Why don't we have an Autobahn?

[1stMerc]

or something akin to it. Are there any roads/highways here, where you can go full out or close to it full time?

[guspech750]

Too many ***** jabbing on cell phones and texting and driving under the speed limit and driving slow in the left lane and passing on the right and eating Big Mac's etc etc!! List goes on. Check out the laws on the Autobahn. Thats some of the reasons we will never have one.

[PurdueRifleman]

Montana used to be about as close as we could get, but there's more pronghorn than people out there so population density or lack thereof was probably the reason for that.

[fastblackmerc]

For top speed how about The Maxton Mile?

http://www.ecta-lsr.com/

[DEFYANT]

Resume Safe Speed.

[Bigdogjim]

or something akin to it. Are there any roads/highways here, where you can go full out or close to it full time?

In fact our whole highway (interstate) system is patterned after the Germany road system.

The reason for the speed limits is very simple... way too many vehicles on the roadways:)

[Vortex]

If youve lived in Germany you know the krauts pride themselves on their driving. You would also know when they do have a wreck on the autobahn (usually on foggy, rainy days) its a flaming conflagration with bunches of folks killed at a time.

[burtreynolds]

I watched a special on the Autobahn on History Channel, and vortex is right. The Germans do not have cup holders in their cars if that gives you an idea...they view driving as an event to be perfected rather than a part of daily life. The fences and such that guard the Autobahn also allow for no wildlife to enter the highway, as opposed to the United States...which one of my neighbors just hit a cow doing 45 on a state highway.

[SpartaPerformance]

or something akin to it. Are there any roads/highways here, where you can go full out or close to it full time?

Because we didn't plan to Blitz across the continent like the Nazi's did!

[BurpyTurtle]

I watched a special on the Autobahn on History Channel, and vortex is right. The Germans do not have cup holders in their cars if that gives you an idea...they view driving as an event to be perfected rather than a part of daily life. The fences and such that guard the Autobahn also allow for no wildlife to enter the highway, as opposed to the United States...which one of my neighbors just hit a cow doing 45 on a state highway.

I've never been able to get a cow to go much faster than about 15 mph.

[BurpyTurtle]

Because we didn't plan to Blitz across the continent like the Nazi's did!

That is pretty close to the reason we built the National Defense Highway System.

[justbob]

I watched a special on driver education over there and WOW! They have to put a car into a series of spins and correct in seconds without hitting any cones. This is only one of the tests to obtain a license. They take there driving very seriously there and it is a privilege not a right.

[2,4shofast]

Once a year you have one in Nevada, the Silver State Classic is what your looking for but beside that...your SOL

[Mr. Man]

or something akin to it. Are there any roads/highways here, where you can go full out or close to it full time?
Montana dropped the speed limits out of town for a while and posted "road condition" limits. As I understand it Mercedes came to Montana to "test" their cars and then all of a sudden there are speed limits.

As far as akin to try joining a racing club that rents tracks like Watkins Glen or Lime Rock for the day

[Vortech347]

2 reasons....

#1, American drivers suck... Our driving requirements are 1/2 of what they have over there.

#2, Average American cars are not built for higher speeds. You look at a minivan from the UK and a minivan here and you'll see the brakes are MUCH larger. Hell Park your Marauder next to a BMW 7 series. Even an OLD ass 7 series. You'll see my point.

[rayjay]

They take there driving very seriously there and it is a privilege not a right.

Driving in the USA is also a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked/suspended for cause.

I was out on the NYS Thruway (I90) last Saturday. For those that have never driven on that interstate, it is a very limited access toll road, mostly straight, flat and wide. More and more I notice that I have to pass mahroons doing under the speed limit, in the hammer lane, on the right because they are clueless as to what high beam flashing means. Not to mention they have no business being out there in the 1st place.

A US autobahn = highway of death & destruction... due to skill less imbies practicing their privilege. :rolleyes:

[dirtybird82]

I've been over here twice now and I can say Germans drive way better than Americans. The Autobahn does have speed limits in certain areas. Also there are streches where there are no speed limits and you can go as fast as you want, however there are alot of speed cameras so when you see that red flash expect to be paying out of your pocket for the ticket in the mail.

All in all like many have said, Germans pay a hell of alot more for their license and right to drive. It's earned over here, not given.

[CBT]

Driving in the USA is also a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked/suspended for cause.

I was out on the NYS Thruway (I90) last Saturday. For those that have never driven on that interstate, it is a very limited access toll road, mostly straight, flat and wide. More and more I notice that I have to pass mahroons doing under the speed limit, in the hammer lane, on the right because they are clueless as to what high beam flashing means. Not to mention they have no business being out there in the 1st place.

A US autobahn = highway of death & destruction... due to skill less imbies practicing their privilege. :rolleyes:

That is considered "road rage" around here and people will actually call the police instead of moving over, and if you get caught you will get every aggressive driving ticket they can throw at you.

