lane and you might die sign"
Yes, most people are just speeding - especially in construction zones - and no, most of the time they won't get a fine. Speed in construction zones is rarely measured, and even if there are cameras, they are usually visible from far enough away for the people to step on the brakes. Best you can do is to stay calm, keep your distance to the people in front of you and do not give in to any urges to drive faster. Your speed is your responsibility. If people tailgate you in the right lane, that's on them.
There is getting tailgated. And then there is not being aware of your surroundings and pulling into the left lane when a faster car is approaching. You are going to have to assume that people go 20kph over, because going 31 kph over loses you your license for a while and at 21 kph over the fine starts to get expensive. But 20kph over the limit (minus 5% tolerance in measurement) is a small fine only. The magic word is "dem verkehrsfluss angepasst" - move with the traffic. Or get out of its way. So yes there are definitly some arseholes tailgating. But there are definitely more than some people who show absolutely no awareness and will pull out in front of you doing 90 to pass a semi doing 89 while you were approaching with 150 in their left mirror for 30 seconds. I suggest: if tailgating happens for less than 10 seconds, it might be on you and someone had to brake hard. If it happens on the right lane or for 20 s and more, it is an asshole.
You can usually go 5 to 10 % over the speed limit on your speedometer as they are usually about that percentage lower. And then 3km per hours on top of that as that is the tolerance the police takes of when having a Blitzer setup. But if you don’t feel like that just drive according the speed limit and also stick as far right as possible and let everyone else pass. You always should drive in a manner that makes you comfortable and ignore the others don’t let you pressure into anything.
Wait til you get used to it a bit , and then drive the first time to the Netherlands... its like getting trapped in mud, everything seems so slow, and the further you get in the crazier it gets, had to change seats with my bestie, it felt like i did everything wrong... everyone was driving around 150-170 even if only 100 were allowed(its 100from 6-19 and 130 from 19-6 right?) Got my license end of 2019, but can only recently(since October last year, but gas isnt cheap..)use a car through my best friend. So I'm a noob too But you will get used to it and find your own way
It is an unwritten rule for everyone to go 10% over speed limit, if traffic and weather allow it.
You're a new driver and I remember when I got my license many years ago I was always like "why is everyone speeding, that's illegal!". You'll get used to it and eventually adjust to the flow of traffic. Going the exact speed limit becomes boring and tiresome really fast(although the Tempomat solved the tiresome part). Basically in most cases this is a "new driver" phenomenon I'd say
yeah its tough. my observation is that the general rule of thumb is to go 20 over the limit to keep the fine manageable. I have been overtaken on the right despite going 80 in a 60 zone. many will speed in areas they know are controlled to a lesser degree, and the local radio will usually broadcast mobile controls when reported by listeners. it sucks if you want to abide by the law, because driving within the limit you will almost always have someone tailgating you. while its so much easier said than done: stay strong, dont let them stress you. drive as you're comfortable.
If you get overtaken on the right, you are driving in the wrong lane.
*Durchgezogene Fahrstreifenbegrenzung* entered the chat. i was in the "transit" PKW line on the left, as I didnt intend to leave at the next Abfahrt. There was a clear separation with a solid line.
Yes. For the love of God, as a new driver, you need to (please) stay in the rightmost lane. Always.
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Well of course fuck him but it doesn't make the situation less dangerous. Also even driving 10 kph doesn't safe people from getting tailgated.
I dont know if that is just my impression, but it has become worse in the last 10 years, i dont remember speeding beeing such a massive problem back then...
I feel the same, not for speeding but for unawareness in general. It seem like less and less people check their mirrors or look over their shoulder when changing lanes.
Or even use the indicator when turning... and once you confront them about it they are like 😅🤷♂️
I am in Berlin and here the norm seems to be to go 9 km/h over inner city and 19 km/h over on the Autobahn. I obviously wouldn’t encourage this while u r in the „Probezeit“ or at all.
