Autobahn Driving Rules & Tips - German Road Signs Explained

[@the.abhisheksinha]

I drove down to Switzerland and Denmark and Spain from Germany through Autoban and trust me it was soooo easy to drive when you find everyone following rules and signs…this is something I truly appreciate about Germany and hats off to German people.

[@banut2116]

Just got back from driving in the autobahn and I found Germans were very responsible drivers. Even though you can go very fast you feel that people respect the roads and other drivers more.

[@cube_2593]

BMW drivers go brrrrrrr

[@davedrabczyk2773]

Was stationed in Germany in 81-83 I will say the people in Germany are the best drivers I've ever seen!

[@ParallelMango]

Listen grandpa you need to go back to bed and get off the internets...

[@MrReachashish]

When I came first in Germany , I too legit thought Ausfahrt was some huge town.

[@1337fraggzb00N]

In future we will build huge town named "Ausfahrt" just to confuse foreigners. HA!

[@mohammadmasoodbabrakzai4414]

@@1337fraggzb00N 😂😂

[@sherman4121]

same here lol.

[@Gavin-my6jb]

Das ist ein exit

[@zdenekkindl2778]

I have found german drivers very competent, polite and…fast! I have lived there for one year and since then I visited many times and I have not seen many accidents…

[@marcioh123]

While driving on the Autobahn I told a friend that "ausfahrt" was the place where they make asphalt... And believe or not... He believed .... The same guy believed that "apoteke" is the biggest pharmacy chain in Germany.

[@fahrscheinnachflorida2491]

Hey Dave. I just want you to know that your videos on driving in Germany inspired me to make some German language videos that explain driving rules and behavior in the USA to Germans. All of your videos are great, and your driving videos are especially informative. Thank you very much.

[@dukegunthar]

What advice? "You're on your own. Bring a gun."?

[@CliveTutty]

Great video - at first i thought this was going to be another american talking about driving in germany - but phew, what a relief. Really love Germany, your roads are fantastic compared with UK. love driving the german roads; scenery is breath-taking; especially west & south. Your explanations of the signs are really helpful. a lot of this is common stuff, but its good to hear it from a local.

[@thorstenbrandt6256]

Fun fact: You are not allowed to break down on the Autobahn. OK, if your car really breaks down it's OK. But if it's cause you run out of gas you will be fined

[@louisdefunes8952]

Yeah of course..logical right? And only overtake on the left. Not on the right, i think that's dangrous.

[@miljkovicsrb]

Also in my country (Serbia) but there are no records that someone got the ticket for that.

[@philjamieson5572]

Thorsten Brandt: How about if you run out of petrol (the stuff we put in our European cars)?

[@miljkovicsrb]

@@philjamieson5572 You are not allowed to run out of gas. You always have to have enough of gas in your car.

[@thorstenbrandt6256]

@@philjamieson5572 then you get fined. You are responsible for your car and if you run out of petrol you didn't do the maintance before driving right.

[@conbertbenneck49]

Congratulations. You gave an excellent description of driving on the Autobahn. When my wife was driving ur American business visitor's wives around the Koeln area, she (born in Germany) never understood why American women giggled when they saw, "Einfahrt", "Durchfahrt" and "Ausfahrt". One day she asked me why they found the signs so funny. When I explained what a "fart" was in English, that clarified the situation. I had an office in Koeln, and aside from my business in Bonn and Koblenz, the majority of my customers were in the north or south of Germany. I have spent many hours driving my 356 B Porsche convertible or my 220S Mercedes to Hamburg / Bremen or Stuttgart and Muenchen at well over 100 MPH. In those days the Autobahn was mostly 2 lanes (1957 to 1974). It was fun!

[@furzkram]

You should add that in case your car breaks down, you find in which direction the NEAREST emergency phone is indicated by black triangular arrows on the white poles aside the road.

[@olubunmiodesanya9955]

This is super! Du bist hilfstbereit! Vielen dank. Please do more of this.

