Reaction To Tom Hanks On German Autobahn 

"130 / 140 Kilometers per hour, which I did". To him that seems to be the most exciting experience he ever made. For me that’s the normal speed when I drive to the grocery store in the next village.

The sign is quite common. It is a play-street, where children play on the street. Cars are just allowed to go that fast that, if you are breaking, you are standing immediately. Most of the times around 6 km/h. Such a street mostly is in front of an elementary school or in a home for elderly people.

Most Germans drive around 10-20% above the speed limit. But a personal driver can't risk traffic violations of they could lose their job and wouldn't find a new one as a driver.

As a German, I had to laugh so hard. Tom talks about 130 km/h being super fast, which is literally the "Richtgeschwindigkeit" (recommended speed) on the Autobahn. So, when you are in an area without any speed limit, Germans often drive much faster. My car can go 180+, but I personally prefer 150-160, because beyond that it's getting a little bit scary. Generally when going at such a high speed you have to be super alert and you have to concentrate, so after a while it gets really exhausting. I find it kinda cute that you think Germans always stick to the rules and respect the speed limit. Well - absolutely not. 🤣Maybe only in areas where we know there is a "Blitzer" (speed camera) or in high risk areas (like next to a school). I think the majority of cars on German roads are the known German brands (probably 2/3 of them). The thing with VW is that the group has a lot of other brands under its umbrella: Audi, Seat, Skoda and Porsche are all owned by VW Group. So from that perspective, yes, you see a lot of VW on German roads.

That sign marks a so called "verkehrsberuhigte Zone", literally translated traffic-calmed zone. It means that pedestrians (inkluding playing children) have the same right to the road as vehicles and bicycles, which are to drive very slowly. You can usually find it in residential areas with no sidewalks or bike lanes. It's not a GDR-sign, you can see it in all of Germany. Volkswagen is, although far from being cheap these days, quite popular and common. BMW and Mercedes Benz are too, but they cover a higher price segment.

Germans not going over the speed limit on the autobahn? Yeah, had a good laugh at that.

I once was going regular 130 on the Autobahn when some sportscar passed with about 260 on the lane beside me. Tom described the sound quite accurate. It was just a "boom".. and he was gone. The red sign at the end says that the tunnel is 3.2m in height. So if you are a trucker driving through, consider the height of your truck.

If you don't follow the rules people can die. The driving tests in Germany remain notoriously difficult (compared to most countries) for a reason. If you have an accident at 130 miles an hour you will die and most likely someone else will too. Know your own skills and respect others.

Yes, the blue sign means Spielstraße (a street where kids can play). So you have to drive in Schrittgeschwindigkeit (walking speed) 5 km/h. The sign in the back means that this drive through has a heigh of 3,2 Meters.

Yes, I live quite close to Eisenhüttenstadt (30mim with car), but it really isn't what you would call a "beautiful city" even today. 😂 (But I was very impressed how historically accurate the facts Tom stated where!)

130 is the normal speed on the German autobahn, recommended speed. I usually drive between 140 and 160 km, less often 180. But how fast you can drive always depends on the car.

I've been going 280 km/h on the autobahn It was in a friend's tuned audi But it's fairly unusual to find a place clear enough to do it

The VW Golf is the most sold car in Germany. So you can say that it's popular here. Also the sign means "verkehrsberuhigte bereich", which is basically a Zone where cars are still allowed to drive but only at "schritttempo" / walking speed which is 5-15km/h. The Signatur are fairly common in housing estates and should slow the cars down since people could cross the road fairly freaquently. There is also a sign for a "spielstraße" street for play where vehicle aren't allowed.

Me last sunday on the Autobahn A5 from Freiburg to Basel : driving 280 km/h getting the headlight flasher from behind 😂

hello, Eisenhüttenstadt really exist at polish border. the sign means: A traffic-calmed area, colloquially often incorrectly referred to as a play street, more rarely a residential street and also as a residential street, is a street or traffic area signposted with traffic sign 325.1 in Germany. The area is used for traffic calming in built-up areas.

