Could you, as a driver, handle the Autobahn?

08/15/2014 | WesternCulture

[Calvin Cooledge]

I got my first drivers license at the age of 17 in West Germany. It was a US military license. I was a dependent. The instructor was lazy that day so he had me drive around 2 or 3 blocks, on base, on a Wednesday afternoon. No traffic. 20 mph speed.

He told me I passed and handed me my license -- which legally allowed me to drive every single freeway and in every city in Europe!

I have fond memories of 90mph bumper-to-bumper traffic. And the time my friends and I had jammed the speedometer past the 120 upper limit on a 68 Mercury Monterey (probably doing 125) and the big Mercedes sedans were still flying past us!

[CrazyIvan]

Could he average Autobahn driver handle a 392 Cross-ram Hemi powered Chrysler with 100 gallon shine tank on a curvy gravel road at night at 100 MPH?

[WesternCulture]

“Usually averaged 230 kph”

- Glad you survived.

Thank you for taking part in building a new Europe.

Without America, Europe would have been lost.

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

If you would pose that question to teenagers you would get 100% ‘yes’ answers. They think that they are a combination of Fireball Roberts and Dale Earnhardt, Sr. ;-)

Many of them learn the hard way.

[Mark17]

I drove on the autobahn for 4 years, but I was always careful to stay out of the left lane. I saw cars go past me, like I was standing still. From what I could understand, they did not have a lot of injury accidents on the autobahn. The accidents were mostly fatal, due to the high speeds.

[righttackle44]

But hey, well-fellows. Iran/Iranian-loving Rick Steves says driving the autobahn is easy.

[dragnet2]

The Autobahn is no big deal because the German drivers are so damn good.

You bet...For the most part, in comparison, they make people in the states appear to be some of the poorest drivers in the civilized world. No joke.

[SkyPilot]

I drove on it for 4 years.

[Squantos]

I loved the experience albeit a few different times and each was different. 76-80 and 84 to 88 ...... Loved the history, the languages and the people.

Thanks for the complement ..... Was grateful for the kindness of all we met.

Stay safe !!!

[hecticskeptic]

I remember driving a rented BMW about 95mph and getting passed by a Lamborghini like I was in reverse.

I remember in the mid 80s travelling in a BMW doing about 120 when we were passed by about 4 bikes that had to be going about double our speed.....

[Empireoftheatom48]

Drove it for 10 years. Saw some of the worst accidents. You had to use your rear mirror a lot especially when passing those Porches would be on your butt in seconds flashing their lights on you a mile away!

[SkyPilot]

Ein bier bitte.

[jaydee770]

I was in Bavaria last month, in a rented VW Sirrocco, on the autobahn. At least in southern Germany, traffic was about as bad as US interstates.

Well to be fair, it was holiday season and the roads were full of campers and trucks. When I was stationed in Germany, early 80s, it was a lot different. Out in the country, you could drive as fast as your skills and car condition allowed with much, much lighter traffic.

Last month, it was safer to just keep pace with traffic. Munich to Stuttgart was a parking lot at times, with long stretches of construction.

[Hillarys Gate Cult]

Friend of mine who visits Germany often has confirmed that sections of the Autobahn with unlimited speed limits are being reduced more and more every year.

I would like to inform people that I was in an RX-7 that did 128 MPH on Guam. It was all the road was long enough for. We saw blue lights but they gave up. I don’t think it can be done now.

[Empireoftheatom48]

I remember the wall coming down and just before it did East Germany relaxed travel restrictions. There were Trabbies broken down all over the Autobahns. On a side note once my German cousin had to give my Mom a ride to some interesting country side attraction, he almost gave her a heart attack. He kept telling me he wasn’t going that fast!

[yarddog]

Growing up on a red clay dirt road was a great way to learn drifting especially when it was wet. It was just good training for handling a car which is over steering or under steering period.

[manc]

yea it was some time ago since I have driven there,

[ctdonath2]

“I’ve done it. It’s really just remembering a one major rule.
Stay right unless passing, and if someone flashes their lights from behind, get over as soon as safely possible.”

THIS.

I flew to Germany, the 5 hour overnight flight basically keeping me up all night and into a rental car at my worst mental “local time of day”. Drove out of the parking lot, out of the airport, and loudly wondered to my new bride “I wonder where the Autobahn is ... oh crap, I’m on it!”

Soon learned the simple rules noted above.
- Stay right.
- STAY RIGHT.
- Only move left if you’re passing. Then get to the right again.
- If someone flashes their lights at you from behind, MOVE RIGHT (what, you’ve already forgotten the first two rules?).
- Oh, and stay right.

Normal speeds are about 90MPH. Cruising at 100 is fine. Faster - much faster - is why you need to watch the rear-view mirror as much as the road ahead: not because you’ll be going that fast, but because someone else probably is and has a car that does it with ease, and they won’t take kindly to you puttering along in their way while ignoring the “stay right” rule.

Great fun driving there. Don’t be stupid. There’s a reason German carmakers didn’t put cup holders by the driver: your hands are too busy on the wheel to bother with doing something stupid like drinking coffee at 100MPH.

[frog in a pot]

Thanks, bfl.

[ctdonath2]

The two signs you want to see:

Left: means "Autobahn".

Right: means "No speed limit".

I need to put the latter on a coffee mug...