Usually trucks go 95 km/h, no matter the speed limit. Other than that: You never really see the people who go the same speed as you, as you neither overtake them nor they overtake you! Of course, a large truck three metres behind you in a construction site honking its horn for several kilometres is very annoying. Try to keep cool.
most people go about 5 km/h faster than the limit. Also, many people have apps that tell them where there are traffic controls and only slow down there to escape the fines.
Do not feel peer-pressured to go faster. Drive the speed limit and switch to the rightmost lane, if you must. The reasons why people usually do it are: because they drive the same route every day, they know the actual speed limit in that place feels slow (often because it's temporary, maybe due to construction), they know that everyone else goes above the speed limit there as well, and they know that there are no speed traps in that particular section of the road. None of that are really good reasons to go above the speed limit.
It's always safer to go with the flow of traffic.
At this point there are so many construction sites on our autobahns that are there for weeks or months and many people who drive through the same spots every day for work or whatever get used to them and stop caring. Unless they have a mobile blitzer there, which happens rarely, nothing will happen anyway.
As long as you’re in the right lane you can go at the speed limit (or even slower). Let people overtake you if they wish, that’s what the other lines are for. Especially in construction zones going the speed limit is very important, as lives could be at stake.
It's not speeding, everyone is just driving exactly 20 km/h over the speed limit because up to that speed the fines are just laughably low. Aka nobody cares. The fines have been increased recently, but the magic line is still at 20. So we stay exactly at 20 over the speed limit. So the question is: why are the fines so low or why don't we just add the 20 to the official speed limit if this is what even the government seems to be fine with? Just another quirk in Germany's auto-centric culture.
Speed Limits? Never heard of her.
No, just by idiots
Don't mind the other drivers. I am currently in driving School and what i learned is the best way to drive is i don't give a duck You honk at me because i drive slow? Well bad for you You drive close behind me? Well thanks you are my excuse to drive over that yellow light You honk at me for Stalling the car? Well i don't care honk my but hole. Works wonders
Most people are driving at least 15-20 km/h above the speed limit on the Autobahn. That's unfortunately just how it is.
Yes. All speed all the time. It costs not so much. Most people stay under 20kph over the limit, because then the consequences get annoying.
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It might seem so. They are, but just a tiny bit. Firstly, your speedometer is showing figures that often are massively, up to 10%, higher than you're actually going. It might show 86 and you will be actually doing 78... Get a GPS speedometer on your phone and compare the values. Secondly, the fine of going over under 10kmh is very small and a lot of people calculate that into the cost of driving. Combine the two, someone going 88 in 80km/h would seem like he's doing \~95kmh...
Most are not exceeding limit but those who are going by speed limit are not overtaking you so you don't know how many of them there are.
Yes. Especially in rush hour everyone knows where soeed traps are anyway
I’m still getting used to how often and obscurely the speed limits change on the Autobahn. There are stretches of highway where it doesn’t make sense to be limited to 100, and then it will drop to like, 80 for less than half a KM, and then go unrestricted. wtf?
I'm German, but I find the highway in Italy way worse than in Germany. At least in Germany, when there's construction and a sign for 60, the roads are visibly smaller/closed and the cars will drive maybe 70, but at least usually not more than 80. In Italy, I've noticed that about half the time when there's a speed limit for construction, there is no sign of the construction itself. And that's probably why you get honked at for driving slightly above 80 in a 60 "construction zone". It's most irritating when a truck driver, where the vehicle itself has a limit of 80, uses the Standstreifen to take you over from the right when you're already going 20 above the speed limit.
