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How to contribute to Germany's economy by speeding on A-bahn: Pulled over on A-bahn

8K views 79 replies 29 participants last post by  ianbjor 
#1 ·
Ok well just got back from the Factory Tour, very intersting how the cars are built. Perfect just-in-time system and each individual car goes across the line and not a batch system.

LOL I thought I was the first one to be pulled over by the German police, but apparently Jspira beat me to it. I was on the A-8 from Salzburg back to Germany. I am thinking it was the exact same downhill spot.

It was un-marked silver A6. Said that I was going about 142 in a 100 zone. Honestly I have to agree that the assessment. Basically gave me a 5km free, and said "You must pay 120 EUR right now."

I told him didn't have that much Euros and he asks "how many Euros do you have?" I told him only have 80 EURs and $20 US and he took it. Gave me the receipt stating the case. I showed it to the hotel clerk here in Munich and she read it and said that "it looked legit."

Anyone else with experience of being pulled over on the A-bahn and how it was handled?
 
#27 ·
stevodevo said:
Sorry to give you the bad news but there are speed limits on the autobahn. However, it didn't look like a lot of people were obeying it. However, if you see a bunch of cars slow down suddenly, slow down. It means that they are using radar or someone has spotted the police. However, if you see a round white sign with several diagonal black lines thru it (see beewang's sig), I think that means there's no speed limit. Also, I was warned by several people to slow down in Austria.
Actually, to be completely accurate, over 60% of Autobahn still are without any kind of speed limit.

Around the city, there is a speed limit. For instance, in Berlin I think it's only 100, that's 100km/h.

Basically, if you see (///) on the Autobahn in Germany, you are good to go.
 
#30 ·
Speed Limits

Spent 3 years in Italy and Germany as well as the Netherlands.
In Italy you can drive as fast as you want to even if given the posted limits. As long as you are not reckless the Italians will "live and let live". I seldom saw anyone pulled over except when there was a car problem.
As you go north the Politzi get more anal and bust the speed limits and get a ticket. I was able to drive from Vicenza Italy to Berlin Germany in 8 hours, 710 miles driving the Autostrada and Auobahn as fast as my BMW would go (318 with a 5 spd). Never busting the posted limits by more then 10kms unless there was a lot of traffic all going that speed. Long stretches of no posted limits and I was passed regularly by Porsches, Audi wagons, BMW wagons and Volvo wagons hauling at least 220 to 240kms.

The Netherlands was the worst as they used photo radar and caugth the Major that worked for me. They mailed him his ticket and it was something like 120kms in a 100kms zone with a fine of something like 62 UDS.

Also a great way to gat a ticket to is drive the left lane and obstruct traffic, pass the car ahead of you and get into the right lane.

The Major that was with me was riding the left lane as well and had Dutch drivers passing him pointing to the right lane, true Ugly American.

Overall after driving 10's of thousands of kms I never got a ticket and only was stopped a few times for border checks and because I had my fog lights on when there was no fog.

After living in Europe it is as easy to get around as it is to drive from one state to another. Don't pass the opportunity to go drive Europe....
 
#31 ·
Just like America, go with the flow and make sure that fast 911 is in front of you. The unlimited signs are the most fun when you see them on the country roads...go like hell through the turns. Last year it seemed like more of the Autobahn had been opened up, the A3 had been widened and almost unlimited everywhere where it had been slowed down before almost everywhere. The A8 was the same.
 
#32 ·
Cool! What do I win? Do I get a free trip to Europe in a new BMW? (jk) :rofl:

Also related to speeding is radar detectors.

You can't use radar detectors in Germany. Do not use them as they're illegal to use. You may also be fined on the spot. :D

beewang said:
Congrats
You won!! The title is now changed :p
 
#34 ·
Patrick said:
I wonder if I am the only one here to have ever received a moving violation from the Volkspolizei ... :eek:

Speeding in the DDR was a really bad mistake on my part. :eeps:

.
Hahahah the VOPO... could they keep up with you in their Trabants...? I had no problem in the DDR cause I was driving together with our Kolonel visiting the former Stazi HQ in Oranienburg just outside of Berlin...:D
 
#35 ·
SpeedFreak! said:
:yikes: This is completely new news to me! I thought there were NO speed limits? Can some one explain this a little better, please? I've never been to the mother land to try out my 3+ years of German.
There are places where there is no speed limit, but not everywhere. Happiness is the speed sign with a diagonal slash and no numbers (i.e. end of speed limit)

Before going on ED read:

http://home.att.net/~texhwyman/regeln.htm
 
#36 ·
Immortalized

Wow, I am flattered. My post has been made a permanent sticky on the ED Forum. :angel:

I clearly saw the 100 sign on the red overhead boards like Md's picture, but by then it was too late. :eek:
 
#37 ·
MG67 said:
Were in CH are you going...? You also have to buy a road vignette... My grandparents lived in Meggen, just outside of Luzern... beautifull....:thumbup:
Yep Switzerland is a beautiful country.