[@music4ever4100]

I used to live in PA in the US and had a shortwave radio. I would sometimes hear a strange radio signal on my shortwave. I visited Germany and was on the Autobahn and discovered that the radio signals for warning on the Autobahn were the same signal I had heard in PA on my shortwave. Love the Autobahn and Germany.

[@Rednosei]

Very good Video to understand the Rules on the German Autobahn for Foreigners! Many may think that it must be scary if there is no speed limit, but you can drive very safely and relaxed on the Highway!

[@crstothard]

Thank you very much for making and uploading this! I will be in Germany in August '18, touring the northwest by car and this is super helpful! Greetings from NYC!

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Awesome, have a great time in Germany! :)

[@Christof_Classen]

*@CRS* *Remember: You can not drive as fast as YOU want, but as fast as the CAR can Drive, so choose the Car with Care ;)* *Speedy Greetings from Hamburg !*

[@crstothard]

Christof Classen Acknowledged and appreciated! Sixt is hooking me up with a BMW 3 Touring, which I'm hoping will allow overtaking a caravan or two. 😊

[@31337flamer]

have fun .. i live here.. its flat btw... very flat :D

[@PuscH311]

try to get a BMW 435D gran coupe

[@MugerwaMark]

one of the best videos i have seen on youtube teaching about driving in germany vielen dank

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Thank you very much! 🙏

[@Arsenic71]

Nice video and great explanations. BTW for those from the UK: If, at the end of the slip road, you have not found space to move onto the autobahn lane, you must continue driving on the hard shoulder until you find space. You MUST NOT stop at the end of the slip road, it's illegal. That's different in the UK where you have to stop (which is much more dangerous IMO). Windschutzscheibe is windscreen.

[@ShinandRom]

That's wrong information. It is actually Illegal to drive on the Shoulder. By the german Law, you must stop at 3/4 of the slip road if you are unable to get onto the Autobahn, Ensuring you got enough of slip road left to accelerate once you find a spot to get in. That's what the law say. However, It is advised by a many, and the police will most likely not stop you if you do it, to keep going over the hard shoulder until you got enough of speed and space to merge onto the Autobahn. It's to prevent the risk of a crash because people look into their mirrors when they are on the Sliproad, to see if they can merge, so they will most likely not see you standing there,

[@inyobill]

13:16: I learned something new. Thanks! I've had my Führerschein for 6 1/2 years, always looking to improve my driving.

[@rossgossman6530]

I thoroughly enjoy watching your videos Dave! They are so professional and thorough and very entertaining without being ridiculous. Thank you

[@dilipnair9517]

Brilliant, Dave!!! 👍

[@philjamieson5572]

Thanks for this excellent piece. My one and only experience of using the German Autobahn was terrifying. Despite remaining in the slower lane, I was continually honked at by angry drivers. Mind you, I probably would've been better off in a car rather than walking.

[@lynellestagman2604]

Thanks for the video! I am traveling to Germany this June and this made me a lot less nervous about the driving.

[@penzancegunner857]

There's a big city in Netherlands called UIT 😂🇳🇱

[@airmahathi]

Here to crack the driving test xD Thanks to such videos man. Keep it up!

[@anamarr4893]

Well, he ain’t the only person who though ‘ausfahrt’ was a town lol. Last month, whilst driving in Germany, I said to my husband “good grief they’ve got loadsa towns called ausfahrt” lol

[@D4NKN3SS]

We call it an "Elephant Race" here in America too. I guess in some places they would also call it a "Snail Race".

[@rpvitiello]

Also can be called a “county pass” cuz it can take an entire county for them to finish passing.

[@lesmesalvarez7880]

Thank you! I drove in Germany in the middle 70s 1975-1977. I was in the US Army.

[@garybanglebangle7949]

I enjoy all the videos of GERMANY. It has been a long time since I was in GERMANY so I enjoy the experience you give.