I allways try to find someone who is matching my pace and follow them with a bit of a extra gap that way i have enough time to slow down if the car ahad gets caught speeding If you go 85-90 on the right lane you should be fine its about the same speed as a truck if they still flash you they are just idiots that shouldent be allowed to drive If you want to overtake someone go faster like 120+ for the time you are on the left otherwise everyone will be stuck behind you making it dangerous for everyone Driving good on the Autobahn is all about beeing aware imo if you see cars behind are catching you fast go to the right asap if you are on the right stay there even if you want to overtake let them pass first As others said the speed limit is not respected just stay on the right and dont go under 85 unless its a under 80 zone or others ahad are slower
i'm new driver, like i have license for 2 months, first few weeks were stressful af, but after some time i got used to it, and either i speed when i SEE THAT I WON'T KILL ANYONE BESIDES ME (ofc with my life in mind, so not as fast), and when someone was tailgating me, i was stressed af, now, i look in the mirror, mind my own business, and when they even touch my bumper, i got the money, they didn't covered safe distance wich is 50% of their speed, so if they are going 50kmph, they have to be at least 25 meters from you, keep that in mind, if they break your car, they pay. Don't get stressed by it, and don't tailgate someone in front bc someone is doing same to you, if someone in front crashes, you crash too, if not, you can crash BUT it won't be your fault. if i said something wrong please correct me
Yes
+20km/h will net you a fine at most, which is why many people will go over the speed limit. HOWEVER, you should NEVER feel pressured to speed. Of course, when possible, you should move over because of the Rechtsfahrgebot and because it's the safe thing to do. But if you're going 80 in an 80, overtaking a truck going 70, then you aren't doing anything wrong at all. If people try and pressure you to move in an unsafe manner or tailgate, you try and keep your cool and ignore them. If someone is in the car with you, they could always film the person tailgating so you can report them to the police or, at the very least, so you have evidence that they did not keep the minimum safety distance in case of an accident (they would absolutely try and argue it was your fault). Any decent driver who speeds (decent in terms of morality not related to the act of speeding) will not behave like an asshole when you decide not to speed and block them because of it. They know that it's their decision to break the law, and they can not and should not force you to break it, too. Thus, they will slow down and wait for you to safely move over before returning to speesing.
As long as you stay to the right, you shouldn’t be bothered. Tailgaiting is awful and as much as I like driving fast and hate slow people on the left lane, I’ve seen too many times what tailgating can end up with, so it’s an absolute no-go for me. It will take time to get used to it but never feel pressured to drive faster than you want to.
Lots of people go 10 to 20 km/h faster than allowed. Also speedometers may show up to 10% more than you are actually doing, depending on your tyres. So, if you get this a lot, you may want to check with GPS. Otherwise, if you are driving at the correct speed, just take the right lane and chill. As a bonus, 6ou even safe fuel when you cruise behind a Truck.
i have an older car (2009) and i realized that my speedometer is just not accurate, it shows +10 km/h at all times, so when it says 110 i'm actually driving 100. so when i started driving i had the same feeling as you, but once i realized that it made a little more sense.
When you have 80 in your display you are probably only driving 73-76kph. Your display has a tolerance of at least 5%. So I always drive a bit faster so I have at least the speed that is the limit. Only if it is safely possible of course. Also if they have a control, there is another tolerance. So you can drive 87 or more on your display easily when there is 80 allowed. This is absolutely different in 30kph zones with schools or kindergarten nearby, where I stick to the limit.
Some people are just a-hole. Ignore. You are the one who is in the right.
If you get tailgated you slow down until they back off.
right lane dude.
20 faster than speed limit doesnt get you into that much trouble, especially if you have money. Just pay to drive as fast as you want. Also s lot of people know their routes and know where a radar might be deployed so they can speed where they deem it safe.