Hi, I was in Germany from 1982-1983 I was stationed in Karlsruhe, and the area I was in it was mostly BMW's. I didn't know how to drive at that time, but I have been on the Autobahn a few times with friends, it was terrifying. I do believe they have a minimum speed limit on the Autobahn. One of the things I found that was cool was big mirrors attached to buildings around the curves of the road in smaller village areas.

Oh, we also have people who don't follow the speed limit. But they get a nice picture from a Blitzer and points in Flensburg....if you have too many points in Flensburg they confiscate your drivers license. 😅

Fastest speed I was driving (as a Co - driver) on Autobahn, was 310 km/h. I didn´t drive, but the driver was an especially trained policeman. It was weird. Streets became so narrow. We made it from Munich to Augsburg in 12 minutes. Eisenhüttenstadt is a real place near the polish boarder. Never been there....

I was once driving 200km/h through a tunnel on the autobahn. I heard a loud noise coming into the tunnel from behind. I moved off the fast lane and as soon as i did, a ridiculous tuned bmw came on from behind and overtook me like i was standing still (i think it was a g-power m5, but i'm not sure as it flew by in a blurr).

I don't know if that's a thing in other countries, but when someone dies on a Landstraße (Cross country road) it's custom to put up a little cross, some candles and flowers where the crash happened. These are often young people who drive drunk or carelessly. So when you see a tight curve coming up and there are two or even three crosses lined up, it's very motivating to keep within the speed limit. Between the village where my grandmother lived and the next town there was one curve that's always had at least one cross, sometimes more.

It's kind of cute that you ask "tell me if you have seen a sign like that" in the end.

Tom Hanks sure is proud of driving like an old lady on the Autobahn.

The "Spielstrasse" Playstreet Sign looks strange because in the middle there are leftovers from two stickers visible, that doesn't belong there.

I was actually thinking about this notion that BMW or Mercedes are considered luxury/premium cars in other countries, but living here in Germany I see them around all the time so to me they just blend into the background with all the other types of cars on the streets. Don't get me wrong, some models of these cars are indeed luxury cars that I can only dream of ever driving, but the vast majority seem like "every day cars" to me and I see like 5 of the same model every day.

Sign means "Spielstraße" (play street), where pedestrians and playing children have the same right as any car. Drivers have to go very slow, usually just walking speed, and give way to pedestrians and playing kids. It's used in residential areas for streets which are normally only used by who lives there.

The blue sign in the end is "verkehrsberuhigter Bereich" oder "Spielstraße". It shows that you have to slow down to nearly footstep-speed because Kids could be outside playing on the road. And the sign with the 3.2m shows that the tunnel has a height of 3.2meters. So a huge Truck/crane or something like that knows that he cant pass through.

The sign actually declares the area as so called 'Spielstrasse', that is something like play street. The concept is that in this part of the street all have the same rights. So cars are only allowed walking speed and one has to be extra careful, since there might be kids playing.

Eisenhüttenstadt is a real city in brandenburg with about 24.000 people next to the polish border. The sign means "Spielstrasse" and means there can be children playing on the street and the traffic should move very slow.

nice historical facts from Tom. Eisenhüttenstadt is quite interessting with many rests from its glorious past, e.g. watches, which are made there till today. The street sign means, that drivers should pay attention to playing children. Nice video!

Berlin -> Dresden you need about 2 hours (ca. 200km - 124 miles) That also depends on whether there are traffic jams or car accidents which route you prefer, how fast you can drive and so on. Even if you have no speed limit that doesn´t mean that you are able to drive 200km/h becaue of other drivers around you ^^

The sign, or something very close to this one, is used in most countries in Europe. Most traffic signs have been standardized, without specific local language on the sign itself. Also: Very US American.

Very funny. I like Tom Hanks and his movies.👍❤

The sign means Spielstraße (playstreet or gamestreet^^) --> traffic calming zone - (living streets)

No matter how fast you drive on the autobahn, there will be a white Mercedes Sprinter behind you flashing the lights to signal you to move over while already kissing you number plate with his.