[@neil_s253]

Dave, these types of videos are very helpful! Thank you so much. I’ve ridden down the Autobahn in Germany many times and know many of the signs, and my friends have explained most of them to me...but not all of the signs. I am planning on moving to Germany in the Fall, and I know I can drive for about 6 months on my American drivers license...but after that I think I’ll have to get a German one and I’m sure I’ll have to take a test...so reviewing all of this is excellent for me. Thanks again!

[@johnd.rogers]

You don't necessarily have to do a test. If the US state you live in has an equal test system your license can automatically be transferred into a German one.

[@neil_s253]

Yeah...I looked into it. I’ll still have to take a written test.

[@gerdpapenburg7050]

@@neil_s253 A written test must be taken if your DL is issued by Connecticut, Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Tennessee, or the District of Columbia

[@user-ex1dl3tx2p]

Sehr tolles video

[@soumensaha113]

I will drive in Munich in the month of August. I am from Toronto. This video will help me a lot to drive comfortably. Thanks.

[@ultimobile]

thanks for the info - for my forthcoming trip from Australia to drive around Germany - very useful ! 1983 with an old VW Kombiwagen barely able to break 80kph on the autobahn, after being stuck behind an even slower vehicle for ages, I finally saw my chance with nothing visible behind me, pulled out to overtake, and within a couple of seconds saw a Mercedes looming huge in my rear vision mirror, braking hard from 200kph or whatever - that was scary !

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Glad you enjoyed the video! :)

[@fengshui3382]

ultimobile today this might happen very often - so much more fast traffic on the left line

[@ileana8360]

Tolles Video. Werde es auf jeden Fall weiterempfehlen. Vor allem wenn es sich um Ausländer hadelt, die auf deutschen oder europäischen Autobahnen fahren wollen. Gibt es ein weiteres Video bzgl. Verhaltensweisen beim Schnellfahren ohne Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzungen?

[@laungocbich]

Dave, you are awesome. Thank you for the useful videos

[@HenryAusLuebeck]

gut erklärt

[@dukegunthar]

We will be driving in Austria next month and this was a huge help. Thank you.

[@Me-wd7ui]

A great video, thanks so much

[@felixklusener5530]

Very informative video! Just two things to correct: 1.: The speed limit on a Landstraße is generally 100 km/h, but on a Landstraße with more than one lane in each direction or with physically separated carriageways for each direction, no general limit applies. One example in NRW is the L511 in Recklinghausen between Halterner Straße and the city limits to Herten. It looks like an Autobahn, but the 'L' indicates that it is just a Landesstraße, not even a Bundesstraße. I personally speeded up to about 160 km/h on this section just a week ago and it's perfectly legal there. 2.: The word 'Fahrbahn' describes any part of the road that is legaly used by vehicles. One specific lane is called 'Fahrstreifen' in german.

[@georgekeiper5208]

I'm a truck driver in the USA. I can't believe how smooth and flat the Autobahn is. And over here elephant races are called turtle races.

[@barbarahmegan2188]

Thanks alot

[@rahulg98]

Good video for first time drivers to germany, danke

[@dlewis4160]

I have driven on that Autobahn many many times since I was stationed next to Paderborn and would go see my Mom in Koln and go to Frankfurt once a month. It does look different now for sure. I loved it Thanks for posting it...

[@rkk_02]

This is an awesome video. Nice work 👏🏻👍🏻

[@md.mahiuddin6717]

Excellent !!!!

[@FIBBI89]

Great video, I feel much better about driving in germany now :)

[@jaycee330]

We call it "elephant races" here in the USA too sometimes.

[@alexnichols2021]

I just call them assholes

[@alf699]

Last time I was in my country of birth is over 40 years ago. I had my Driver License for 3 years before I left. The majority of signs have stayed the same but there were maybe 3 ~ 4 signs that I hadn't seen before. Anyway..thanks, entertaining and useful :-)

[@Vokieeeee]

Ha ! I LOVE your German English ,lol ! Great Video , Dave ! I subscribed to maybe see more of your Videos !

[@robzan9266]

A complete tutorial about Autobahn! Ausgzeichnet!