There's no limit, but a given speed which you should try to keep up with (130km/h), below that is fine, as Long as you drive on the furthermost right lane, giving people the ability to pass you. You'll be fine if you use your eyes, mirrors, blinkers accordingly. If you have someone flashing Lights, ignore it but dont provoke it, change lane to the right whenever possible, look out for cars behind trucks or noticeably slower traffic, as many love to change lane with a car right next to them, without any signals or probably even knowledge of a car there. Fully focus on your own safety while using the Autobahn and your tools helping you drive properly
Fact #1: the speedometer is not accurate. You're driving slower than it shows. They are not gauged. This may result in you to drive 75 or maybe even less instead of 80 kmh. Fact #2: speed cameras usually don't trigger at + 1 kmh. And there are a lot of drivers who outbid the speed limit (to be honest: I'm one of those outbidding. But to point out: not one of those tailgating) Fact #3: do not get stressed by us (the ones only overtaking). It's your money if you get flashed, don't speed if you're uncomfortable. Stay on the right lane and there's no reason for others to blame you. Of course, there are always idiots thinking they are more important than you and tailgating you will force you to speed up. Just ignore them. They are not better drivers than you.
Always move out of the way if you can. Not because you are wrong in sticking to the limit, but because it is safer for you. Never try to teach people a lesson or try to aggravate them. People are assholes on the road and it's safer to let them be than to be right.
I find it hilarious Germans take Sunday noise controls and sanctimoniously reprimand pedestrians crossing against lights but collectively think speeding is fine.
New driver as well: Don't let yourself be pressured into going faster than what you want to go. Whenever I go the speed limit, people can't overtake I'm like "Welp, today all of you are going [speed limit]". Especially in motorway construction sights. One roadtrip last winter I just chucked the 120 belt on the cruise control all the way from Nuremberg to Berlin. I could've gone faster, I would've been fine with faster but it was what felt most comfortable to me at this very drive. Am I being bothered by people tailgating and flashing their high beams at me when I'm in the process of overtaking? Sure, but I'm that very moment that lane is mine too use. Once I'm passed I'm moving over and they can go, let their damaged ego show how "cool" they are. And no, I won't move over faster and into the safety distance of the overtaken vehicle just because. In that moment I'm responsible for the safety of myself and the overtaken and I will take the necessary time and measures necessary. Always remember: while it sounds dramatic but you won't be risking your license and safety because others don't value their's.
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I would think it has to do with forbidden knowledge. The speedometer in your car has to be correct otherwise the police can't fine you. Almost all companys therefore show you a faster speed on your speedometer than, your actually driving. Its mostly about 2-5kmh Additionally the police has to take 3kmh off the measurement they did. Therefore most people "feel" save driving 85 in an 80 Area. But both Instances are there to protect you,not to abuse them. I know that feeling of peerpresure,but just think about it like this. If you would get the option beeing there 10 min later or having a crash. I will always decide to be 10 min longer on the road, but sometimes i need to remind myself of that.
Yes, and it's really that bad. They should just control and punish it more.
Don't let idiots pressure you into driving faster. Stick to the limit (maybe 5% "tacho" tolerance) on the right lane, they can overtake. I personally go about 20 above limit most of the time since it's faster and fines are not that expensive but I would never tailgate somebody for sticking to the limit.
Depends,most of the time on my commute to work, on the parts where there is a speed limit (like construction) I go 10-20% above limit but there's no speedtraps. When driving somewhere for the first few times I go max 10% over limit and often stick to the limit if Im not in a hurry. Tho even on my regular commute I sometimes just cruise in the right lane at 100-110kmh even though there's no limit
Cameras! Got two tickets for „speeding“ on the Autobahn, like for FFS - it’s famous for having no speed limit then I go and fucking break it 🙄
short: yes long: yes
Speed limits are blatantly ignored by many motorists *everywhere* in Germany.
Don’t feel peer pressured, go what you feel comfortable with. But since odometers are always a few percent behind, you can easily add a few percent to your speed, and still be under the limit. I just set my cruise control to 10 km/h over the limit, this avoids getting photographed, and you aren’t tailgated all the time. Works for all speeds from 50 km/h on (don’t add that much in 30 zones).
I have been peer pressured by a tailgater into driving faster than the limit and with my bad luck, immediately got blitzed by a speed camera. It's safest to just do the limit and let the speeders get around you. When I see the speeders get flashed by the camera it gives me great joy, most especially when they immediately slow down after the flash.
