Schnell

Today I will write about everybody's German Fantasy.

The Autobahn.

We've all heard about it. We all ache for the thrill of a BMW pushing full throttle across a smooth highway. The gentle "whish" as our car whizzes past some slowpoke. Most importantly, we dream about

yes, the absence of speed limits.

In actuality, the autobahn does have speed limits. There are many areas, usually around urban centers, with speed limits, usually 100 or 140 km/h; however, these are usually only guidelines.

This seeming freedom is the result of a cultural phenomenon that Americans just don't have. Germans are good drivers.

Before you go off on a rampage saying that I'm just bashing the homeland, I beg you to sit back and think. The United States has some of the most lax regulations on cars and drivers. The legal BAC limit in Germany is .05%, compared to the US, which is .08% (that's two fewer shots of Vodka for a 180lb man in one hour, for those of you wondering.) Germany has some of the most stringent automobile inspection regulations in the western world - your car absolutely must be in tip-top-shape. If your brakes show any signs of wear, you must get them replaced. If your engine doesn't run tip-top, get a new car. If your tires don't have enough tread, you need new ones. In the USA, the inspector checks to see if your windshield wipers are functioning and if your exhaust fumes are within legal limits. Getting a driver's licence in Germany is an ordeal. You must actually go to a driving school and pass an actual driving exam. In the USA, many states simply require a written exam and that Pop sign a sheet of paper saying that he showed you the gas and brake pedal.

But dang, wouldn't all of that be worth it to go 300km/hr?

We can also talk about how German cars are among the safest automobiles in the world, but this is probably because its public demands it of the manufacturers. They want their speed, and they don't want to die when Billy-Bob (erm, Hanz-Frederik) decides to change lanes and sideswipe them at 247km/hr. It has also been discussed that the Autobahn takes safety more into account, particularly natural phenomenon. I personally have not experienced this, so I can't verify or denounce. I do, however, know that I've driven on I-40 between Amarillo and Oklahoma City. When the wind gusts, one must pray and pray very hard. Perhaps some of the tall, concrete windbreakers present on the Autobahn would be very helpful in this instance.

But of course, the largest problem is that the Autobahn was designed for different purposes than the Interstate system. Eisenhower chartered the Interstate system to serve as a quick way for the army to move between large cities (after all, it was a product of the cold war). Very little regard was given to the private sector. In fact, many interstate highways have insufficient space for the "accelleration lane," which in turn slows down traffic already on the highway. In order to preserve a bit of safety, rather modest speed limits are imposed. The interstates are the primary avenue of automobile flux in and out of major metropolitan centers, usually for local transport as opposed to long-distance travel.

In Germany, the Autobahn was designed as private and economic transportation. Of course as Germany re-militarized during the 1930s, military usage of the Autobahn rose in importance, but its purpose as interregional transportation (instead of inter-city) created a de facto hindrance to large volumes of traffic. Because access to the Autobahn is significantly more limited than access to the Interstate, it naturally leaves more space for on-ramps (which, to me, feel as if they could go on forever), thus more space for the cars to reach that 300mph cruising speed.

Now, culturally, slowpoke Grandma is advised to stay off of the autobahn. If you don't drive the advised speed, you will tick off many of the drivers. If you cruise in the left hand lane, you will be pulled over and fined in true German fashion (read: very, very high.) If you pass on the right, you will suffer the same fate. Tailgating is illegal. The Autobahn is for driving very, very fast. It's not for weenies. The Germans take pride in their strong engines, and driving "cautiously" is dangerous. One must drive with gusto and conviction. Don't you dare ride that brake. Always look in that rear view window for that car who's going faster than you, and be prepared to merge right or speed up.

The Autobahn does not go directly through any cities. It loops around them, allowing for that really high speed. Compare this to the US, where the Interstates go directly through the central business districts of the most congested cities in the USA. Taking I-35 through Dallas? Plan on driving 20mph, if you're moving at all. Once again, Inter-regional transport vs. Inter-city travel.

Naturally, post-war prosperity has constrained the Autobahn a bit. The disaster of suburbia that plagues commuters in every city in America is showing its effects in Germany. Just as in the USA, cities develop along these corridors of quick and easy travel (take a look at Austin, the city that grows lengthwise along I-35 and US-183 instead of concentric circles, and then compare to Frankfurt, which is starting to grow in a very similar pattern). This has led the Autobahn to adopt adjustable speed limits for that morning and evening rush hour.

When there are too many cars, they flash these signs. When there aren't too many cars, they up the limit or remove it altogether. So will Germany's development smother its most famous civil engineering project? Who knows. In the meantime, I will continue to be envious of those BMWs and Mercedes-Benz cars that whiz past that slowpoke city bus that takes me to IKEA.