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Autobahn
National expressway in Germany / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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'.
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Bundesautobahn | |
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![]() A map of the German Bundesautobahn network | |
System information | |
Maintained by Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes [de] | |
Length | 13,192 km (2021) (8,197 mi) |
Highway names | |
Autobahns: | Bundesautobahn X (BAB X or A X) |
Website | www |
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/39/Frankfurter_Kreuz_-_BAB_3_und_5.jpg/640px-Frankfurter_Kreuz_-_BAB_3_und_5.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/54/Autobahn-A3-Flughafen-Rhein-Main-2013-Ffm-035.jpg/640px-Autobahn-A3-Flughafen-Rhein-Main-2013-Ffm-035.jpg)
Much of the system has no speed limit for some classes of vehicles.[1] 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.[2] 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.[3] 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.[4]