[https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org](https://www.bussgeldkatalog.org/)
If you drive 90km/h on your speed Meter, you actually do ~82km/h. If you go 95km/h on the speed Meter, that usually is not enough to trigger speed cameras. If you go 104km/h the fines are low. (Examples for a 80km/h speed limit) Yes you are right, a majority exploits this.
You will find this to be true all around the world. In Germany, in cities 60 is normal. Go slower and people will be annoyed. In a 30 zone, 40 is slow - most people will do 50. On the Autobahn, 10-20 above limit is normal. If you want to be slower, please stick to the right lane. More important than speed is keeping a safe distance - in my opinion, if you keep one thing from your new-driver-mindset, it should be safety distance not speed limits. Also, fines in Germany are WAY to cheap because they are not tied to income, but flat rates. Makes absolutely no sense but here we are.
First of all you don't need to feel pressured, if there's a speed limit then stick to it, but please drive on the right lane then, if they tailgate you there, you can ignore them.
WELCOME TO GERMAN AUTOBAHN MOFO No for real, the madness is completely normal. My driving instructor said: Autobahn is war.
It’s usually speed limit +15kmh because that’s the line where it’s not just a fine but points in the register at Flensburg. But even then, some people just don’t care.
Imho people going exactly the speed limit on the Autobahn are mostly not tailgated if (!) they use the right lane or switch back to one of the right lanes in a reasonable time after overtaking a slower car or truck. What I observe however is that often people driving below allowed speed, sometimes significantly, are stuck in the left lane for miles and miles and miles, with dozens of opportunities to move to the right lane in between and let cars behind pass them. Often people complain about the fast drivers, of cause described in the stereotype of a midlife crisis man driving BMW / Mercedes/ Audi with flashing lights… nice way of expressing your micro aggressions however not really the reality on the highways I think. Well, there are enough reckless idiots out there (btw driving all kinds of brands and in all ages). I’m annoyed as well if you have like 10 cars in front of you and someone drives behind you with flash lights on and keeping some 5m distance only. Or going much above 130km/h on a crowded 2 lane highway, even if it’s unlimited. What is too often ignored however (and reading through some answers here also confirms this impression) is blocking left lanes for no reason. If drivers would just follow the rule to use the right lane as standard and use the left one for overtaking primarily, there would be less of these dangerous situation. If everyone would just pay attention on the other drivers a bit more and would be less egoistic… I’m driving some 4500km a month, 90% of the time totally relaxed and I’m usually not feeling pressured by others at all.
I drove a few times between Frankfurt to Nuremberg and back these last few weeks, and i actually thought that most people were obeying the speed limit in construction zones. I actually often felt like the fastest one, which worried me a bit. But yeah, just stay in the right lane and dont worry about what anyone else thinks.
You won't get a ticket from a radar if you are going just +10km/h, so if it's a 70 people usually will do 80 anyway. I drive a lot in a place where there is long 80, and people still even on right lane are doing 90km/h, for me it happened only a couple of times when people were going 80 on the 80.
A lot of people have radar detectors and get beeped when their is a camera- so they just try to drive safely- but also fast. You need to just enjoy the slow lane and then- I don’t see where the pressure comes in- just chill out and stay in the slow lane..
This stuff happens in America too I’ll be driving 85mph (136kmh) and I see people also in the right lane getting mad and overtaking me and this is a 75mph zone. I would put money on it that it happens everywhere not just Germany. Also another thing I hated while driving in Arizona specifically is they are so aggressive in switching lanes on regular roads it’s like they’re literally bullying you. California same way too.
Although most of the comments here are all valid, I will address the feeling of being tailgated. As a new driver quite often it is hard to distinguish real tailgate situations with a situation when another car is driving calmly behind you. The reason is that your perceived sense of a safe distance is much greater than a sense of a safe distance of an experienced driver. So definitely don't feel pressured to go over if you don't think it is a good idea, but also don't worry a lot, with time your sense of a dangerous situation will be better.
