As of: March 16, 2024, 3:43 p.m
By: Sebastian Oppenheimer
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Driving on the right, emergency lane and recommended speed: There are numerous rules to follow on the motorway.
We have summarized the most important ones.
Germany's motorways are known worldwide - you can drive here as fast as the car can take you.
This applies at least to sections of the route without a speed limit.
Reckless racing is not allowed, otherwise you could end up in trouble because of an illegal car race - which doesn't always require several participants.
Even “solo drivers” can be punished harshly in this country.
And you should always keep the recommended speed of 130 km/h in mind: If an accident occurs at a significantly faster speed, there is a risk of shared liability.
By the way, there is no minimum speed on motorways in Germany.
We have summarized other important motorway rules.
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Driving on the highway: Which rules are important
Emergency lane:
Motorists on motorways must form an emergency lane as soon as traffic comes to a standstill to make room for emergency vehicles.
All vehicles move to the right, while only those in the left lane move to the left.
The so-called “right-hand rule” can help in forming the emergency lane.
Right-hand driving requirement:
In Germany, the right-hand driving requirement also applies on motorways, with the left lane being intended for overtaking.
Overtaking on the right is only permitted in narrowly defined exceptional cases, such as heavy traffic or slow vehicles in the left lane.
Every driver should know what they are allowed to do on the highway and what they are not allowed to do.
(Symbolic image) © Westend61/Imago
Acceleration lane:
When entering the highway, drivers should speed up on the acceleration lane and use their turn signals to merge.
Important: There is no zipping procedure - moving traffic on the continuous road always has priority.
If there is no gap large enough to cut in, you have to stop at the end of the acceleration lane and wait there for a suitable opportunity.
Hard shoulder/hard shoulder:
The hard shoulder on motorways is generally taboo for drivers, except for the safe parking of broken down or accident vehicles.
Temporary access is only permitted if expressly permitted by traffic signs or digital displays.
Behavior in traffic jams:
Getting out of the car in a traffic jam is not allowed, even if it is stationary.
Pedestrians are prohibited from entering the motorway - an exception is to secure the scene of an accident.
Strictly speaking, if you urgently need to go to the toilet, you are not allowed to leave the car even when it is stationary - experts at an automobile club therefore recommend taking so-called pocket toilets with you.
U-turns on the motorway are prohibited unless the police specifically request you to turn around, for example in the event of a full closure.
The editor wrote this article and then used an AI language model for optimization at his own discretion. All information has been carefully checked. Find out more about our AI principles here.