We have just returned after a fortnight in Germany,The weather was great and the beer and wurst was excellent,The speed limit in germany is now 50 mph/80kph on the autobahns,which is very frustrating as you are in amongst the trucks,after about an hour of being overtaken by everyone and Germans doing 65mph with caravans, I decided to join them,no problems we were passed by several patrol cars who never bothered.Legally though I should have had a 100kph sticker on the rear of the van after the van had been T.U.V tested allowing my unit to travel at 62mph/100kph.I believe that all new vans produced in the uk meet the requirements of the TUV test but only they can issue the sticker,By the way Germany is a fantastic country to take your van the sites are great and the people are very friendly.
speed limit Germany
- Thread starter allen1
- Start date
Just to add a note on the subject. German police normally take a very pragmatic approach to caravan speeds. So long as you don't overdo it and so long as the outfit obviously appears to be safe, in the interest of free traffic flow they will take no action if you exceed 80km/h. There are enough hooligans on the road to keep them busy, without having to bother about the odd caravan being slightly over the limit. Only in the case of an accident can one expect problems if obviously going too fast.
Note that, by international standards, the speed limit in Germany is not particularly low. Most countries, except France and Belgium, have the same limit.
As for the 100km/h sticker, the following requirements must be met:
1. The noseweight must be set at the maximum permissible.
2. The tyre speed and load ratings must be appropriate for the conditions. No concessions normally applicable for trailering are allowed.
3. The caravan tyres must not more than 6 years old.
4. Either the caravan is fitted with a stabiliser that meets the requirements of ISO 11555-1 or the car has electronic stability control capable for speeds up to 120km/h.
5. The caravan must be fitted with hydraulic shock absorbers.
6. The weight ratio must not exceed 100%.
Note that, by international standards, the speed limit in Germany is not particularly low. Most countries, except France and Belgium, have the same limit.
As for the 100km/h sticker, the following requirements must be met:
1. The noseweight must be set at the maximum permissible.
2. The tyre speed and load ratings must be appropriate for the conditions. No concessions normally applicable for trailering are allowed.
3. The caravan tyres must not more than 6 years old.
4. Either the caravan is fitted with a stabiliser that meets the requirements of ISO 11555-1 or the car has electronic stability control capable for speeds up to 120km/h.
5. The caravan must be fitted with hydraulic shock absorbers.
6. The weight ratio must not exceed 100%.
We have just spent two months touring round Germany and I have to say that initially I thought the speed limit would be a real drag. We have been to Germany several times before. My van would have qualified for a Tempo certificate but I did not bother. What I decided to do was to tow at the same speed as the trucks which seemed to work well and as a bonus I got much better economy. Maybe Lutz can help here but does the no overtaking on two lane autobahns apply to then all or only where marked with a sign. I ask this as I clearly witness some lorries over taking on a two lne motorway and when I was sufficiently frustrated did so my self!
David
David
I presume that you mean the 'no overtaking' sign for lorries. When not accompanied by any other additional information, this sign applies only to lorries and lorry/trailer combinations over a gross weight of 3.5 tonnes, but not to passenger cars towing a trailer, even if their gross train weight exceeds 3.5 tonnes. However, there is a catch regarding the definition of a lorry. Vans, pickups and 4x4's registered as commercial vehicles (even if used for private use) are classed as lorries. 4x4's registered as private cars are exempt.
Often, on motorways, the 'no overtaking' sign for lorries is accompanied by a 7.5t sign. This raises the gross weight restriction from 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes.
Trucks may overtake on two lane motorways except where the above sign is present.
Often, on motorways, the 'no overtaking' sign for lorries is accompanied by a 7.5t sign. This raises the gross weight restriction from 3.5 to 7.5 tonnes.
Trucks may overtake on two lane motorways except where the above sign is present.
Correction: I have just rechecked the above information. The 'no overtaking' sign for lorries does also apply to passenger cars towing a trailer if the gross combination weight exceeds 3.5 tonnes. It also applies to vans, pickups and 4x4's registered as commercial vehicles and towing a trailer, even if the gross combination weight is less than 3.5 tonnes.
Lutz
Thanks for that. I did see signs saying 7.5 tonnes and I assuming it did not apply to me! Lots of the signs banning lorries overtaking also have a picture of a car and caravan which I assume did apply to me.
David
Thanks for that. I did see signs saying 7.5 tonnes and I assuming it did not apply to me! Lots of the signs banning lorries overtaking also have a picture of a car and caravan which I assume did apply to me.
David
Yes, the 'no overtaking' sign accompanied by a car towing a trailer obviously applies to caravans. This sign is generally found in roadwork areas with restricted lane width in the outer lanes.
The second lane can be pretty narrow and a lot of cars hang back but a few will squeeze by!
David
Normally, in roadwork areas, there is a second restriction limiting overall width to under 2 metres in all but the inside lane. Even without a caravan it often takes an awful lot of care and nerve to overtake trucks or 2.5m wide caravans under those conditions.
Just back from 2 1/2 weeks in Austria and likewise I drove down through Germany at 80kph but came back at 100kph as I was fed up being the slowest vehicle on the road obeying a law that all the Dutch and many Germans without the 100kph sticker ignored. Most Romanian and Slovakian trucks also ignored the no overtaking restriction on 2 lane autobahns even when clearly signed. Mind you, it was a really enjoyable drive with lovely stop overs.
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