[@inyobill]

I drove in the states for many, many years. It got so I absolutely hated it. I enjoy driving again now I mostly drive in Germany. I see a lot of drivers that don't seem to have any awareness when in a Stau, and other drivers are adjusting their position in their Fahrspuren to open the Rettungsgasse.

[@ridingwithpat]

Thank you, I'll be driving through Germany for 6 days, I feel primed to go now.

[@CarstenBauer]

Just finished my final day of driving on the autobahn, drove Stuttgart to Donaueischeingen to Sinsheim, to Speyer, to Paderborn, to Hanover. And just today Berlin to Regensburg. I really enjoyed it, and got up to 200kph... but I didn't want to push it too much. I felt comfortable at 140-160kph.

[@CarstenBauer]

Thanks for the video. I first drove on the autobahn in 2013, and will do so again on my next holiday in September this year. Enjoyed your tips.

[@bobfognozzle]

Five years ago i drove 3000 miles through Germany and Austria in an M3. This was my 6th trip to Europe, but truly the best. The drivers were the best except for one Skoda driver who changed to the left lane without looking carefully. I was going 260 kmh and he must have been going about 180…thank God for the big brakes on the M3!

[@BobBob-eb4io]

The first time i read this i read it in miles per hour sometimes i forget nobody else uses mph

[@annoyingbananana]

cooles video über unsere Autobahn, da lernt man selber als deutsche fahrerin ja noch was dazu! And: Those electronic signs are actually pretty funny sometimes. These are also often located in the Landstraße before the autobahn auffahrt. And sometimes it can say something like this: "A9 München-Nürnberg FREI :) " meaning: A9 in direction Nürnberg is free (no traffic jam).... yes, with a literal SMILEY FACE and green letters! Or with a sad face and red letters if there is a jam or lots of traffic. I laughed the first time I saw one of these. Keep an eye out for these signs during rush hour, it's super funny to have a big green smiley face looking at you by the side if the road! 😂😂

[@ashfakzaman446]

thanks a bunch! 🙂

[@SY-bj5rb]

Thank you. Danke 👍

[@31337flamer]

never stay ON the autobahn if u have a breakdown ...go/stay behind the guardrail! stay even more meters away from it.. if another car crashes in your broken down car the impact would bend the guardrails several meters outside!!! just be aware oif that... just in case...

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Very true and important, yes!

[@AllieThePrettyGator]

8:48 here in America we to have the Elephant Race

[@fortitudevalance8424]

These are the roads I loved and missed dearly. I used to be based in Bielefeld.

[@jannikheinemann6000]

Das ist also dieses Denglisch, von dem meine Englischlehrerin immer sprach.

[@Laurelinad]

well, technically it's "BAB 44" for "Bundesautobahn 44" but that's the official lingo :D 12:44 well, on the autobahn it's 100m, but yes, totally handy

[@rickasante]

15:00 Well, your friend isn’t the only one who thought “Ausfahrt” was a city. My first week in Germany nearly 6 years ago I was taking a bus ride from Frankfurt to Bonn. Guess what? It was a 5am bus, so somewhere near Limburg when the skies were clear I started noticing the “Ausfahrt” sign everywhere. I also thought, “what a big city this might be” 😂. I’ve told this story to friends many times ever since.

[@RodrigoRojasMoraleda]

Just for completeness, the supplemental sign below the "animal crossing" sign tells you that the warning extends for 1 KM.

[@twowheelvalle]

This is a really nice video. I'm from Germany and it was nice to see. 👌🏻

[@channelchannel1270]

Thank you so much. I am currently in Austria and am planning to start my driving lessons. Hope it will be similar.

[@tonywagner1626]

It actually is verboten (forbidden) for die LKW-Fahrer to do das Elefantenrennen, when it takes longer than 30 seconds.

[@tpilot_error404]

Aren't elefants motorcycles with sidecars ? They have a rally during wintertime.

[@SomeLazyDr]

i wish that was a law here in america. i've actually seen a /four/ lane elephant race, where four semi trucks were trying to pass each other at the same time. wahnsinn!

