What's the practical importance of Autobahns?

I believe it was Hitler’s statement to the world that Germany was capable of great feats of engineering.

Autobahns provide millions of people with a way to quickly and reliably commute to work and businesses to transport goods and materials quickly and preventing smaller roads from clogging up. If you ever played city building simulations like Sim City or CitiesXL you will see how quickly small roads start to congest in even medium sized towns.
It is like asking “What is the purpose of these big arteries in humans, are the tiny capillaries not enough?”.
Also do not forget that Germany is right in the centre of Europe, so it sees a lot of freight from all over the union and beyond using its infrastructure. That much use must be backed by enough capacity.
And of course we need a place to enjoy our superior cars.

The original concept was born out of Germany’s defeat in WWI. They realized they needed a road network that could quickly move their armies from one part of the country to another. They didn’t want to rely solely on their rail network, so the autobahn concept was developed.

While the designs were implemented when the Nazis came to power, the concept preceeded them.

Many stretches of the autobahn were also built to act as emergency landing fields for damaged planes.

It provides very useful data on high speed car crashes that manufactures like Lamborghini, Porche, BMW, Bugatti benefit from when scraping up pieces of their cars off the pavement of the very subtle turns of the Autobahn. I will never forget the sight of ½ of a charred Porche sitting in the middle of a huge pine tree while doing a bus tour of the Autobahn.

@Cruiser
It is spelt “Porsche”

@Cruiser There have been studies to show that faster drivers are generally safer, because they pay more attention to what they are doing. I can’t find an exact study right now, but higher speed limits generally reduce the road toll. Of course this needs to be balanced with one’s knowledge of their own abilities, since a higher proportion of accidents are fatalities at higher speeds.
For future reference, the company is spelled ‘Porsche’. There was an unrelated vintage car company with a slight variation on this spelling, but I assume you are referring to the German company.

@ragingloli Eat me!
@FireMadeFlesh I have driven on roads now forever it seems but in the 5 hours I was on the Autobahn I have never seen smaller car parts from the remains of 3 separate spectacular car wrecks. I mean I doubt they leave them there as decoration. WTH it looked like a war zone!

Drive on it sometime…even at 90 mph you do not see more than a blurr when these rocket sleds pass you. Absolutely incredible. I’m sure those drivers are good drivers but oh my I am sure those wrecked drivers felt the same way!

small note: Germany has less accidents per capita than the US

@Cruiser I’ve driven at 160km/h before, and that was enough to make me extremely alert. It wasn’t exactly in a supercar though. I think you would gradually work up to those speeds. It is also part of the test for learner drivers to drive competently at 160ish on an autobahn (or so I’ve heard), so they do have some training in driving fast.

@Cruiser The German Autobahn is one of the safest road networks on the world. They have stricter regulations and longer training times to obtain a full license, the most common traffic issue if i remember correctly is tailgating, not reckless driving or speeding or crashes.

And just so you know, I spent an entire day on the autobahn and did not see a single accident or traffic stop. So I think you are quite skewed in your idea of the autobahn.

Speed does not equal danger, reckless behavior does.

The same as for the USA Interstate system.

OK @wenn I imagined the toasted wrecks I saw!! LOL! Maybe it was my lucky day or I was delusional and imagine it all, here some examples of mild versions of what I saw! No better place in the world to see car guts.
http://www.wreckedexotics.com/special/lp640/murcielago_001.jpg
http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/2005-accident_story/6-1-05.html
http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/80369682/Getty-Images-News
http://www.sportscarzone.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/porchewreck2.jpg
http://autobahnperformance.org/images/autobahn_wreck_mercedes.jpg

@Cruiser Just because you saw a crash on it doesn’t mean every person with a sports car in Germany destroys it on the autobahn.

And only about ⅓ of the network has no speed limit, the other ⅔ has speed limits, there are rush hours and stand still traffic just like every other major freeway network.

So, just because you saw a crash when you were there, does not mean the whole autobahn is filled with crashing supercars.

@Cruiser If you saw some of the wrecks I’ve seen here in the US at less than one-third the speed then take into account that they happen far more often here than in Europe, you might have a different take on things.
Have you ever looked at one of those cars where yo can’t find the engine block or most of the front end, found the driver in the back seat, and seen their collarbone? Between the lesser chance of a bad accident and the increased odds of a quick, painless death if something does happen, I think it’s actually better overall.

@wenn Duh!!
@jerv Huh?? Well…OK then?!?!? I need help understanding what that has to do with the Autobahn and the accidents there that I saw?

@Cruiser What @jerv is saying, if I understand correctly, is that crashes happen everywhere, and autobahns aren’t particularly dangerous relative to other roads in other countries. People do crash horribly there, but it is less horrifying when put into perspective with other roads’ death tolls.

What are the requirements for an American like me to go over there and get a license to drive on the Autobahn? :)

@Blackberry You just need to see your local licensing body (In Australia its the RTA, I’m assuming you have a similar government agency), who will be able to issue you with an international driver’s license, which complies with the United Nations laws.

@FireMadeFlesh Oh I could get it in the U.S. then just go to Germany?

@Blackberry As far as I know, yes. My brother got one here in Australia, then went over to South America and can drive legally.

@Cruiser Sorry for the misunderstanding here. @FireMadeFlesh is correct; my point was that it is a matter of perspective.
Remember, you are talking to a person who is currently surrounded by maniacs of questionable competence (Seattle drivers) but grew up where it’s not unheard of for people to go skidding off the side of a mountain, so I have a slightly different viewpoint.

@jerv Thanks for clarifying! I did find it telling that Germany has ½ the traffic fatalities of the US. Slightly tougher DUI laws including zero tolerance for new drivers may have something to do with it. Plus 12% of Germany’s traffic deaths are attributable to alcohol where in the US 32% of traffic deaths are because of drunk driving! Major whoa there!

@Cruiser
That and the fact that getting a license here is harder, you have to be 18 to get one and the exams are really expensive to take, a grand and upward. And if you fail, you have to pay again, so trainees take it seriously. And our cars are safer.

@ragingloli When I was over there in the late 70’s I was under the impression drunk driving was a serious offense and serious enough where nobody there would be stupid enough to do so. I thought a 10 year mandatory loss of the license. So needless to say, there were a lot of tipsy walkers over there. To further that thought I was mystified by the fact that late at night after the bars were closed and my escorts would stand at the red light and not cross until the green even though the streets were deserted. Plus jay-walking was verbotten and heaven forbid you step off the curb and to do so as any car within eye sight comes screeching to a stop to let the pedestrian go through. Germans have a whole different mindset over the use of their roadways! Hats off to you all!

@Cruiser Not quite as tough as Everett, WA. Somehow, I think being shot seven times is worse than losing a license.

@jerv
I like their use of “allegedly drew a handgun and shot Meservey repeatedly”. I mean, that guy is dead and has bullets inside his body and they say “allegedly”? Do they think the bullets spontaneously emerged from hyperspace or something?

Autoband?

Autobahn is merely the German word for interstate highway. Same concept. No traffic lights. At least four lanes. No oncoming traffic on each side.

@ragingloli It is alleged he was the perpetrator, and it is worded that way to avoid prematurely ruling out alternative theories such as JFK’s ‘extra shooter’ etc. A final judgement is made in court.