Speed Limits
A hard limit is imposed on some vehicles:
| 60 km/h |
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|---|---|
| 80 km/h |
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| 100 km/h |
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The German autobahns are famous for being among the few public roads in the world without blanket speed limits for cars and motorbikes.
Speed limits do apply at junctions and other danger points like sections under construction or in need of repair. Speed limits at non-construction sites are generally between 100 km/h and 130 km/h; construction sites usually have a speed limit of 80 km/h but may be as low as 60 km/h or, in very rare cases, 40 km/h. Certain stretches have lower speed limits used in cases of wet lanes. Some areas have a speed limit of 120 km/h in order to reduce noise pollution during overnight hours (usually 10pm – 6am) or because of increased traffic during daytime (6am - 8pm)
Some limits were imposed to reduce pollution and noise. Limits can also be temporarily put into place through dynamic traffic guidance systems that display the according traffic signs. On all Autobahns the advisory speed limit is 130 km/h, referred to in German as the Richtgeschwindigkeit; this speed is now binding and being involved in an accident driving at higher speeds can lead to the driver being deemed at least partially responsible due to "increased operating danger" (Erhöhte Betriebsgefahr). Studies showed that the average speed on autobahns without speed limits is about 140 km/h. On average, more than an eighth of the total length of the German autobahn network has no speed limit at all, about one third has a permanent limit, and the remaining parts have a temporary or conditional limit.
Some cars with very powerful engines can reach speeds of well over 300 km/h (190 mph). Most large car manufacturers, especially the German ones, follow a gentlemen's agreement by electronically limiting the top speeds of their cars – with the exception of some top of the range models or engines – to 250 km/h (155 mph). These limiters can be deactivated, so speeds up to 300 km/h (190 mph) might arise on the German autobahn, but due to other traffic, such speeds are generally not attainable. Most unlimited sections of the autobahn are located outside densely populated areas.
Vehicles with a top speed less than 60 km/h (such as quads, low-end microcars, and agricultural/construction equipment) and motorcycles or scooters with low engine capacity regardless of top speed (mainly applicable to mopeds which are typically limited to 25 or 45 km/h anyway), are not allowed to use the autobahn. To comply with this limit, several heavy-duty trucks in Germany (e.g. mobile cranes, tank transporters etc.) have a maximum design speed of 62 km/h (usually denoted by a round black-on-white sign with "62" on it), along with flashing orange beacons to warn approaching cars that it is traveling slowly. There is no general minimum speed but drivers are not allowed to drive at an unnecessarily low speed as this would lead to significant traffic disturbance and an increased collision risk.
The following map with its associated legend shows the speed limits applied to different sections of the autobahn network.
Read more about this topic: Bundesautobahn
Famous quotes containing the words speed and/or limits:
“For myself and my loved ones, I want the heat, which comes at the speed of light. I don’t want to have to hang about for the blast, which idles along at the speed of sound.”
—Martin Amis (b. 1949)
“The great ship, Balayne, lay frozen in the sea.
The one-foot stars were couriers of its death
To the wild limits of its habitation.
These were not tepid stars of torpid places
But bravest at midnight and in lonely spaces,
They looked back at Hans’ look with savage faces.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)