The German Autobahn System: The Benefits of Unlimited Speed

Simon's Social Media:

This video is #sponsored by Manscaped.

Love content? Check out Simon's other YouTube Channels:

[eugeneoliveros]

“I paid for the whole speedometer, I’m gonna USE the whole speedometer!”
-some German guy on the Autobahn

[thomasnieswandt]

Fun Fact: The official record for "the highest speed, driven on a public road" was set on the Autobahn. It still stands today....
It was set, by Mercedes, on: January 28th, 1938 !!! on the A5 between Frankfurt and Darmstadt
Mercedes and Autounion (a collaboration of the 4 brands Horch, Wanderer, DKW and Audi / Audi is the onlyone that exists today) did the so called "Rekordfahrten / Record runs" to see who could go faster. Mercedes-racingdriver Rudolf Caracciola got to 432, 69 kph / 268, 86 mph

When he returned from his run, neither Mercedes or Autounion could believe that number, so AU-racingdriver Bernd Rosemayer made himself ready for his run. By the time he lined up, the wind had picked up. His friend Caracciola and the bosses of Mercedes told him, not to run. They would ignore the results and try another day in "fair weather". Rosemayer ignored them and went of, into the dawn at a speed of 430 kph his car was hit by a gust of wind. The car was catapullted into the air... He died on impact.
Until today, his memorial pillar stands next to the A5 on the spot, were his car hit the ground.
Mercedes and Autounion / later Audi would never try another speed-record again.

[RichOe]

12:30 - re: emergency phones vs cell phones
They are way more useful than cell phones. They don't need cell tower coverage, you're always connected directly to the operator.
You don't need to remember which highway you're on or which mile marker you passed last, the operator knows which one you're using and its, your, physical location.
In the UK, they started removing the emergency phones then realised people didn't know where they were or which motorway they were on and so the government dept decided to put the phones back.

[hobotify]

Germans: ''the Autobahn has no speed limits''

me, sitting in the fifth traffic jam on my way to Berlin from Munich: ''it doesn't really need one when you can't go faster than 10kph''

[Sereiya]

"Germans are brought up to respect speed."

The Mercedes AMG with flashing lights right behind me while driving 220kmh: "bonjour."

[winks]

12:13 Roadside phones on the autobahn will connect you directly with emergency services. You don't have to dial a number, you just press the button on the receiver and you're good to go. It saves time, which is probably the main reason why we still use them so frequently. Because in a life and death situation every second counts.

[TheKobiDror]

As a German I can say that driving as fast as my car can go is... nice to have. But driving very fast in the 200+kph area means a lot of concentration and focus. That's tiring and therefore most Germans usually go with the flow. Of course there's always a salesman hurrying from A to B in his company car (usually German premium brands).
General rule of thumb driving the Autobahn. Go to the most right lane when not overtaking and look in the mirror often and especially before switching lanes.

[pookatim]

The issue resulting in deaths on American interstate highways, is the failure to enforce a "Keep Right" policy. If you examine all the available crash data (and there is a lot of it) the cause of a fatal accident isn't so much speed as the effect of disproportionate speed. Someone flying along at 80 MPH going over a crest or a curve in the road suddenly faced with most or all the lanes blocked by cars and trucks going much slower. The fact that German drivers strictly adhere to the "Keep Right" policy leaving the left lane open for the fastest vehicles is the main reason their death toll is so much lower. Not the only reason, but the main reason.

[daviddanielducker]

Can i request a video on the Green Wall of Africa? The project to hold back the Sahara from moving south

[mchenryneko]

Most Germans react to the word "speed limit" in exactly the same way that many Americans react to "gun-control"

[drchtct]

Driving without speed limits can be so liberating. Many people think we drive 180kph all the time and abuse it, but that couldn't be further from the truth. Whenever I make a longer trip (>30mins), I just cruise, sometimes 130kph, sometimes 150kph, whatever. The streets are busy often anyways. But having the opportunity to go flat out at an empty part once in a while is just wonderful, mostly when visiting a friend on a short empty part in the middle of nowhere with nobody else being around.

You have to look at speed limits on the Autobahn like traffic lights. Do they exist? Yes. Does it make sense to have traffic lights at every intersection? No. 70% of the time you'll have speed limits and/or traffic anyway, the other 30% of the track just don't need them because of good visibility and few cars around you.

[pattaccone]

“Speed doesn’t kill, it’s coming to an abrupt stop that does”
JC

[Beryllahawk]

I find it fascinating that the success of the Autobahn system is as much due to the social aspect of its use...I don't know if one can call it "social engineering" but certainly it makes an enormous difference. As you said, the Germans are brought up to respect speed; by contrast I feel that we Americans can be rather obsessed with speed, and "respect" is quite simply not a term I'd use to describe MOST of the drivers on American roads. I am certain that there are plenty of problems with drivers all over the world, but the specific aspect of respecting the dangers inherent in an automobile is just not something Americans really talk about in any substantive way.
My mother, brought up in Germany, constantly drummed it into my head that a car of ANY size is dangerous. She described our car as a 1500 pound weapon that she just happened to pilot to and from the grocery store.

[kepanoid]

As a foreigner who has spent some time on the Autobahns, I have to say that driving there is very simple, smooth, and safe. You always try to keep to the right. Where there are three lanes, you normally use the middle one for overtaking trucks (or those original Folk Cars or Trabis), and leave the leftmost one for those in a real hurry. On a two lane section, you can use the left lane for passing the really slow ones even in something that's only capable of doing 120 km/h. Almost no one is doing crazy speed on those stretches. You just take a really good look behind, and return to the right as soon as possible. Nobody's going to rear-end you, unless you pull an unexpected manouvre.

[k.chriscaldwell]

I lived in Germany and drove on the Autobahn. FANTASTIC!

Best was driving home after 2 am. Alone at 100+ MPH, blaring tunes, and civilization's light fantastic on the ever present stratus clouds. No worries and no gun and badge thugs behind every tree. Gives me chills just recalling it.

_The 80s: Lived 'em. Loved 'em. Miss 'em._

[michciara]

Simon's beard will be a good video of MEGA projects

[pk]

I love how there are no left lane campers. I wish the USA would enforce the traffic laws regarding the passing lanes.

[anthonymoon]

In the Northern Territory in Australia, sections of highway that previously had no speed limits had a 130km/h speed limit placed on them and road deaths went up, mostly due to fatigue.

[magnus]

Me, a German: "Oh wow, I wonder what this Autobahn thing is all about"

[RevJerusalem]

I still remember my Autobahn session in driving school. It was the instructor, another student and me in the instructors new car. New in that case meant dealer car. So it was very nicely optioned. Golf 5 i think it was back when. Now these cars have to be converted for driving schools. My instructor took the opportunity and did a little something, you know, while you're in there. Not sure exactly what anymore, but it had a tad more power and some suspension work done. I mean, after all, there are kids driving that thing. So we got to talking about it, of course. This led to the guy in the back asking the instructor how fast it would go. I had just merged on the Autobahn. Our instructor shrugs, looks over at me and says: "Hit it." And, as a good student, i did as i was told. Though this thing being no rocket ship, i still don't know many ppl who drove 220kph during a normal driving lesson. And yes, i drove plenty of faster cars afterwards. It's kinda nice to be able to just floor it sometimes and not have to worry about being harassed by road pirates XD
Also, has anyone ever tried an "emergency stop" from 200kph? It's an experience. It feels like it takes forever and the noise the ABS makes becomes disconcerting. I highly recommend it. Maybe wait for 30 mins after eating something. My stomach felt a bit odd after that adventure.