There's an old joke about tourists marvelling at how big the city of Ausfahrt must be, since every motorway exit points to it. Ausfahrt means exit.
The Autobahn comes with a small vocabulary of its own, and with rules that matter more than the famous lack of a speed limit. Here are both.
Is There Really No Speed Limit?
Partly. Roughly 70% of the network has no permanent limit. The rest is limited by signs, and on the unlimited stretches there's a Richtgeschwindigkeit — a recommended speed — of 130 km/h. You may go faster, but if you have an accident above 130, you can be held partly liable even if it wasn't your fault.
Trucks are limited everywhere, and limits appear around cities, roadworks and in rain.
On the Motorway
motorway
die Autobahn
exit
die Ausfahrt
slip road, entrance
die Auffahrt
motorway junction
das Autobahnkreuz
lane
die Spur
overtaking lane
die Überholspur
hard shoulder
der Standstreifen
traffic jam
der Stau
roadworks
die Baustelle
diversion
die Umleitung
speed limit
die Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung
recommended speed
die Richtgeschwindigkeit
speed camera
der Blitzer
safe distance
der Sicherheitsabstand
toll
die Maut
Practice these words
die Autobahn
Quick notes:
- Der Blitzer comes from blitzen, to flash. Ich wurde geblitzt means a camera caught you.
- Maut applies to lorries. Cars use German motorways free of charge.
- Motorways are numbered with an A: odd numbers run north to south, even numbers east to west. Motorway signs are blue; signs for ordinary main roads are yellow.
Stopping
service area
die Raststätte
lay-by, rest area
der Rastplatz
truck stop off the motorway
der Autohof
petrol station
die Tankstelle
toilets
die Toiletten
charging point
die Ladesäule
Practice these words
die Raststätte
Quick note: a Raststätte has fuel, food and paid toilets. A Rastplatz is just parking and, usually, a basic toilet. An Autohof sits just off an exit and is noticeably cheaper for both fuel and food.
Reading the Signs
| On the sign | Meaning |
|---|---|
Ausfahrt | exit |
Stau | queue ahead |
Umleitung | diversion — follow the U-numbered route |
Baustelle | roadworks |
gesperrt | closed |
bei Nässe | applies when the road is wet |
Lkw | applies to lorries |
Reißverschlussverfahren | merge in turn, like a zip |
a white circle with black diagonal stripes | end of all restrictions |
Quick notes:
- Bei Nässe under a speed sign means the limit only applies in the wet. It's enforced.
- Reißverschlussverfahren — the "zip procedure" — is the rule for lanes that end. You drive to the very end of your lane and then merge one by one. Merging early is the mistake; Germans consider it both wrong and inefficient.
The Rules That Matter
Keep right. The Rechtsfahrgebot means you drive on the right and use the left lanes only to overtake. Sitting in the middle lane is an offence.
Never overtake on the right. Outside slow-moving queues it's forbidden, and other drivers don't expect it.
Form a Rettungsgasse. As soon as traffic slows to a crawl, the left lane moves to the left edge and all other lanes move right, opening a corridor for ambulances and fire engines.
Don't run out of fuel. Stopping on a motorway for an avoidable reason is an offence, and an empty tank counts as avoidable.
Useful Sentences
How long is the traffic jam?
Wie lang ist der Stau?
Where is the next service area?
Wo ist die nächste Raststätte?
I'll take the next exit.
Ich nehme die nächste Ausfahrt.
I was caught by a speed camera.
Ich wurde geblitzt.
Is this road closed?
Ist die Straße gesperrt?
Practice these words
Wie lang ist der Stau?
Three Mistakes to Avoid
Staying in the left lane. Overtake, then move back. A car approaching at 200 km/h closes the gap faster than you expect.
Merging early. Use the whole lane, then zip in.
Treating the hard shoulder as a place to stop. It's for breakdowns and emergencies only.