The street sign means that this is a play street, there is walking speed required, because there children play, so the street is traffic-calmed.

the way you guys say "Eisenhüttenstadt" is 🤣🤣🤣

I like your videos so much due to the fact that your reactions are authentical

as a german... hearing tom hanks getting exited about 130kmh is cute. currently we have huge arguments about limiting the maximum speed on highways to 130kmh. because some people think that is too slow. that their freedom gets impaired if they have to drive that slow.... I'm not one of those. 100-130kmh is a good speed for me on the Autobahn. if you drive faster it gets really scary. because then the slightest movement of the steering wheel has big effects... my actual Ford does 160 kmh comfortably.

9:54 I grew up in a "Spielstraße" - best childhood ever!

Tom Hanks is just awesome, so funny! 😂 Kind of cute that he finds 140 km/h fast. And before overtaking on a German Autobahn, you should really check all your mirrors three times, because you can't see someone with 200 kph on the speedometer from a distance. I myself like to drive fast, but my car is a rust bucket and at 150 kph is the end, more than 130 km/h and you no longer feel safe. 😂 My uncle used to be crazy, I can remember 230 kph on the highway as a kid, it definitely didn't feel safe though. ☠😂 And Germans are not very conscientious about the speed limit. If you really drive 50 kph in a 50 kph zone, you will be tailgated by the car behind you. 😂 There is currently a big discussion about whether to introduce a speed limit on the highway for economic and environmental reasons, and I myself wouldn't mind.

10:00 That's the sign for _verkehrsberuhigter Bereich_ (literally "traffic-calmed area") colloquially often incorrectly referred to as a _Spielstraße_ (literally "play street"). Basically what it means is that until you come across the sign with a red diagonal bar through it you're only allowed to drive at at walking speed in the entire area i.e. you put in the first gear and once you start moving you're not touching the gas at all and only let the engine's idle speed push you along. What the stickers on that particular sign cover is a ball the kid is running after just in case you were wondering why the kid was in the street. Basically within those areas pedestrian traffic must not be endangered or impeded by vehicle traffic, if necessary vehicle traffic has to wait. You'll often find these in quiet residential areas where children could appear out of nowhere and run in front of your vehicle without any prior warning so you basically have to be able to stop your vehicle on the spot which is why 10 km/h is the hard limit in those areas.

Thank you for your love for Germany.

I grew up in a street with this sign, and we always were playing on the streets, still quite common in germany.

In Germany you see plenty of BMW´s, Mercedes`s, Audi's, Volkswagen's and sometimes even Porsche`s on the road. And most of them go faster than 130km/h when there is no speed limit. The left lane is where you overtake. With more than 130km/h.

Distance between Berlin and Dresden 120 miles / 190 km Hard to make in 16 minutes with (or even without) a break, unless you drive a Bugatti than you can do it in 30 min. as it is the fastest “mass” produced sports car with a max speed of 490 km/h (304 mph). Yes the VW is the most sold car in Germany (Bugatti by the way belongs to VW, same as Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley or Ducati)

'ironhutcity' is an ok literal translation, but in this case i would assume that the 'hütten' part comes from the verb 'verhütten' which means 'smelting'. that Tom Hanks bit is a classic, as a german i watched many times, always funny, especially cause many of my US friends are infatuated with the no speed limit thing :-). can't wait for them to visit me and drive 200+ and watch their reaction.

Well actually, being about 10kph (6--7mph) over the speed limit is rather normal, even in Germany.

the sign means "drive at walking pace, pedestrian street"

If Tom thinks, he was fast, he wouldn't want sat in the Bugatti, a tschech Billionaire was driving last year. He and his team tested, how fast they could go on the Autobahn. He reached a maximum speed of 417 km/h. Luckily he tested it in the early morning and his team would've warned him, if someone would drive in his way.

Tom should come to Germany again and drive on the newly expanded routes of the A3 (especially between Aschaffenburg and Würzburg). There, at many times of the day and night, speeds of over 200 km/h are easily possible without feeling anxious ;-)).