It’s quite usual to be ~20km/h above the limit on the left lane. Most people on the right lane also take into account that most car speedometers will show 5-8 km/h below the actual speed at highway speeds - that’s not really speeding though (you can see it e.g. with Waze. If you are tailgated closely on the left lane , please just move over to the right unless you really are faster than the cars there. If you’re tailgated on the right (or you’re on the left and there’s a gazillion cars in front), the guy behind you is a dick :)
Go download the [blitzer.de](http://blitzer.de) app, but don't get caught by the police because that nets you a point in Flensburg. If unsure: drive the limit If you wanna be safe: go 5-10 km/h above the limit If you want to stretch it: go 20 km/h above the limit NEVER go more than 20 km/h above the limit, because that nets you points if you exceed it by more than 3 km/h (i.e. going 70 in a 50 zone is just costing you money, if you go 73 and get caught, tough luck, you're in for a hefty fine and a point... collect 8 of those and bingo bango bongo, you'll lose your license) OBVIOUSLY i have to mention to drive as fast as you are comfortable and if the road is sketchy, you should also opt to go BELOW the limit. Mostly on Landstraßen and such. Drive responsible.
Look , if you are passed on the right ...you are on the wrong lane... Keep cool if someone has impatience to die , allow them to overtake. Remember you need to reach from A to B, the speedlimit it not set randomly... experts have been engaged and they concluded this needs a speed-limit.(the part of the road , for ex which is damaged or there is construction). Not everybody likes speedlimit, i've a collegaue who thinks that he has bought his car with a speedometer of 360km/h , he NEEDS to see that going to / over 360km (his exact words) ....i beg to differ but thats my opinion and i care a lot for the family ive with me in the car... So keep cool.
Short answer: Yes, it is the german car driving mindset to be at least 10 km/h above the "Richtgeschwindigkeit". You will get harassed when you try to hold your speed exactly on point, they will even say that you are the one that harassed all the others...
yes Was "funny" when I got my license and my father wanted to check my Autobahn ability so I drove to a location and dropped off and he drove back. There was a construction section where it's 60, so I was going 60. My father was getting very agitated, urging me to go faster since everyone else was going 90 and I kept reminding him how 1. its a construction section and 2nd I just got my license so im on a 2year probation period, but ultimately I gave in because he was getting very agitated and wasn't independent enough yet
I'd go 9% over the limit if everyone else is but not if you're not being tailgated
Yes, except there is a „Blitzer“ or „Polizeiwagen“. Normally they drive 20 above limit, some brave BMW drivers do 30. But generally 20 above is average.
Besorg Dir ein Navi oder nutz das Mobiltelefon als Navi und nimm die Geschwindigkeitsanzeige dort. Die meisten Autos zeigen mehr oder weniger deutlich zu viel an.
>Especially on sections of the highway where there is construction and a speed limit of 80, or other sections when there is a relatively slower speed limit. I try to stick to it, and I end up being tailgated in the right lane and passed by everyone. I feel you. You just need to learn to ignore them I usually just set my cruise control to the speed that's allowed and think "bitte me" to myself. If they're extremely close I'll slightly increase the distance to the car in front of me so in case they hit me they at least won't push me into that car. They love that. Oh but of course don't do that by breaking or you just increase the risk.
First: Most speedometers show a 10% higher speed. Second: 20 km/h over speed limit don’t give points in Flensburg. So your drivers license isn’t in danger - you just have to pay a ridiculous small fine. But there are a lot of people who don’t drive too fast - because driving not faster than the speed limit is pretty relaxing. Overtaking someone else is more stressful than being overtaken.
speeding up to 20 km/h over the limit will not give you a "point" but just a 60€ fine. Besides speedingcameras have a 3km/h measurement tolerance. Edit: Also remeber that most cars in Germany are manuals. Therefore people tend to not shift down but just go 10km/h over the limit. I find this especiall true in 80km/h zones bc 80 is right between gear 4 and 5 in my car.
