German Autobahn rules for new drivers and newcomers

Speed

• Advisory speed: 130 km/h. You may drive faster where there is no limit, but in an accident a court may hold you partly responsible because you exceeded it.
• Signed limits (round white signs with a red border, or electronic gantries) are binding.
• Visibility under 50 m (fog, snow, rain): maximum 50 km/h on every road, including the Autobahn.
• Trucks over 3.5 t and cars with trailers have their own lower limits.

Lanes and overtaking

1. 1Drive in the right-hand lane whenever possible (keep-right rule).
2. 2Overtake only on the left, then return to the right.
3. 3Passing on the right (undertaking) is forbidden – except when the left lane is a slow or stationary queue; then you may pass on the right slightly faster and with extreme care.
4. 4Use the mirror and shoulder check before every lane change, and indicate.

Joining and leaving

On the acceleration lane, speed up to the speed of traffic and merge into a gap. Traffic on the Autobahn has priority (§ 18 StVO); the zip-merge rule does not apply here. When leaving, move to the deceleration lane early and brake there, not on the main carriageway.

Distance, jams and breakdowns

• Rule of thumb: keep a distance in metres of half your speed (100 km/h → 50 m).
• In a jam, form the emergency corridor: far-left lane goes left, all others go right.
• Breakdown: hazard lights, high-visibility vest, move passengers behind the crash barrier, warning triangle at least 150 m behind.
• Stopping, turning and reversing are banned, including on the hard shoulder except in emergencies.