130 km/h is chillout speed when you have all the time of the world

Germany is the country in Europe where the least attention is paid to the speed limit. This is because speeding penalties in Germany are extremely low compared to the rest of Europe. The VW group holds about 38% of the german car market. The traffic sign stands for a traffic-calmed area - seen quite often in Germany. Pedestrians are allowed to use the entire width of the street. Playing children are allowed everywhere. Pedestrians have priority over cars.

that sign is rly old indeed and essentially says to drivers that they should drive as slow as walking. because in this street children are allowed to play on the street.

Got a tuned kawasaki ...runs about 320 km/h on the Autobahn 😮😊...when its free...less Traffic 😊

Tom obviously understood that Volkswagen literally means "car for the people". Therefore, the sentence that now every car is a VW makes extremely much sense.

That Sign means: "Traffic-calmed area" or "Shared zone."

eisenhüttenstadt, is a city in brandenburg a state in germany, in the deepest east near the polish border. not far away from where I grown up.

Eisenhutennstein lol.i lived there years back in Asylum Einrichtung.

German here, I was driving on a part of the Autobahn which had no speed limit with 140kph on the center lane when a Lamborghini blasted through on lhe left lane. My entire car shaked when he overtook me. I think he was driving >320kph which is insane but it happens often here in Germany.

i own a tuned volvo, which can go 255kmh (around 160mph). i live in austria (130kmh max allowd) but i tested it out on german autobahn. nice :)

6:55 absolutely true, if you only drive with 130 KmH, you will be regularly over taken by car going easily 100KmH more.

The sign means playing / walking street, children play there, so u drive with walking speed.

BMW, Audi, Volkswagen (Short VW), Mercedes-Benz & Porsche the car brands, which are coming from Germany. They you can see often apart from Porsche, this car brand ost is seen a little more rarely. But you can see also often other car brands from other european countries, like from France, England, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Romania, Czech Republic or also many brands which are coming from outside Europe, like from Japan or South Korea, some brands also coming from the USA like Tesla, Chevrolet, Ford and very rare a Dodge. The German Roads or the European Roads are very diverse by cars

My grandma drives 130km. I drive 210km. Eisenhüttenstatt former East Germany. This sign means Playstreet

It's also funny that Tom considers 130 kph fast :D I'm pretty sure that's below the speed limit of most countries ^^

the sign indicating 3.2 is at an overpass, signalling that cars that are higher of carry a load that extends higher than that, can‘t fit through. These signs are found at every bridge, overpass, tunnel, even alleys with trees if the cover much of the street… Cause, accidents happen and are documented. Just look for RU-vid videos of trucks that are taller trying to drive through such a tunnel…

Oh yeah, Germans often push it over the speed limit. A bit. Because in recent years the fines have increased, and the "safe" amount over the speed limit has decreased. Both factors changed significantly. You know that in speed traps there's usually a certain bit of leeway. Well, this dropped from 5% to 4%, and recently to 3%. The tickets you receive now have become much more restrictive, and if you go enough above you can have your license suspended for up to three consecutive months, or even rescinded completely, depending on how egregious the violation. So Germans have become a lot more careful sticking closer to the limit. 6:19 hehe, Tom Hanks spoke absolute gobbledegook. There wasn't even an intelligible word in there. He is obviously exaggerating, highly, about everything for comedic effect. Btw: Dresden-Berlin is roughly 190 km, and depending on traffic and average speeds takes around 2 hours 30 minutes. Obviously if you drive the top speed of a high performance car that can be faster. But even then you will hit many local speed limits on the Autobahn which will slow you down. Currently there's a construction site right outside Berlin (as per Google Maps) which will slow you down to 80kmh for quite some time.

Once I hitch-hiked with a Porsche Cayenne. He was a test-driver of new cars before selling. We drove 180km in 45min. When possible he drove up to 280. That speed shouldn't be allowed. 😅 I really was scared.

That sounds he talks about are mainly motorcycles. They can potentially exceed even 300 shortly in straight sections.

The blue sign with the kids etc. means verkehrsberuhigte Zone, Spielstraße / play street. Cars have to drive realy slow (Schrittgeschwidigkeit) and be on allert for pedestrians and playing children. The sign under that means that cars have to be under these 3.2m to pass through the arc.

