PDA

View Full Version : Driving the Autobah (here you go bulldogdaddy)



Doubledog
11-17-2002, 03:23 PM
I was asked what's it like being here in Germany and getting to drive on the autobahns. This is my .02 story. What to read about it? Here it is! and I'm sure others have drove these roads so please add your comments.

First let me start off with that I'm an old redneck country boy from FloriBama and about the only time I'd ever driven on an Interstate Highway (I-10) was going to Pensacola or Mobile. Being in my early 20ies it scared me once we'd hit the city and having to think ahead about your exit and such. Sure, I was very sheltered as a kid. Then I moved to Atlanta for a year and got a real dose of it a year before going back home and joining the Army. I hated driving in ATL but learned to cope. Talk about some craziness, 85+ & bumper to bumper.

I remember watching a tv show where they showed the high speeds on the Autobahn (AB) and some of the crashes that took place ie, a Mercedes going around a curve at 100+ and rolling a dozen times. Freaked me out. And the whole time I thought the AB was nothing but a single road in Europe. NOT!

The AB is like any of your typical interstates but there are many of them all around almost like highways, everywhere you turn theres one to get on.

So I get off the plane in Frankfurt and take a bus to my new unit 30 minutes away. I'm aksing questions about the AB the whole time wondering if and when I'll see it till a few cars blow by us like a blur! DANG they were moving and I didn't know we were traveling on the AB.

Part of our inprocessing was to test and get our license that will allow us to drive in country. Normal stateside license will not work, but you must have them to apply- you know getting the signs and all down is a must to travel here. I was warned by many people to be very careful while driving the AB because when you get ready to pass you’d better look over your shoulder to make sure no one is coming up on you and don't trust your mirrors. When folks pass, they will do this and do it NOW!

For the driving experience: One of my first times I was riding shotgun in a buddies (so called hot Z28) and we were ‘cruising’ along at 125mph and were passing folks pretty good till all the sudden he said look to our left (left lane) when a white Porche goes by us like we were sitting still! The wind from it liked to have pushed us off the road!

THEN a few more cars came screaming by. One was an Opel (of all cars) and the others were anything from your everyday BMW’s to Benzes. My family came to visit back in April and I tried to tell them how it was while at the motel. So later that day we load up in my ‘95 BMW 325 and take off to Switzerland a few hours a way.

We driving and I noticed that my mother was very quiet in the back seat. She was leaning over to look at the speedo (in kilometers per hour) and were doing around 180 (roughly a 110 mph). She asks why must we drive so fast when the same thing happens as before--- we get our doors blowed off by everything from a luxury Mercedes to BMW’s and the lot. I had to explain the same thing I did here about how its pretty safe, but you have to be on the alert at all times mainly for faster traffic and the slower cars.

In Germany there is a law that states that all big trucks (our version of 18 wheelers) can travel only at 80 KPH (about 65 mph) and must stay in the right lane only while passing. Another catch to the 18 wheelers is that they can travel only on weekdays unless hauling food, animals or medical supplies, so weekends are the best time to get out and haul tail.

You’d think that the roads being as fast as they are that traffic jams wouldn’t be much trouble but they are. When you come up on a Stau (jam) you usually come up on it quick and its highly recomended that you hit your flashers to warn others behind you. I live with my fiance’ about 20 minutes via AB from work and this is traveling at ‘normal’ speed of 160 kph or roughly 100mph.

To me, its not a place where you’d want to get out and drive to see the country side for its hard to enjoy the scenic veiw of the countryside. Oh, and gas off post is around $1.10 per liter which is about $3.90 per gallon. Soldiers can buy gas on post for $0.42 a liter or about a $1.20 a gallon.

The math is this: roughly figuring of course--- 1 gallon = 3.8 liters and for the speed--- take the speed in kilometers an hour x .6 = mph; so 160kph = 96mph. Cazy huh?

Bulldogdaddy, hope this helps.
Double

BTW,
In my thoughts about driving the AB, I'd say that its one of the safest places to drive when compared to what I've seen in ATL and South Korea. Those folks put extra padding on the bumpers of their cars for driving around town!

& fortunatly I haven't seen many wrecks in my 18 months here and hope it stays that way, but when they do happen, it seems most are fatal.

bulldogdaddy
11-17-2002, 04:24 PM
thanks for the post,bet your glad you can buy gas at the post!btw when do you come back stateside?

175checkmate
11-17-2002, 05:10 PM
I have driven overseas, A buddy abd I rented a car in england, wrong side of the road, wrong side of the car. Took the carageway to london. 1st mistake. Its not the autoban, but people drive dam fast. Got into london and found there are few stoplights, they have these really big loops, stay in the outside lane and just exit when your street comes up. Simple right? Not. Just about got the hang of it and then they threw a curve in to the mix. A double loop. Not a place for the faint of heart.
Once we got turned back around and headed out of time we only had to stop once to reattach the hub cap. Drove back to where we rented the car and got out. Junped in a cab, (lots safer). After talking to the cab driver we new we where crazy. The cab driver said he would not even drive in london and that we where lucky.

bulldogdaddy
11-17-2002, 05:16 PM
maybe thats where they got that idea from the first lampoons vacation"look kids it's big ben"