[Bluerauder]

or something akin to it. Are there any roads/highways here, where you can go full out or close to it full time?

I have six (6) years of experience driving on the Autobahn when I lived in Germany from 1975-1978 and again from 1986-1989. Once the initial thrill of no speed limits wears off, you quickly begin to realize that no matter how fast you think you are ….. there’s always someone faster.

My day of enlightment came on a trip down in Bavaria on the autobahn south of Munich headed toward Rosenheim near the Austrian border. I was “rolling” in my ’74 Dodge Charger at about 120 MPH (~ 194 KPH) when I saw headlights flash in my rearview mirror.

I quickly moved to the center lane just in time to hear the whine of something pass by on my left. Could have been black. Maybe dark blue. Might have been a Porshe or a Lamborghini. But it was GONE. I estimate that he was approaching close to 200 MPH (~ 320 KPH) when he went past.

Checked my fuel gauge to make sure I hadn’t run out of gas. Don’t think that I pushed it much over 100 MPH after that. Someone is ALWAYS faster.


1. Autobahns date back to the 1930s and are better built than the US Interstate system.

2. Autobahns are better laid out than most Interstates.


3. Autobahn signs actually aid people in where they are going and give advance notice of major intersections. They tend to rely on picto symbols and city names instead of numerous and multiple signs that cannot been read even at 55 MPH.

4. German people understand the rules of the road and obey them.

5. German drivers are very predictable. They will move to the right to allow faster traffic to pass. They will make a turn after using their turn signals. They will always use their turn signals to indicate their intentions.

6. In general, the Germans are much more skilled as drivers and have a better understanding of the limits of performance of their vehicle.

7. Because they are more skilled (and tested), German drivers do not exhibit the timidness and indecisiveness of most American drivers.

8. I think that most Americans would consider Germans as “aggressive” drivers.

9. Having done both, I prefer driving on the Autobahn. Driving in the USA is a frustrating experience especially in congested urban areas.

10. IMHO --- The Autobahn concept just wouldn’t work here. We’ve developed more than 60 years of bad habits and dumb designs using the current Interstate system.

[MMarauder03]

Driving in the USA is also a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked/suspended for cause.

I was out on the NYS Thruway (I90) last Saturday. For those that have never driven on that interstate, it is a very limited access toll road, mostly straight, flat and wide. More and more I notice that I have to pass mahroons doing under the speed limit, in the hammer lane, on the right because they are clueless as to what high beam flashing means. Not to mention they have no business being out there in the 1st place.

A US autobahn = highway of death & destruction... due to skill less imbies practicing their privilege. :rolleyes:

I-90 is a veryyyyy smooth and straight road, really hard to keep it near the speed limit (65). And very heavily patrolled by police. Wish they'd raise the speed limit to 75 like the throughways where I used to live in Austin TX.

[Joe Walsh]

So, to summarize:

German licensing procedures/tests are far more stringent and expensive than in the US.

German cars have better brakes and are driven by more skilled occupants.

Germany has better protection against wildlife crossing high speed roadways.

German drivers know and practice safe driving techniques, including lane control.

Many American drivers are clueless idiots who do NOT know how to drive,
and they view driving as a troublesome chore that they must endure on a daily basis.

And the #1 reason why we don't have an Autobahn:

You can't collect tons of money through speeding ticket revenues on an 'Autobahn'!

[Mr. Man]

Driving in the USA is also a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked/suspended for cause.

I was out on the NYS Thruway (I90) last Saturday. For those that have never driven on that interstate, it is a very limited access toll road, mostly straight, flat and wide. More and more I notice that I have to pass mahroons doing under the speed limit, in the hammer lane, on the right because they are clueless as to what high beam flashing means. Not to mention they have no business being out there in the 1st place.

A US autobahn = highway of death & destruction... due to skill less imbies practicing their privilege. :rolleyes:

We know the interstate system is your own private Autobahn Ray. Who's going to give you a speeding ticket?:D

[LordVader]

If youve lived in Germany you know the krauts pride themselves on their driving. You would also know when they do have a wreck on the autobahn (usually on foggy, rainy days) its a flaming conflagration with bunches of folks killed at a time.

So very true. To pass their driving test is no joke and their cars are inspected to ensure they won't suffer any mechanical failures and if they have an accident it takes a lot for that vehicle to be allowed back on the road. Most of the time they just sell their salvage vehicles to GI's for a couple of cases of booze (back in the day). I have been witness to a few of those flaming piles of wreckage and had a good friend toasted that way while racing a Porsche.

[burtreynolds]

I've never been able to get a cow to go much faster than about 15 mph.

We feed our cows a mixture of wheaties, steroids and crystal meth here in missouri...built for speed not taste.

[Big Black Beast]

Plus the Safety Nazi's and lawsuits would make it impossible here. Heck, it's a misdemeaner to go over 100. Besides, everybody in the passing lane goes exactly the speed limit anyways.