I'm in St. Moritz tonight and headed to Luzern tomorrow for 2-days and then finally Zurich for drop-off on Monday.

Yes I bought the vignette at the Swiss border.
 
#38 ·
MG67 said:
Hahahah the VOPO... could they keep up with you in their Trabants...?
Speed trap, with cameras. "Busted" doing 105km/h in a 100km/h zone, uphill, and we were in a 1980 Mercedes Benz 200 D. :eek:

Top speed in that POS was only 120km/h so I have no clue how we were supposedly doing 105km/h uphill. :tsk:

Anyway, they wanted cash (DEM) on the spot, and we refused to pay. :eeps:

I still owe the DDR money. :rofl:

.
 
#39 ·
Patrick said:
I wonder if I am the only one here to have ever received a moving violation from the Volkspolizei ... :eek:

Speeding in the DDR was a really bad mistake on my part. :eeps:

.
Probably an expensive mistake. In the few trips I made through the DDR I never got pulled over by the VoPos, thankfully.
 
#40 ·
gojira-san said:
Probably an expensive mistake. In the few trips I made through the DDR I never got pulled over by the VoPos, thankfully.
It wasn't expensive (in the end), but they kept us in the back of their patrol car (Lada) while they took the MB apart. We had to put it back together (they even removed the front seats) and as a result, we were late getting to West Berlin.

Lovely memories of the DDR ... I do have a DDR stamp in one of my expired passports too! That is quite cool. :bigpimp:

.
 
#42 ·
Patrick said:
Speed trap, with cameras. "Busted" doing 105km/h in a 100km/h zone, uphill, and we were in a 1980 Mercedes Benz 200 D. :eek:

Top speed in that POS was only 120km/h so I have no clue how we were supposedly doing 105km/h uphill. :tsk:

Anyway, they wanted cash (DEM) on the spot, and we refused to pay. :eeps:

I still owe the DDR money. :rofl:

.
Incredible...:tsk: but then they had nothing else to do and this way they would be making some extra $$$:p
 
#43 ·
MG67 said:
Incredible...:tsk: but then they had nothing else to do and this way they would be making some extra $$$:p
True. We entertained 18 "policemen" for two hours, while they tried to figure out what to do with us.

The MB had Finnish plates (which helped), but me being the driver and having a US Passport did not.

I was 19 at the time, and it was a bit frightening, but now it is a story that makes me laugh.

.
 
#44 ·
Patrick said:
True. We entertained 18 "policemen" for two hours, while they tried to figure out what to do with us.

The MB had Finnish plates (which helped), but me being the driver and having a US Passport did not.

I was 19 at the time, and it was a bit frightening, but now it is a story that makes me laugh.

.
Yep with a US passport you attract attention ofcourse... especially in the DDR... your story sounds like mine at the Austrian / Hungarian border, where they held me for around 7 hours...:rolleyes:
 
#45 ·
Calif65GM said:
Wow, I am flattered. My post has been made a permanent sticky on the ED Forum. :angel:
LOL:bustingup!! Hey McFly:slap:!! Its not something you should be proud of being called a "DUMB TOURIST" :p But I like your enthusiasm :thumbup:
 
#46 ·
Me530 said:
Not far enough to the right of the lane?
I was trying (hoping) to pass a truck that was going rather slowly. I guess I tried for too long. I wasn't on the side of opposing traffic, just not far right enough.
 
#47 ·
I got photozapped just outside or Frankfurt am Main on the way to the base. Late for an alert to fly over to Bagram I think about three years ago.

This was when I was living in Germany as a spouse of an Active Duty member and I was on AD as a reservist called back up. Lost my base driving privelages due to it was a construction site. I was doing 140 km in a 80 km zone and I could have cared less the site had been there for the better part of 9 months and was finished but the just hadn't been working on it in some time. It was on the A3 just beyond Wiesbaden and the fine was 165 euros. I still have the photo somewhere in my unpacked stuff from Germany.