Dresden to Berlin (city centre to city centre) is about 120 miles away. If the autobahn A13 is free of construction sites and free of other reasons for speed restrictions, you can - with a potential car (not necessarily a sports car) do that distance in something a bit more than 60 minutes. At least this goes for the part of the autobahn which is >90% of that trip.

The Autobahn in some places is built to drive 300 "easily" with a sports car/motorcycle.

If you drive 30 in a 50 zone you can't hear anything except the horns behind you 😂

that sign means that that is a "verkehrsberuhigter bereich" its somthing inbetween full traffic and no traffic its a street usually in a living area kids and people may play on those streets and traffic is allowed but at walking speed so you have to drive with like 10 kmh or slower but its better to avoid those areas ...

Eisenhüttenstadt is known 4 Luxury watches and the blue sign means "spielstraße" you have to drive very slow under 10KM/h

Volkswagen is of course very big in Germany but what he's referring to is that there are a lot of other car companies that belong to VW. You've probably heard that Porsche, Audi and Lamborghini belong to VW, but there are two other companies called "Seat" from Spain and "Skoda" from the Czech Republic. While the first three companies do their own thing, Seat and Skoda are basically VWs of the last generation or at least it used to be like that when that interview was filmed.

isenhüttenstadt is a city in Germany located in the state of Brandenburg. Here is some information about Eisenhüttenstadt: Foundation: The city was established in the 1950s and was an important site for the iron and steel industry in the former German Democratic Republic (GDR). Industry: The name "Eisenhüttenstadt" refers to the ironworks that were located here. The city was primarily built to accommodate workers and employees of the ironworks. Architecture: The city was designed according to socialist urban planning concepts and features many typical elements of Stalinist architecture. Some buildings and squares in Eisenhüttenstadt are examples of this aesthetic. Cultural Life: In addition to its industrial significance, Eisenhüttenstadt also has cultural aspects. There are theaters, cinemas, museums, and events that enrich the city's cultural life. Structural Transformation: After the reunification of Germany and the decline of heavy industry in the region, Eisenhüttenstadt underwent a structural transformation. The economic situation and demographic development changed. Tourism: The city now also attracts tourists interested in Germany's industrial history and socialist urban planning.

I've lived and worked in Thailand for 20 years. Thais don't follow traffic rules. I'd known some Thai drivers in Germany before came here. All of them had some kind of car crash. Please, follow the rules as closely as possible. Thailand has more than 10 times of a higher death rate in traffic than Germany.

4:40 Well the thing is that most of the German car brands you know are actually owned by Volkswagen like Porsche and Audi just to name two.

one thing i haven't seen mentioned yet: if your vehicle can't drive at least 60kmh, then it is not allowed on the Autobahn. ergo, driving slower than 60kmh is consequently also not allowed. you HAVE to be faster or you risk getting into trouble for "obstructing traffic" (i wish some of the local tractor drivers around where i live knew about that haha...) also... i personally stop accelerating my car at around ~160kmh. starting at around that speed, it really starts to get scary. at least for me, that's the point where i become really aware of the "killing power" - for lack of a better word - i have in that moment.

20 years ago when I had a car I used to drive 200km/h on the needle comfortably when the Autobahn was free enough. Above that my car wasn't built for. With a Mercedes or BMW you can easily go 250/280.

V in German words is spoken like an F (in foreign words, however, like an English V). The German W is always pronounced like an English V. So it's not "Volks-wah-gun", but "Folks-vah-gun" 😉

the sign ment Verkehrsberuhigter bereich (traffic restrictet area) or the inoffitial name Spielstraße (play street) cars are only allowed to drive walking speed

In Germany BMW's are just average cars. I think the sign means: watch your speed, people and children playing (in the street) due to residential area (?)

The current highest speed is 417km/h on the autobahn. That`s no joke. Driven in a bugatti.

Also: i'd say at least 1/3 of the germans ain't follow the rules in terms of speed limit. If there is a 80 sign, many go like +20, some +30. But +20 is kinda common at 80+ roads, so 100 converts to 120, 120 to 140 and 130 is 150, after that it's just go whatever you want to go and that's fine, because there is not much options to go Vmax anyways anymore.

