Autobahn
The Autobahn (IPA: [ˈaʊtoˌbaːn] ⓘ; German plural Autobahnen, pronounced [ˈaʊ̯toˌbaːnən] ⓘ) is the federal controlled-access highway system in Germany. The official German term is Bundesautobahn (abbreviated BAB), which translates as 'federal motorway'. The literal meaning of the word Bundesautobahn is 'Federal Auto(mobile) Track'.
| Bundesautobahn | |
|---|---|
A map of the German Bundesautobahn network | |
| System information | |
| Maintained by Bundesministerium für Verkehr und digitale Infrastruktur | |
| Length | 13,192 km (2021) (8,197 mi) |
| Highway names | |
| Autobahns: | Bundesautobahn X (BAB X or A X) |
| Website | www |
Much of the system has no speed limit for some classes of vehicles. However, limits are posted and enforced in areas that are urbanised, substandard, accident-prone, or under construction. On speed-unrestricted stretches, an advisory speed limit (Richtgeschwindigkeit) of 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph) applies. While driving faster is not illegal in the absence of a speed limit, it can cause an increased liability in the case of a collision (which mandatory auto insurance has to cover); courts have ruled that an "ideal driver" who is exempt from absolute liability for "inevitable" tort under the law would not exceed the advisory speed limit.
A 2017 report by the Federal Road Research Institute reported that in 2015, 70.4% of the Autobahn network had only the advisory speed limit, 6.2% had temporary speed limits due to weather or traffic conditions, and 23.4% had permanent speed limits. Measurements from the German state of Brandenburg in 2006 showed average speeds of 142 km/h (88 mph) on a 6-lane section of Autobahn in free-flowing conditions.