The Autobahn, Cars And Driving In Germany | Meet The Germans

Does the German Autobahn really have no speed limit? And do Germans care all that much about cars? Lots of you asked for a Meet the Germans video on this topic, so Rachel hit the road to find out more about cars and driving in Germany.

Rachel moved from the UK to Germany in 2016. As a relative newcomer she casts a fresh eye over German clichés and shares her experiences of settling into German life. Every few weeks she explores a new topic – from unusual bans to meaty cuisine or haunted castles. This week: German cars and the Autobahn – buckle up!

#MeetTheGermans #DWEuromaxx #Cars #Autobahn
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[dweuromaxx]

Have you had any Autobahn adventures? And do you think Germany is too hooked on cars?

[wallykaspars]

I am American, lived as a civilian in Germany (Ost Hessen, NRW, Frankfurt) for 18 years, know the language, geography, and culture well. I adore Rachael's videos. So finely presented with much info. Inspires memories.

[Swimdeep]

Virtually every episode makes me pine for my years of living in Germany. Even the VW rollover accident I had on the autobahn makes me recall how quickly and effectively German first responders were during this bad situation.

[gerdpapenburg]

I live in the Ruhr area of Germany. My brother lives 6 kms away but in another town. If a want to visit him in the evening it takes 1 hour and 14 minutes by bus and train; the car--ride takes 10 minutes.

[allisongrant]

I am a Canadian teacher and used to teach German. This year at the request of a few students we've started a Deutschklub. We've been using your fantastic videos every week to guide our themes. So far Brot, Stereotypes and next week Deutsche Autos! Vielen dank, Rachel!

[joebarrera]

One of the few series on YT where I drop everything and click. Thanks for your unique perspective into German culture, Rachel!

[toomasvendelin]

After moving to Germany from Estonia, I was astonished, in fact, how little the cars are used. Most people I know (and most of them are well-paid IT professionals) use either a bicycle, a train, or an aircraft to travel. Having a car in Germany is a masochistic feat. Parking, taxes, insurance, you name it.

[INSTRUMANROBOT]

For a nation who love their cars so much they sure do take their driving test very seriously. Down to my third attempt now to pass the infamous Führerschein Praktisch Prüfung.. maybe you could make a video on that?

[mardiffv.]

Yes, Germany is a car loving nation, but cycling is growing. Traditional cycling was only a leisure activity, but cycling is becoming a transport mode. I find the German motorists very friendly for cyclists. I cycle from the Netherlands to Bremen, Hamburg, village Faßberg and back, no problem whatsoever.

[EliasBirn]

When I worked for the biggest tannery in Uruguay I traveled to Europe about every 3 months. Although my parents and brother came from Berlin in 1938 I was somehow attracted to Germany. I usually landed in FRA and rented a car. Driving south through the Autobahn I really had to experience a limitless highway and drove up to 200 km/h. It was a thrilling experience but after the road became too "narrow" I slowed down. Once crossing from Switzerland to Germany it was incredible how most of the cars which came quite slow suddenly flew away.

[PEdulis]

I like the way someone described once why nobody in the US could build a BMW and why nobody in Germany could build an iPhone:
To build an iPhone, you collect some inventions from some universities, combine them and build a product that you sell expensively.
To build a BMW, you build a product and fine tune it every year ceaselessly.

[_tsu_]

I'm too broke to afford a car. But cycling is honestly amazing here. You can cycle to literally anywhere and if you don't want to cycle back, you take it into the bus and into the trains. It's literally amazing.

[merthanoglu]

Great video as always :D Maybe a video about the other types of bahns in the future? Would love some U-Bahn S-Bahn content <3

[sivaarun]

Just wondering what happened to Meet the Germans series?. And, finally here is a new episode. Yeah!!!

[seanmcerlean]

Great little episode Rachel.
Little story, we had a crew driver in München who was your typical driver on the autobahn out to the airport.
He was around 70, fit & tanned and always stuck his foot down driving at around 150km/h.
Very safe & competent.
We all knew him well, super guy.

[karenneiman]

I really miss the German rule of using the far left lane for passing only. It is infuriating to be stuck behind someone who is only doing the speed limit, or less, in the left lane. There are some signs posted in Canada encouraging people to use the right lane when driving more slowly but it doesn't seem to be enforced.

[Ivanfpcs]

She was in a Ford while talking about german cars, the audacity 😂

[kibaanazuka]

My dad told me a story of his time being stationed in Germany in the late 70s. He said that when he came back to the states, he was pulled over by a police officer around the military base who told him "you must've come back to Germany I see, you can't signal like that here but I'll let you off with a warning" he said that he was so used to how you signal on the Autobahn that it took some time to adjust back to US Highway signalling.

[samuelcoleman]

I am disappointed that a video concerning the German Autobahn did not include the Kraftwerk classic "Autobahn"

[siddhartharoy]

Apart from tasting the "Bayerische Bier", the next big thing on my list of To-Do's after landing in Germany was to ride through the Autobahn. I was curious to know what it would feel like, to drive at break-neck speeds across the Bundesautobahn. So, I finally got to cherish this experience with a friend of mine, while heading from Leipzig to Hof. Thankfully, there was a pretty experienced Russian dude behind the wheels of our "bla-bla car", Ford Kuga. He touched a 176 km/hr with a cruise control system. Also, this video couldn't be more apt. Big shout out to the team DW Euromaxx!