9:52 Normal Sign, it means "Spielstraße" (Playstreet). You are only allowed to drive very slowly ; around10km/h; because that street is for the residents to use as playfield. So if you drive there it can sometimes take a while for the kids to get the goals to the side (usually street hockey or soccer) and let you pass. The kids will rebuild once you passed and resume playing. These are only in residential areas with low traffic. Behind the paint smudges is a ball.

You are right we Germans respect the Speed Limits on the Autobahn….more of less. Doing the same in Switzerland can be very extensive. A good friend of mine was going 123km/h where the Limit 120km/h and he was stopped by the Police. He startet arguing That he was ONLY 3km/h to fast. The answer of the Officer was very clear „ If we would be of the opinion that you are allowed to Drive 123km/h then we would have written 123 on the traffic sign“ And he paid a 200€ fine. Applying the same MORE OR LESS rule in other European cuontries can geht very expensive

if someone come to germany, he should test a electric car, the acceleration is rly insane. i dont know if people from the british can drive in germany without problems. But Mert, if u come to germany, DO IT .. :D

Volkswagen is very popular for the low - middle wage class. Very popular in Germany. Cheap assurance and low price spare parts.

The 4th Chapter is wrong. Eisenach is a whole other city (in another state), the correct one is called Eisenhüttenstadt.

I don't know if it is lost in conversion, but if he really was doing just 140 km/h in the left lane of an unrestricted Autobahn segment, he must have had a queue forming behind him. In most places people will typically drive 160 - 180 at least, with enough wanting to go 200 or more and harass you to get out of the way. It always depends on the congestion of course, and whether you are on a 2, 3 or more lane segment, since the trucks will always max out way lower, and whether it is truly a straight segment. Actually most Autobahns will have at least the occasional bend in it. Supposedly so you don't get bored with driving in just one straight line all the time. Some of course to connect historically placed cities not on a perfect grid or take terrain into account. As for the "Germans will always follow the speed limit". Nope, just nope. Everybody will at least try to get as close to the 10% speed cameras will give you as tolerance, and in enough cases just disregard speed limits if they feel they are too slow.

As understand Eisenhüttenstadt is what you get when you try to make Depression into a Theme park

The funny thing is, he probably drove with one hand and had an Audi in his trunk with the blinker left glued down.

All Speeds below 200 km/h are "coffee in one hand and chill" speeds....

Basically what these signs at end means is that the blue is telling that u are on a playroad for children, so u have to slow down down to walking speed (dont mind the house :D) and the other one, with the numbers on it gives u the hint, that the upcoming tunnel, bridge or what is about that numbers high. So if u know ur height of ur vehicle u sometimes have to avoid these roads. But yea Eisenhüttenstadt is a real thing and it looks like on these pictures - no juwel at all xD

Dresden-Berlin, on a good day, 1,5 to two hours, and that is from the south Autobahnring. If you start or finish your journey inside the city, it can easily take you 3 to 4 hours. The average commuter Dresden-Berlin-Dresden, like me in my Skoda, would tell you it takes at least 4 hours either tour, every day, to get to work and back. A lot of times more than that.

4:15 Nope, even here it is normal to drive 5 km/h faster than the permitted speed.

Well , to put the Autobahn in some perspective Yes in theory we´ve a big percentage of unrestricted Autobahn, but it´s really depending on region and daytime if and how much you can make out of it. We´ve several 2 lane highways, so truck traffic is on the right one doing below 50mph everything above takes the left one, even if a third lane opens up it can be that you can´t get over 100-110mph for more than a short blast ( and speeds over 140mph over a longer distance are quite exhausting, except at night ) at least on weekdays on the other hand, if Tom Hanks diddles around at 75mph in a rolling boat and a Porsche drives by at 150mph it might have had that zoom effect ;) But he´s absolutely right, there is always a faster one, so check mirrors and move always to the right lane asap over here

"Eisenhüttenstadt", name of a city