I'll be over ther next week as I need some Bier.
 
#48 ·
SpeedFreak! said:
:yikes: This is completely new news to me! I thought there were NO speed limits? Can some one explain this a little better, please? I've never been to the mother land to try out my 3+ years of German.
For starters, there is a GENERAL SPEED LIMIT on the A-Bahn net which runs through the old East Germany. And that seems appropriate since those roads tend to be not quite up to par (although still superior to any California freeway. That limit is 130 km/h. In addition many stretches around cities have speed limits.
 
#49 · (Edited)
No doubt about it: If there IS a speed limit on the autobahn, there IS a reason for it.

German police uses several neutral shaped sedans with camera and speed meassuring equipement inside. Very common are Opel Omega, Mercedes E-Type and Audi A6, even some VW Passat are used. Some officers wear civil clothing, but mostly they are in uniform. They have to show an ID on request if they are not in uniform and you are in doubt ("K***246;nnen Sie sich bitte ausweisen?")

The are looking for extensive speeders and tailgaiters, and have a very good eye on fools that pass on the right lane, because they are a really danger for their fellow drivers. The same point, vice versa, hits the foolish permanent laft-lane-drivers: they pick them up ... and the left lane is free from that moment on!

In general, they give you a discount of 5 per cent of the measured speed. An exeed of up to 20 kph to the posted limit is a "mild case". A mobile unit will never stop you for that on the Autobahn. In Germany they do no stupid car-races between police cars and normal drivers, they just mail a letter with all the necessary information to your home adress and wait for the money you send to the stated account ...

So keep in mind:
- do never exeed the stated speed +19 kph
- respect the speed limits
- take special care in speed limited construction areas! Never exeed the posted speed limit significantly!
- the use of the rightermost lane is obligate!
- if a 3-lane Autobahn reduces to a 2-lane, the "ZIP"-System has to be used: drive to the end of the 3rd (leftest) lane, the drivers in the center lane MUST give you the way to change.
- while entering the autobahn the ZIP-System is NOT allowed! It is your problem to enter the Autobahn properly and safe! You have NO RIGHTS!!! There is a speed-up-lane where you can accellerate to the speeds driven on the right lane (or faster) and you can use a free slot to enter the autobahn. If you are in doubt, it is better to accellerate further after the speed up line ended, instead of any braking action! To use the brakes in that situation is the most foolish thing you can do in that situation!

Have a save trip in Germany!
 
#50 ·
FHF said:
No doubt about it: If there IS a speed limit on the autobahn, there IS a reason for it.

German police uses several neutral shaped sedans with camera and speed meassuring equipement inside. Very common are Opel Omega, Mercedes E-Type and Audi A6, even some VW Passat are used. Some officers wear civil clothing, but mostly they are in uniform. They have to show an ID on request if they are not in uniform and you are in doubt ("K***246;nnen Sie sich bitte ausweisen?")

The are looking for extensive speeders and tailgaiters, and have a very good eye on fools that pass on the right lane, because they are a really danger for their fellow drivers. The same point, vice versa, hits the foolish permanent laft-lane-drivers: they pick them up ... and the left lane is free from that moment on!

In general, they give you a discount of 5 per cent of the measured speed. An exeed of up to 20 kph to the posted limit is a "mild case". A mobile unit will never stop you for that on the Autobahn. In Germany they do no stupid car-races between police cars and normal drivers, they just mail a letter with all the necessary information to your home adress and wait for the money you send to the stated account ...

So keep in mind:
- do never exeed the stated speed +19 kph
- respect the speed limits
- take special care in speed limited construction areas! Never exeed the posted speed limit significantly!
- the use of the rightermost lane is obligate!
- if a 3-lane Autobahn reduces to a 2-lane, the "ZIP"-System has to be used: drive to the end of the 3rd (leftest) lane, the drivers in the center lane MUST give you the way to change.
- while entering the autobahn the ZIP-System is NOT allowed! It is your problem to enter the Autobahn properly and safe! You have NO RIGHTS!!! There is a speed-up-lane where you can accellerate to the speeds driven on the right lane (or faster) and you can use a free slot to enter the autobahn. If you are in doubt, it is better to accellerate further after the speed up line ended, instead of any breaking action! To use the breaks in that situation is the most foolish thing you can do in that situation!

Have a save trip in Germany!
Thanks for the informative post! And welcome to bimmerfest! :thumbup:
 
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