[@CykoSoldier]

This was more informative than my driving test I got before I could even go to Germany for the military. When I drove on the Autobahn, I was about run over by whatever streaked past me just as I moved back to the right lane. Freaky.

[@mikecummings1697]

My experience driving on the autobahn was that of liberating exuberance.

[@sadiqodho]

Good information, other people don't cover much as you did.

[@commonsense31]

Just came home from Hamburg to my Home in Copenhagen Denmark. I love Germany, But you guys seriously need to make a new Highway, From Puttgarden to Hamburg :D It was created just before WW2. And haven't been updated or redone EVER. You are driving on Concrete pillars. :D

[@wwijsman]

I'm a Dutch guy who has driven on the autobahn quite a few times. It is kinda nice, especially that you don't have to constantly look at your speedometer. The asphalt isn't as good as it is in the Netherlands, though, and exits are very small. I like that Germans drive much more relaxed than the Dutch.

[@induristan]

I'm a Germn guy who has driven in the Netherlands quite often. You're right regarding the road quality; in NL it is much better. But, at least for me, driving in the Netherlands is much more Relaxing. I set my cruise control, relax and drive on. But, that might be important, when I enter NL, I'm already on the road for 6 - 7 hours.... maybe that's why I enjoy the constant speed ;) !

[@unkleunkle4302]

Sehr gut gemacht. Wirklich Klasse. Ein Paar kleine Verbesserungen gäbe es!

[@Beery1962]

6:08 Interestingly, the English "Deer" and the German "Tier" are closely related, as are the similar-sounding German "Teuer" and English "Dear" (meaning "expensive"). "Dear" is only really used this way in England - if you say something is "too dear" to an American, he'll be confused, as in US English, "dear" only means "beloved" or "respected". I wonder if "Reh" and "Rentier" are related? It would be fun if that was how "Reh" evolved into "Tier/Deer" in English.

[@ultimobile]

confusing Dear ? reminds me of my first attempts at conversation in Germany - trying to ask strangers the time - 'haben zie die zeit ?' - confused looks at their wrist - apparently I had asked 'have you got the watch ?' and in summer trying to say I feel hot - 'Ich bin heiss !' - apparently means I want sex ...

[@flyingdeer3963]

Yes, Reh and Rentier are booth Deers, not the same species, but relatively close related to each other

[@b3j8]

Hmm, I see Germany also has those strange leaping 2-legged deer!

[@andyfinlay9776]

So... Many years ago I worked in and and around Paderborn. Lovely town. But, what is this Bielefeld place? I mean it sounds nice, and I have the impression that I might have been there, but where is it? :)

[@mparker_astro]

Just subscribed to you channel! Love it! Dark brought me here recently, but your videos take me back to school days when i studied German. It has been 30 years! A lot is starting to come back now. My family in the US has a lot of German ancestry, which for me adds to the fun of watching!

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Hey Marshall, thanks for subscribing and for letting me know! Enjoy the videos! :)

[@Znarfi2]

Cooles Video! Nicht nur für Leute, die die Sprache lernen, sondern insbesondere auch für Touristen. Werde das hier und da weiterempfehlen! :)

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Danke, das freut mich sehr! :)

[@TheAgentAaron]

I think that many Americans, not all, would become quite frustrated driving - even in Germany on the autobahn. For many of us who live in the larger metropolitan areas, we travel at speeds greater than 80mph.

[@panembahansenopati5727]

Thanks Dave for your information, I love to watch your Video.

[@sarek2ca]

I so miss Germany! I used to live in Rust - The EuropaPark!

[@charlotteice5704]

actually I drove along that part of the A44 last night during my nighttime driving lesson :)

[@NEXIS981]

Sehr gut erklärt :) Die Anekdote mit der Stadt namens Ausfahrt war echt funny ^^ *Daumen hoch*

[@PropperNaughtyGeezer]

In Frankreich führen alle Wege nach Sortie. Darum wohl das Schloß Sankt Sortie.

