How safe to drive in Germany in the dark?

Hi. Would like to check how safe is it to drive in Germany between 11pm to sunrise.

Are there enough street lamps on the autobahn and secondary roads and even the smaller roads?

Will there be much speeding due to less cars at night?

Thanks in advance.

Yes, it will be safe. Thousands of Germans do it every day.

There is bound to be some speeding, but it will be reasonable. Just don't go at 120 km/hr on the left lane. If you do that you are bound to be hit by a driver coming in from behind at 160 or 200 km/hr regardless of the time of the day. Strictly stick to the right lane whenever possible. If the right lane is free you must use it, it is the law. You are also not allowed to overtake on the right unless you are in a traffic jam.

Secondary roads outside of towns and villages will have no street lights, so make sure your headlights are functioning.

Edited by: t_maia

I get your drift, yet I doubt that you/your group would get much rest on such a trip: After driving through the wee hours, you'll arrive at your destination tired and sweaty, you won't have to access your hotel rooms (for a shower and changing clothes) before noon and on top of this you want to start a strenuous day of sightseeing just after sunrise? Don't you want to enjoy your trip?

Still, it's a good idea to avoid the peak hours, so maybe you should just consider shifting your plan a little. Motorway traffic starts ceasing once the commuters have returned home, i.e. roughly 6 p.m. (there will still be plenty of traffic, but less enough to start your trip). Either get an early dinner before that or plan a stop at one of the reststops along the motorways to get something to eat.

The landscape between Cologne and Berlin isn't very spectacular, so you won't miss that much at dark. Stop regularly to rest and/or change drivers (get a rental contract that allows at least one additional driver!). Consider stopping at Helmstedt/Marienborn, the former border crossing. With good luck and a flow, you might reach Berlin just before midnight. Book a hotel earlier and tell them in advance that a) you'll be arriving that late b) you'll need parking for a minibus. Be sure to know the hotel's precise location (again: navigation system would come handy, no fun getting lost in an unknown city at midnight...).

Finally: Get a good rest before starting the next morning.

Roads outside of cities/towns/villages are not lit, Autobahn included. You will find some lamps at bridges, but usually you rely on your headlights.
Adjust your speed and it is safe.

well it's like in any other poor country over here - most roads aren't paved, cows and donkey sleep on our highways and impoverished locals might try to rob you when you get stuck in some mudhole......there is something called light ...if you turn on that switch you will actually see something at night and make it jsut fine like millions of people before

#4 has it right- There is actually a curfew because it so so dangerous to drive at night

I have driven on the autobahns at night, and found it scary for the first little while. For me it was on the wrong side of the road, very fast and dark. There are no street lights on the autobahn and you often can't use your highbeams because of other cars. Do not overtake if you can see see any lights behind you, at night you cannot judge how fast the cars are going. I stuck behind trucks until I felt comfortable, and then I was fine.

On another thread you asked about travelling with a group of six people. I think you'll find that driving overnight with a large group is going to be impractical from a comfort point of view.

Bec raises an important point: Using highbeams on the motorway at night is a delicate matter, as you're obliged not to distract other drivers. This means that you must not use your highbeams as long as there is oncoming traffic AND there is no 'antidazzle' on the median strip, further, you must not use it as long there are other vehicles ahead of you within reasonable distance (roughly 500m-1km). Usually, there'll be enough vehicles around you to light the way, in case you're feeling unsafe, just stay behind a car that's travelling at a speed that suits you. Crossing deer etc. are rare on motorways, yet you should be careful on countryroads (BTW, in case you hit a larger animal (deer) and kill or wound it, you're obliged to contact the local forester or the police, even if your car has hardly a bump).

Thanks to all for your answers. Has helped me to answer the question that i had in mind

Driving at night is great, especially after 10 pm when the truck drivers go to sleep and all lanes are empty for me to drive at 180 km/h :-)

If you drive slow, please please stay on the right side.

Recommended speeds:

Below 130 km/h -> stay on the right lane

At least 130 km/h -> drive on the middle lane

At least 160 km/h -> drive on the left lane

If right lane is empty, please always use it, to make space on the left lane for faster cars, like mine :-)

{quote:title=klaush wrote:}{quote}

Recommended speeds:

Below 130 km/h -> stay on the right lane
At least 130 km/h -> drive on the middle lane
At least 160 km/h -> drive on the left lane

If right lane is empty, please always use it, to make space on the left lane for faster cars, like mine :-)

That´s extremely misleading. There are no rule as how fast you have to be on a certain lane (other than that you have to obtain a minimum speed on the autobahn). And if nobody is on the right lane you can drive 300 kph if you are able to. And vice versa: if the traffic is dense you sometimes can drive only 120 on the left lane...

First rule is to always use the right lane if you are not overtaking. If you are overtaking you should accelerate so that you don´t hold up the cars coming from behind.

... and hurry while overtaking, there may be a driver like klaush approaching from behind at a speed of 180 kph who is not willing to slow down, flashing headlights and sounding clacson...

German drivers, especially the fast species, are not patient.

And if nobody is on the right lane you can drive 300 kph if you are able to.

Yes that's exactly right. If all lanes are empty, I choose the right lane even if driving fast. It's required by law and also the most practical thing to do. OK, the highest speed I have ever driven was 250 km/h with a borrowed car, I never drive 300 kph...

I was not saying those recommended speeds for each lane are a fixed rule... just the average speeds, after studying them for thousands of kilometers on the Autobahn :-)

The minimum speed required by law on the Autobahn is 60 km/h. If your vehicle is not able to reach that speed, it is illegal to take it onto the Autobahn. In practice, any car (not truck) going at less than 100 km/h will be seen as a potentially dangerous obstacle...

In practice, any car (not truck) going at less than 100 km/h will be seen as a potentially dangerous obstacle...

Traveling in car with less than 90 km/h (as long the traffic density does not enforce this) comes close to suicide. Esp. if the autobahns are rather empty. Nobody will expect that a car would travel under such conditions that slow.