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Overhyped German autobahns - experience

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Old 10-20-2010, 03:17 PM
  #21  
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Try driving on the i10 going to work in el paso. I miss the autobahn. I dont care what none of you say, it is way better than any road here in America that I have driven on. I love America but I hate the roads. I lived in Germany for 7 years and I miss it.
Old 10-20-2010, 07:06 PM
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Originally Posted by DD_545i
Yeah, that's what I thought you meant (flashing high beams). Flash an unmarked autobahn cop car and you'll get 3 points on your licence.

Originally Posted by DD_545i
Makes no difference. It's driver intimidation and gets you 3 points. If you also decide to "undertake" them on the right, same deal 3 points. Your only options legally are to stay behind them the safe distance and wait. I shit you not, that's it. Nothing else you can do. Even putting your left-turn indicator on implying you want to overtake isn't allowed, although that isn't an offence in itself. :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown: :thumbsdown:

You might think that because it's Germany and they've got unrestricted sections that the rules aren't so strict here, but it's the exact opposite. They've as many rules as anywhere and they enforce them as rigidly as any other country. I got 2 points on my licence for being "ONLY" 35 metres behind the car in front while (legally) doing 103mph. In car-length terms, that's seven 5er car lengths, but apparently, at 103mph the minimum is 70 metres.
But if the polizei car is unmarked and you catch up to it on the Autobahn in the left lane, you can still get penalized if you flash to pass when you don't know who's driving? DAYUM!!!

I totally agree with everything else - the most frowned upon driving offense in Germany (besides DUI) is tailgating.
Old 10-20-2010, 07:11 PM
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Originally Posted by usmabmass
maybe bavaria is just a little more lax in the rules or something, but to me, driving on the autobahn here is every bit as good as the "overexaggeraters" say.
No sir!

I've been stopped quite a few times at sobriety checkpoints in Munich alone when I lived in Bavaria - and my ride at the time had the NATO SOFA license plates. The Polizei DO speak good english.
Old 10-20-2010, 08:39 PM
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Originally Posted by KAF
At 103 mph you travel at 45 metres per second, average reaction time is .66 seconds, so at that speed, if the car in front brakes you would be 15m behind it's ass before you even got your foot on the brakes.

Now I know the brakes on these cars are good, but they will not stop you from 100mph in 15m !!

Sounds like the cops did you a favour if it has made you keep a greater distance.
Whenever anyone works it out (which has been done in another thread) then what they're saying is valid. To which all I can reply is - put yourself in that same situation, at "only" 103mph, which believe me, once you've gotten used to the Autobahns is a leisurely speed. If you're cruising at that modest speed and you and the car in front are overtaking people who are in the right lanes doing 90mph, you would also think that 35 metres (imagine 7 whole car lengths) is sufficient. I know now that it isn't, but I defy anyone to say that at only 103 mph they would feel the gap was too small. Next time you're walking along a street in the next few days and there are more than 7 cars parked in a row. Try counting ahead to the 8th car and visualize that distance. Seven whole cars could have fit in that gap, it's hardly tailgating. Now try and imagine a length of 70 metres (14 car lengths) - it's enormous. It would take Usain Bolt about 7 seconds to run that distance

Originally Posted by pukka
my ride at the time had the NATO SOFA license plates. The Polizei DO speak good english.
NATO make sofas now? I've been looking for a new sofa - are they comfortable?
Old 10-21-2010, 04:49 AM
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Originally Posted by DD_545i
NATO make sofas now? I've been looking for a new sofa - are they comfortable?
Yep - in fact they opened up a new store in EINFAHRT.....not too far from where you live. You should drive over there and check it out!
Old 10-21-2010, 05:24 AM
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Originally Posted by pukka
Yep - in fact they opened up a new store in EINFAHRT.....not too far from where you live. You should drive over there and check it out!
Nice one
Old 10-21-2010, 05:34 AM
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Hey DD_545i, by the way, love your location. Couple of years ago in Austria my then 15 yr old daughter made the comment that there were a lot of signs for Ausfahrt, nearly wet myself laughing, she had no idea
Old 10-21-2010, 10:33 AM
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Hi - I spend 50000 km yearly on the road and many of them in Germany.. I have 3 things that specially comes to my mind!
  • I have never seen such clean toilets on gas stations :-)
  • Hate Audi Q7 drivers.. Why must they rub their ugly badge on my rear fender when they can see that I cant drive faster because of traffic in front of me
  • Sadly it is also in Germany I have seen the worst accidents.. High speed accidents are many times fatal with many cars involved :-(
Old 10-21-2010, 10:51 AM
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Originally Posted by mop
[*]Sadly it is also in Germany I have seen the worst accidents.. High speed accidents are many times fatal with many cars involved :-( [/list]
True. I once sat at a dead stop on the Autobahn for four hours while they cleaned up a wreck. I had friends that were stuck longer than that.
Old 10-21-2010, 12:58 PM
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Originally Posted by pukka
No sir!

I've been stopped quite a few times at sobriety checkpoints in Munich alone when I lived in Bavaria - and my ride at the time had the NATO SOFA license plates. The Polizei DO speak good english.
I was talking more about being able to drive fast. not about whether or not they enforce drinking and driving laws.


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