[BurpyTurtle]

Driving in the USA is also a privilege, not a right, and can be revoked/suspended for cause.

I was out on the NYS Thruway (I90) last Saturday. For those that have never driven on that interstate, it is a very limited access toll road, mostly straight, flat and wide. More and more I notice that I have to pass mahroons doing under the speed limit, in the hammer lane, on the right because they are clueless as to what high beam flashing means. Not to mention they have no business being out there in the 1st place.

A US autobahn = highway of death & destruction... due to skill less imbies practicing their privilege. :rolleyes:


That is considered "road rage" around here and people will actually call the police instead of moving over, and if you get caught you will get every aggressive driving ticket they can throw at you.


Not sure why they would ticket you for flashing lights to pass when that signal is specifically noted as part of the defensive driving curriculum here in Texas.

Of course, the left lane on numbered highways is also supposed to be for passing only, too. Not that I have ever seen it enforced.

[rayjay]

Of course, the left lane on numbered highways is also supposed to be for passing only, too. Not that I have ever seen it enforced.

Actually there are signs on the NYS Thruway that prohibit driving in the left lane except to pass. It is enforced on a selective basis.

[Vortex]

I was driving from Dallas to Tucson last May and was pleasantly suprised to find once you get to around Odessa I-20 is marked 80 mph all the way to El Paso; a couple of hundred miles of nothing actually goes by pretty quick.

[CBT]

Not sure why they would ticket you for flashing lights to pass when that signal is specifically noted as part of the defensive driving curriculum here in Texas.

Of course, the left lane on numbered highways is also supposed to be for passing only, too. Not that I have ever seen it enforced.

Road rage was pretty bad here a couple years back (not that it has improved any since then) so they started cracking down on "aggresive drivers". Not maintaining a safe distance(tailgating), passing on the right, flashing lights, flipping people off, shaking your fist, all no-no's around here, they even ran ads on T.V. about it. Now people will just hold up thier cell phone and film you if you do those things and then call in your tag to highway patrol to get you pulled over.

[Blackened300a]

Its simple. Do you have any idea what a 75 car pile up consisting of asian women and senior citizens will look like?

[Bluerauder]

Its simple. Do you have any idea what a 75 car pile up consisting of asian women and senior citizens will look like?

The Autobahn is not immune to those 100 car pile ups. Generally, they are associated with foggy areas. All cars in Europe have those high intensity taillights (left one) and you can see that left taillight even when everything else disappears. It is not unusual to see a whole line of cars follow each other into the fog bank head-to-tail with very little separation between the cars. They are all hoping that the guy in front knows where he is going or that the sightline extends completely through the fog. Sometimes this doesn't work and the results are catastropic. The Autobahn near Stuttgart is infamous for this.

[1stMerc]

Just like over in Germany, when our highway system was initially setup, it could have been done here, and everyone would be used to it, (maybe). But, there is probably a good point that it would probably be a big hassle as all states would definitely have to institute a more stringent safety inspection practice. They could designate lanes for speeding as they have for carpools and no trucks as they do in Atlanta, not sure how well it is enforcced since i don't live there.

All very good points and some i had not thought of. From some of the comments i see some had entertained the idea as well. A lot of it would be ego's getting in the way. Can you imagine a HOOPTIE in the hammer lane? Just came back from MS and saw some parts of highway that might have worked, others not so well.

[Bluerauder]

Can you imagine a HOOPTIE in the hammer lane?

Things are changing even in Europe. During 1975-1978, I never saw anything other than Mercedes, BMWs and Porsches on the autobahn with some VW Bugs and VW vans. Rarely did I ever see anything that would qualify as a Hooptie except for the occasional Citroen 2CV "Deux Chauveau".

When I came back about 8 years later (1986-1989), there were more young people on the road driving used cars. Even with tough inspections, some of these appeared to be borderline ... i.e. they may have passed inspection yesterday; but tomorrow is a different story.

When the Berlin Wall came down in November 1989, the floodgates were open and tons of East German cars flooded the highways. Many of them were Trabants (Trabis) and definitely not up to western safety standards. I suspect that German highways a littered with beaters these days.

[Mr. Man]

Read an article about a guy in Pa. who collects Trabants. He has a few dozen. As I recall they're Fiat rip offs.

Got to love you guys' love-fest for the German drivers. I used to work in the horse combined driving sport and many of the grooms and caretakers were German. These are not people who I would say were the best at driving cars and I certainly would not get into a car and say floor-it. If they have to take a comprehensive test to get a licence in Germany I think they must test and forget like most high school students.

[Leadfoot281]

I was stationed in Germany way back in 1992. About all I remember of it were the Mercedes, Audi and BMW taxi cabs and the really good beer.

It's probably a very good thing I never had a POV when I was there.

Also, could you folks imagine what it'd be like to run over a muffler that just fell of the Jeep in front of you at 100+ mph? That's another good reason to have our speed limits.