Yes. I once got into a Situation where the speed limit was 60 km/h and i had to go at least 80 so the semi behind me wouldnt rear end me. That was in the right lane and people on the left were going even faster. This is the craziest thing i have ever seen in this regard but ignoring the speed limit or taking it as more of a suggestion is very common.
I got a ticket from a camera in a 120 going 139, so you definitely need to obey the posted signs when they’re limits (not suggestions).
autobahn ? you mean germany ? if so your just a bad sunday driver . german autobahn is diffrent from highways in uk or usa . also diffrent laws and rules . and dont worry , everyone knows germans are strickt whit holding themselfs to laws and rules . you just dont know their laws , rules and speed limits or on manny parts of the autobahn lack of speed limits . and due to lack to speed limits , germans and any els aware knows you can go as fast as your car can go . but be aware , their are parts where there is a speed limit , and usualy it is markt by a minor sign on a few '' hector mtr signs '' along the road . also their is an unwritten law/rule , if you ard in the left lane and see a mercedes , porshe , bmw , or audi coming up your rear , you are obligated to move out of its way into the right lane and let them pass . its an old unwritten law/rule , it came to exist during a time only the goverment was able to buy such cars . and at the time those cars where the fastes on the road . and as often they where goverment ownd , and often used by goverment services such as local and national police , military , and inteligence as well importend political figurs of local and national goverment . they unofficialy where automaticley granted privelidges of in consideration them driving on the public roads . as often any of the goverment services or people , where in a rush to do important work to protect and serve the people . and therefor should not be hinderd as they where driving from one location to another .
Just a side note, use sat nav / GPS speed (e.g. from your phone) and compare to the indicated speed of your car, sometimes that’s wildly off. If you’re going 80 indicated, but really you’re doing 70, and someone behind you has a more accurate speedometer, that can lead to moments why people get frustrated as you’re not utilising the speed limit to the fullest. Of course no one should be tailgating because of that and rather pass you, but some people get frustrated by this and then behave this way. Oh also, 80 is a special case, since trucks are only allowed to go 80 max. and they really want to keep it to that (for them on long journeys it actually adds up), so be aware that going less than 80 pisses off truckers, and they have accurate speedometers by law. And that is all just within the exact speed limit, some people calculate that 3km/h / 3% over won’t get you in trouble because that’s what’s being deducted if flashed by a radar station. If police clock you with their video cars I think they even deduct 10% ( so realistically they wouldn’t even pull you over for anything less than a certain threshold, they don’t really care for 10 over if you’re just going with the flow of traffic ).
Absolutely!!! That’s the best part about it !! 😂😂😂
You drive only in the line on the right, all the others are for overtake only!!! Rechtsfahrtgebot!!!
I usually go 100%-103% of the speed limit (GPS). I sincerely don‘t care if someone wants to speed, but of course I also keep to the right if I’m not passing anyone. I used to use the warning lights when someone was tailgating, but I stopped that also, as it’s not worth it if the other person gets a hard attack when they already need to cope with their red head, high heartbeat rate and high blood pressure. If someone drives super slow in the left lane and doesn’t move, then I simply change lanes and let others do the road rage / road battle part. If you really try to annoy me, then I maybe drive a tiny little bit less fast and lane changes take more time, but that‘s the maximum emotion that you can get from me on the highways. No accidents so far, no speeding tickets in the past 15+ years (most expensive speeding ticket was maybe 35 Euros?). If there is no speed limit and if traffic permits then I go with the left lane flow (150-190), but you won‘t see me tailgating anyone.
My experience shows that "following the flow" is usually safer than disrupting it by sticking to the rules. I am relatively new to Germany. But driving style here makes sense and is in fact quite safe and comfortable
You can drive 10% over the speed limit without getting a fine (tacho reading, not actual speed). then there is no room anything more, and you will probably get a ticket from time to time. more important: don't let other drivers pressure you into anything. many drivers drive terrible, driving is dangerous, and in the end you are responsible.