Unraveling The Autobahn

There are persistent myths in America about the Autobahn, and many drivers here use them to justify speeding on our nation’s highways.  Here’s a quick look at some interesting facts.

What is the Autobahn?

The Autobahn is Germany’s highway system, equivalent to the U.S. Federal Highway System. The popular misconception is that there is no speed limit at all – this is not true.

Like the United States, Germany’s Autobahn is not regulated by any federally-mandated speed limit. However, 55% of it is covered by local or conditional speed limits enforceable by police. The entire Autobahn road system has an advisory speed limit of 81MPH – while it is not a misdemeanor or felony to exceed this speed limit, insurance companies will generally not compensate for damages incurred in a crash at speeds exceeding the advisory limit. In the U.S., portions of Utah and Texas have speed limits set at 80MPH, and 33 states have speed limits at or higher than 70MPH.

If you survive a crash at high speeds on the Autobahn, you won’t face a $250 speeding ticket and license points like you do here. Instead, you’re out the cost of damages to your car and any other cars you may collide with. If you’re lucky, you’ll just total an old Honda Civic and not hurt anyone else. If you’re unlucky, you could wipe out a Bugatti Veyron, which carries a sticker price between 1.5 and 3 million dollars.

Is the Autobahn safer?

In 2005, there were a total of 5,316 crash fatalities on the Autobahn. In 2002, there were 5,780 crash fatalities on the U.S. Interstate system. Comparable, right? Not really. The Autobahn consists of 7,580 miles of highway, while the U.S. Interstate system covers 48,876 miles. This means that the likelihood of a fatal crash on the Autobahn is 6 TIMES GREATER than on the U.S. Interstate system.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email