Autobahn and what it’s all about

Autobahn (pronounced /ˈɔːtoʊbɑːn/) is the German word for a major high-speed road restricted to motor vehicles [...], similar to a motorway or freeway in English-speaking countries.
© Wikipedia

Autobahn. A word that is familiar to every driver. One of the last accessible places on Earth, where one can take a car to the very limit, without breaking the law.

Yes, two-thirds of all German autobahns do not have a constant speed limit. Half of them do not have any at all. And still, the autobahns are statistically seen the safest roads in the country – less accidents happen there and fewer people die, than on the rural roads and in the cities. How is this possible?

In this article I would like to familiarise the reader with the phenomenon of German autobahns, their history, features and rules. We’ll begin with history.

History

The official term “Autobahn” is first to be found in the German documents of 1932. It described a “high-speed road without intersections and oncoming traffic”. The first road fulfilling these requirements was opened in the same year between Cologne and Bonn, and was built for speeds up to 75 mph, although only a few vehicles could even reach such speeds at the time. Today this autobahn bears the designation of A555.

In 1933, with national-socialists coming to the power, they begun a mass construction of autobahns. They were planned to be used for rapidly moving troops inside the country, and also as temporary airfields in the case of need. Under the Nazi propaganda pressure the autobahn network developed very fast, and because there were simply not enough cars to create any traffic, even cyclists were allowed to use them.

After the war, most of the autobahns were in a fairly bad state. In Western Germany, a restoration program was lauched in the 50′s, that slowly transformed into expansion of the existing network; a lot of construction went on up to the middle of the 80′s. In the East, however, most of the autobahn network still remained damaged right up to the German reunification in 1990. Little money was spent on road works in the time of the Cold War. East German autobahns had a speed limit of 60 mph, in places even lower than that.

Autobahns today

At the present day the length of the autobahn network in Germany exceeds 12500 kilometres. More than 50% of all the autobahns are unlimited; there is only a “recommended” speed of 130 km/h (roughly 80 mph), that is optimised for fuel usage and CO² emissions. Normal traffic speed in the middle lane of a mildly busy autobahn is about 85-90 mph, and it is common for traffic to flow at more than 100 mph in the fast lane.

Unique conditions are created to ensure safety at such speeds. Obviously, there are no intersections or traffic light; all autobahn connections are made through high-speed multilevel interchanges. Anywhere on an autobahn, there are at least two lanes heading in each direction, three in the more busy parts, sometimes even more. The road surface is kept in perfect condition: tarmac is renewed every 15 years at least, the lanes are clearly marked. In the past years, new autobahns are being built using a new type of concrete surface, that will require less maintenance and will serve up to 30 years.

On the busy parts of the autobahn, such as around big cities, electronic signs are used to display warning signs (e.g. about road works or congestion coming up ahead) and/or temporary speed limits.

Still, despite the heavenly conditions created for fast driving, a vital role in the security is played by the rules and regulations of the autobahn network. There are only a few rules and they are not complicated; however, non-compliance may lead to expensive fines at best, or a terrible accident in the worst case.

Rules of the autobahn

The main rule of driving on the autobahn (just as on every other road in Germany) is the “Rechtsfahrgebot”, the rule to drive on the furthest lane available to the right. It is this very rule that allows the vehicles driving at different speeds not to interfere with each other: slow vehicles drive on the right, and the fast ones overtake them on the left. It also works together with almost all of the entrances and exits being on the right, too: you slow down and switch to the right to exit, and you speed up and overtake slower vehicles going to the left when entering.

When entering the autobahn, cars already on it have the right of way. Thanks to this, the entering traffic does not disrupt the flow on the autobahn. However, there is one expection: if you have just entered the autobahn and are accelerating in the entry lane (which is an additional lane to the right of the main road), you may overtake slow traffic on the right side and enter before them. With this exception, when entering the autobahn alongside a slow lorry, you won’t have to slow down and accelerate again.

Only vehicles capable of going at least 60 km/h are allowed to enter the autobahn. Interestingly enough, the is no regulation for minimal speed on the autobahn itself – it is only forbidden to stop, except in a case of emergency or a breakdown. Running out of fuel is not considered a breakdown and is, in fact, illegal: there are more then enough gas stations along the autobahns.

Fines for breaking the autobahn laws are, as said above, quite high. So, for not keeping the distance to the vehicle in front, a fine can go up to €400 and withdrawal of the driver’s license for up to three months. Speeding tickets can reach €600.

Traffic cameras are common on the autobahns, some installed in certain places all the time, some deployed by the police. Also, the police can be seen patrolling the autobahns sometimes, in designated cars as well as undercover.

Future of the autobahns

The autobahns are one of the most important links in the german transportation network. Surely, this is a warrant for constant maintenance, modernization and expansion of the network, in near future as well as in the long-term plans. But many things can change in the upcoming years.

One of the main problems of the autobahn network is the amount of traffic, mainly by freight transport. Lorry drivers in Germany are prescribed to drive not more than 4,5 hours at a time, and between driving sessions pauses of at least 45 minutes are to be made. The problem is, there are simply not enough parking spaces for all the pauses and night breaks. Different measures are undertaken to solve the problem: new autobahn parking lots and rest centers are being constructed along the main routes, and additional taxation of the freight transport is being introduced.

Another discussed problem is the environmental issue. The main argument is said to be high fuel usage at the autobahn speeds as well as increased emissions. Debates on the topic are being held for many years, but no definite conclusion is in sight.

Sources: de.wikipedia.org, focus.de, Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt, many others and generally Google.