• Lord Wiggle
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    586 days ago

    It’s more like if you drive too fast you’re not insured. Oh, by the way, road works, 80km/h. Aaaand you’re free again! Have f- oh no, roadworks again, 80 pls. Ok done. Now you can really hit the gas! Joke, roadworks again haha, 80! Finally done, now we promise we don’t have roadworks anymore, enjoy! Aaaand welcome to the Netherlands, 100 please.

    • DefederateLemmyMl
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      215 days ago

      Oh, by the way, road works, 80km/h. Aaaand you’re free again! Have f- oh no, roadworks again, 80 pls. Ok done. Now you can really hit the gas! Joke, roadworks again haha, 80! Finally done, now we promise we don’t have roadworks anymore, enjoy! Aaaand welcome to the Netherlands, 100 please.

      If that isn’t the most accurate description of driving through Germany, I don’t know what is :D

    • @zerofk@lemm.ee
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      186 days ago

      Ironically, Germany is the only country where I’ve gotten speeding tickets on the highway when driving through Europe east to west or vice versa. I’m still not entirely sure whether it was because of road works, the fact that I had a (small) trailer, or something else.

      • @froh42@lemmy.world
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        135 days ago

        With a trailer you’re limited to 80kph (or 100kph im some cases)

        And police is setting also setting up “distance traps” on the Autobahn, you can get a ticket (or even lose your license) for tailgating.

      • trollercoaster
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        5 days ago

        For trailers, there is a general speed limit of 80km/h, unless the trailer is suitably equipped and officially approved for 100km/h and is towed by a suitable vehicle. (Here, the specifics get complicated, because Germany) Trailers capable of driving at 100km/h must be marked at the rear with a sticker.

        sticker for100km/h trailer

      • Lord Wiggle
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        75 days ago

        At least their fines aren’t as ludicrously high as other EU countries. It’s only high when you speed next to roadworks I think.

        • @plyth@feddit.org
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          85 days ago

          Which is wrong. Fines have to be linked to income and they must hurt or they are just a tax.

          • Lord Wiggle
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            75 days ago

            Yeah, in Norway they are income based AFAIK. In the Netherlands it’s just insanely expensive for normal people and a premium subscription for rich people to drive faster

    • @letsgo@lemm.ee
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      105 days ago

      if you drive too fast you’re not insured

      I explicitly asked my insurance company (verbally, not a chatbot) about this last time I went to Germany. They said as long as I’m not breaking any laws, my insurance is valid. No speed limit means there is no “too fast to be insured”.

      • Lord Wiggle
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        45 days ago

        I believe it only counts for German insurance companies. As it’s their country with no speed limit, so it’s a standard extra risk. When you go abroad to Germany your own insurance doesn’t have these high risks because it’s not all their customers driving on these roads. But that’s what I think, I’m not sure but it sounds logic to me.

        • zqps
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          5 days ago

          Nah I think this is a misunderstanding. I’ve never seen insurance conditions that stipulate a general speed limit. But what does happen is that if you’re in a high-speed accident, police may assign part of the blame to you for driving in a reckless manner, and that may result in a reduced or no payout.

          • Lord Wiggle
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            -55 days ago

            This is what chatgpt says:

            Insurance and Liability Considerations

            While exceeding the recommended speed is not illegal, it can affect liability in the event of an accident:

            Increased Liability: If you’re involved in an accident while driving over 130 km/h, you may be held partially liable, even if the other party is primarily at fault. This is because higher speeds are associated with increased operational risk.

            Insurance Implications: Your insurance coverage may still apply, but the insurer could reduce compensation if it’s determined that your excessive speed contributed to the accident’s severity.

    • @Asetru@feddit.org
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      106 days ago

      It’s more like if you drive too fast you’re not insured.

      First time I ever heard this. You lose insurance? What?

      • @Kickforce@lemmy.wtf
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        166 days ago

        Yeah, you are allowed to drive as fast as you like on some Autobahns, but if you have an accident and your speed is deemed to be faster than safe, the insurance companies are like “nah bro, you brought this on yourself”

        • @colmear@discuss.tchncs.de
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          86 days ago

          Also, if you are faster than 130 kph and have an accident, you’re always deemed to be partially at fault, no matter what happened

          • @Allemaniac@lemmy.world
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            24 days ago

            also, car assistance software is generally only tested to 160 kph, everything above that the car maker can no longer assure no problems in the software, thus leading to more guilt by the speeder

          • zqps
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            25 days ago

            Not always, but it’s always a risk.

      • Lord Wiggle
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        5 days ago

        If something happens with you faster than 130km/h on the autobahn you’re not automatically covered by insurance. You won’t lose insurance, you’re just only fully insured when you stay under 130. Above you make unnecessary risks and the insurance company won’t cover that, if speeding is the cause of the accident.

        I asked chatgpt and it is a bit different than what I thought. It came with this answer:

        You are not automatically uninsured if you drive faster than 130 km/h. However:

        If you’re involved in an accident while exceeding 130 km/h, you may be held partially liable (Mitverschulden) — even if the accident was mostly the other party’s fault.

        This can reduce your insurance payout.

        Your insurer might reduce compensation if speeding is found to have contributed to the severity of the accident, even indirectly.

        • @Saleh@feddit.org
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          35 days ago

          If you’re involved in an accident while exceeding 130 km/h, you may be held partially liable (Mitverschulden) — even if the accident was mostly the other party’s fault.

          This is the key aspect. Going over 130 kph the other parties insurance will claim partial responsibility on your side.

      • @Verqix@lemmy.world
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        46 days ago

        Never heard of this, but you are likely to be deemed at fault due to reckless driving above certain speeds.