[@Tintop]

du hast vergessen das "auf einer Länge von 1km" Schild bei dem Wildwechsel-Warnschild zu erwähnen.

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Oh well, aber danke für den Hinweis!

[@derpixonisagreatname7153]

8:21 Proton Wira

[@jamescc2010]

Are there speed cameras on autobahn? there I’m afraid of getting fined but I would love to drive when we get there at least for one day.

[@EyMannMachHin]

The point about the "Richtgeschwindigkeit" is that in case of an accident you might be found partially liable to a certain degree. Especially if you were going much faster than the Richtgeschwindigkeit although there was no speed limit on that part of the Autobahn and you didn't do anything else wrong. Which in turn will affect what the insurances are willing to pay.

[@andrassike542]

Super helpful video, I’ll be travelling through Germany in a couple of days and this helped me a lot! Greetings from the UK

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Enjoy your trip! Greetings back at ya! :)

[@HansLiao]

Thank you for the lovely video. Though I've already driven on the Autobahn many times, it still fascinates me ever time I get on the Autobahn. It is the greatest human engineering achievement IMO.

[@VeereshDammur]

@8:24 Assume If you are about to merge into autobahn from the parkplatz, What would you do if there are series of vehicles are on the right line? Would you just wait at the end of the acceleration lane to ensure that you have sufficient space to get onto the autobahn right lane?

[@Vokieeeee]

There is so much discipline on German Roads unlike in other Countries from what I know ! I live in Australia and on our Freeways or Motorways , they pass on/in any Lane and , because we drive on the left , signs indicate to Keep left unless overtaking but , the mentality is “who cares”! Not really enforced by the Law ! Often , you get Drivers doing 100 kmh in the Right Lane(s) when the Speed limit is 110kmh so , I pass them on the left up to 110kmh but no faster , I back off to 110 and if I want to pass , then on the right ! Speed limits are something that Drivers in Australia actually do NOT care about till they get pulled over for speeding by the Highway Cops and then , out come all sorts of excuses ,lol !

[@inyobill]

"All exits on the German Autobahn lead to Ausfahrt".

[@NutmegThumper]

Nice video. The one note I have is you mentioned 130 as the autobahn limit. So when I’m in a 120 zone and then see the slashed sign I assumed that meant no limit. Are you saying it means 130 is now the limit? I was doing 165. Can you also address the speed cameras?

[@mairepcod4063]

Thanks,

[@philipverschoor8342]

Ich liebe deine Videos! Grüße aus die Niederlande !

[@DefinitelyGerman]

Grüße zurück aus Deutschland! Vielen Dank! :)

[@sternchenstinker5154]

Nice music! I love GTA! Und very good erklärt, by the way ^^

[@vielmarkus]

Just a little reminder when there is the plane traffic crossing signs you are to turn off the long distance headlights preemtively.

[@udai4k]

wonderful video, thanks for this, watching it after Verkehrwacht Fahrersicherheits training guy told me to reapper for Basiskurz, as theories r theories and videos helpp, in a case of Entry to Autobhan, what should one do - if the right most lane has full of prioty traffic and no space to zip in at 100/ 90kmph? what should one do if he finishes all the given entry lane length , just come to zero speed and wait for entry chance?

[@mohammadmasoodbabrakzai4414]

Nice video

[@cooki1365]

I enjoyed the ride (and the rules)!

[@allistair61]

Bielefeld gibt es nicht!

[@MrScani1]

Wo wohne ich dann ???? =)

[@hga6842]

Doch gibt es

[@lagiwerr]

@trident3b It`s joke for 20-30 years. Students put it on the internet that everything about Bielefeld is a conspiracy. And it`s still a almost everywhere known joke in Germany.

[@lagiwerr]

@trident3b Wenn du deutsch bist.. google mal : Bielefeldverschwörung^^

[@sternchenstinker5154]

@MrScani Kein Plan, aber Bielefeld gibt es nicht, da hat er vollkommen recht. Wahrscheinlich wohnst du in Ausfahrt ;)