I read an article that said the average speed for cars on the German autobahn is about 125 km/hr which is around 76 mph. Trucks are limited to speeds much below that. There are now a lot of Interstate highways that have a posted limit of 75 mph and an average speed that might be exceeding that. I guess the defining thing is that you don’t have to worry about Smokey the bear on the Autobahn. Anyone got any anecdotes to share about their experience on either? Is the autobahn still the leader?
Autobahn vs US Interstate Speeds
- Thread starter Snagglefoot
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I dont know about the US, but there are a lot of speed limits on the autobahn in realitiy. Near and around towns (Noise), construction sites, etc. About 30% of the Autobahn actually have a speed limit, according to the ADAC, germanys biggest car / assistence club.
Add to this some "Elelpahnt races" (German nickname) when a truck passes annother truck on a 2 lane autobahn.. wich is forbidden, but they do it...
... the many "§(/&% on a 3 lane autobahn that think the far right lane is only for trucks and they occupie the middle lane with lazy 130Km/h - 80 Mph....
Yes, the average speed is maybe 125 Km/h - 75 Mph. On the other hand, my prefered cruising speed is 160 Km/h - 100 Mph, wich is also often possible.
Add to this some "Elelpahnt races" (German nickname) when a truck passes annother truck on a 2 lane autobahn.. wich is forbidden, but they do it...
... the many "§(/&% on a 3 lane autobahn that think the far right lane is only for trucks and they occupie the middle lane with lazy 130Km/h - 80 Mph....
Yes, the average speed is maybe 125 Km/h - 75 Mph. On the other hand, my prefered cruising speed is 160 Km/h - 100 Mph, wich is also often possible.
In many of the vast middle states of the Midwest, if you aren't going 90 you're getting passed. I was recently on the kansas turnpike near Lawrance going and was getting flown by doing just shy of triple digits.
It was like that on I294 in suburban Chicago when I was there last August. OTOH I was going about 78 on the Indiana and Ohio turnpikes, and I was passing most other cars (speed limit is 70MPH).
I can't remember what route I was on but, I was on a loooooon stretch of road going from Phoenix to LasVegas and I was speeding at over 100 mph on this stretch of road as there was absolute nothing around. It was the first time in my life that I actually saw wild horses. Sadly, I was in a minivan 'cause this drive could'a been really entertaining.
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South Dakota is similar. If you aren’t cruising in the 95-110 range, you are getting passed.
Out of curiosity guys, what is the punishment expected for driving at 100+mph in the US?
In the UK you would have a day in court where you would probably loose your licence for upto 1 year and a hefty fine. Anything 120-130mph onwards you might even get jail time.
In the UK you would have a day in court where you would probably loose your licence for upto 1 year and a hefty fine. Anything 120-130mph onwards you might even get jail time.
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It depends on a lot of factors. Each of our 50 states has its own legal system, with different penalties for moving violations. Interstate trucking operations are also subject to federal law enforcement.
You might get nothing (we call it a "slap on the wrist") or you might eventually do prison time. If you have anything illegal in your vehicle (or sometimes even if you don't), the authorities might seize your vehicle and its contents, sell them, and keep the proceeds ("civil forfeiture").
The actual penalty you receive depends on the mood of the particular law enforcement officer that day, and whether the prosecutor from that jurisdiction is up for reelection. And some other factors we can't elaborate on here.
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I used to drive Nürnberg to Mönchengladbach every weekend 600km exactly door to door, there was a few slow downs in Frankfurt and Köln but in the summer on my bike at night I could hit 250 kmh easily for a good stretch and cruise about 160-180 kmh. That Autobahn (3) was the one I hit legit 320 kmh the first time on a tuned CBR1100XX.
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If you were doing 100 in a posted 75 zone on the interstate your fine would be $40 in North Dakota.
I never felt safer than on the autobahn in Germany because in general vehicles were in better condition (TUV) and I knew that in order to get a license you had to do more than be able to "fog a mirror" like it is in the US.
I've hit triple digits on the I85 corridor between Atlanta - Greenville and I65 corridor between Mobile - Montgomery only because I could see well over a mile and traffic was next to none or 3-lanes wide.
The US will never have an equivalent because TUV levels of inspection would take a lot of vehicles off the road which are currently used by less fortunate who need transportation.
