Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Modern Marvels: Autobahn

Has anyone else seen this episode on the history (iirc) channel? I found it incredibly interesting...

One of the biggest parts for me was when they explained how it is actually safer than U.S. highways because of the way the germans drive. Drivers are required to constantly check mirrors to avoid being in the way of faster moving cars, which almost no one here does.

Someone also explained how originally, german car designers did not see any need for cupholders, as driving was a an experience for itself. Why would you want to do anything else, like eat, drink, or talk on the phone while you could be enjoying the drive of the car? I am completely in agreeance with this....

also, it was neat to see that the base of the autobahn is 27 inches thick as to avoid occurance of potholes!

It's probably been out for over a year now...

The autobahn system would be nice here, but could not happen. The USA is spread out a lot more than european countries and the amount of people that almost are required to travel is a lot more than over there. I do wish people would follow their lead though, so I can drive 90+ without hitting slow traffic in the left lane every 5 seconds.

,..probably the best modern marvels episode ever.

yeah i am watching it now.

i do think it should be against the law, just like in germany, TO STAY IN THE LEFT LANE! all traffic, slow traffic, should keep right except to pass!! (including all semis). it saves lives, it keeps traffic flowing, its more economical and man is it sooo much easier!

plus i think they mention in the episode that the autobahn is like twice the thickness of the u.s. roads. its built to support higher speeds and less often maintenance, completely the opposite of the u.s. hwys. initial building costs r higher but u have to maintain like half the amount of u.s. roads. thats not a philosophy americans share so we build for cheap and just keep patching up our roads as needed.

i think they should increase the speed limit to 75 on most highways and 85 in rural areas. not autobahn fast, but faster than the current standard.

I remember watching a travel show in the UK once about visiting America. They made some hay about how the "bonnet" is called the "hood," and so forth. One point about driving: "The Americans have no lane discipline to speak of, so be careful to watch for cars on your right."

Funny to see it from their perspective.

I was always trying to find a rerun of this since Trapps said something about it when it originally aired. Doesn't look like it's going to be on again either.

http://www.mininova.org/tor/41224

Thanks! It's only going to take me 10 hours to d/l it.