I've hit triple digits on the I85 corridor between Atlanta - Greenville and I65 corridor between Mobile - Montgomery only because I could see well over a mile and traffic was next to none or 3-lanes wide.
The US will never have an equivalent because TUV levels of inspection would take a lot of vehicles off the road which are currently used by less fortunate who need transportation.
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It depends.... It's all relative to the posted speed limit so obviously if the speed limit is 55 and you're going 100, the fine is based on going 45 mph over the limit whereas if the speed limit were 80 (parts of Texas, N or S Dakota, as I understand), you're only 20 mph over. In Ohio, some courts simply have a chart - 1-10 mph over = $ XX, 11-20 mph over = $YY, and so on for the fine. You can pay the ticket over the phone or online too although some courts have something like "30+ mph, court appearance required...".
We also have what's called "reckless operation" citation in Ohio and this is solely at the police officer's discretion. The same officer could cite a driver for speeding at 30+ but that person was going with the flow of traffic (it's still speeding) while they could cite a driver going 20+ mph but weaving in and out of lanes with reckless operation.
In my state it's an extra $200 fine for 85 mph or more on a highway or 75 mph on a two-lane road. This fine in on top of whatever fine you get for speeding over the posted limit.
EX: Driving 90 mph in 65 mph. $200 super speeder fine + $500 fine for 25 mph over the posted limit
License suspended if you don't pay within 120 days.
Like everyone else said… it depends. For instance, Patrick George wrote an article for Jalopnik where he had to spend 3 days in a Virginia jail for doing 93 in a 55. On the other hand, my wife got clocked doing 62 in a 30 on a rural road and the cop wrote it as a simple speeding ticket which means we pay the deferral and she gets zero points on her license and it just “goes away” assuming she doesn’t get another ticket within a year of the first. I also once got a verbal warning for doing 75 in a 45.
I drove on the Autobahn a couple times outside of Munich in a big MB station wagon about 8 years ago. As we headed out of Munich we got on the highway and the speed limit would gradually increase. No one exceeded it. People drove exactly at the speed limit. Eventually the speed limit went to unlimited and the fast cars took off. I got up to about 115-120 mph on the way out. My boss and his boss where in the car with me. I know my boss drives slow so I didn't want to go too crazy. We were going about 60km past the Starnberger See and going that fast, it doesn't take long. On the way back to Munich they they both fell asleep in the car so I got up to about 130 mph. I saw a lot of "exotic" cars like the fancier Porsches, M-Bs, and BMWs. I did the same drive two days in a row and it was the same story both times. The German drivers were very courteous and organized.
Driving from Vegas to Primm in rented Versa I was keeping up with the flow and the flow was moving fast. I was very surprised when I looked at the speedometer and it said 98 mph.
Driving from Vegas to Primm in rented Versa I was keeping up with the flow and the flow was moving fast. I was very surprised when I looked at the speedometer and it said 98 mph.
Botetourt County, probably. I had heard that the judge who was giving jail sentences for reckless driving has retired. And they probably need the jail space for all the meth and opioid addicts these days.
As CR alluded above, there are lots of speed controlled zones on the Autobahn system.
I drove the most in and around Munich and essentially every road I was on was speed limited.
A run to Budapest got us on some big roads but they were so heavily traveled (volume and road condition) you wouldn't zoom.
If you want high speed euphoria, I suggest going to Australia. Just be careful of those big, white stupid birds which cross the highways in a flock 2 to 5 feet off the ground. Like deer, they cross your path without announcing themselves. Ask me how I know.
The feathered flockers took my left door mirror off!
I deftly glued the mirror housing back together (they have good glue in Australia too).
I drove the most in and around Munich and essentially every road I was on was speed limited.
A run to Budapest got us on some big roads but they were so heavily traveled (volume and road condition) you wouldn't zoom.
If you want high speed euphoria, I suggest going to Australia. Just be careful of those big, white stupid birds which cross the highways in a flock 2 to 5 feet off the ground. Like deer, they cross your path without announcing themselves. Ask me how I know.
The feathered flockers took my left door mirror off!
I deftly glued the mirror housing back together (they have good glue in Australia too).
Average speed on interstate? Around here on I-95 its gotta be 80 mph. Many ppl much faster. Few police around, too
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