Fines for Speeding in Germany

Fine Catalog for Speeding Violations, as of April 2024

Special Cases

In general, the penalties for speeding violations are clearly defined in the Federal Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure’s fine catalog. However, there are numerous special cases where not only fines, points, or driving bans are imposed but also criminal proceedings and the revocation of driving licenses may occur.

What Determines the Severity of Punishment?

1. Was the speeding violation within or outside city limits?
2. Are you still in the probationary period?
3. Additional penalties for specific traffic situations.
4. Speeding with endangerment of other road users.
5. Repeat offenses.

Maximum Speed Limits According to Road Traffic Regulations (STVO)

On highways (autobahns), there is a recommended speed limit of 130 km/h. This is not a speed limit but a recommendation for a maximum speed. According to the ADAC, which relies on data from the Federal Statistical Office, only slightly over 60% of highways are unrestricted. More than a quarter have permanent speed limits, and another 11% have temporary restrictions (e.g., for wet conditions, noise control, etc.) or are restricted due to construction sites.

All speed limits apply from the first limiting traffic sign. Even if you are caught speeding just a few meters past the sign, it doesn’t affect the penalty. Commonly used arguments that the vehicle couldn’t be slowed down after the first sighting of the traffic sign usually don’t hold up in court. Instead, the courts often view this as evidence of driving at a speed not adapted to the visibility conditions, which can result in harsher penalties.

A normal braking distance for a vehicle to decelerate from 180 km/h to 60 km/h requires almost 300 meters. This calculation doesn’t even account for reaction time.
Similarly, speed limits continue until the canceling traffic sign. Accelerating too early is also considered an offense.

On all other roads (except highways), the maximum speed outside city limits is 100 km/h. However, many roads have lower speed limits. The restriction starts immediately from the sign indicating the limit and lasts until the sign lifting the restriction (or replacing it with another). Additionally, there are many specific traffic situations where speeding can lead to higher fines.

In poor visibility or weather conditions, near hazard areas such as pedestrian crossings, intersections, railway crossings, construction site exits, or on poorly maintained roads, higher fines are often imposed, starting at a minimum of 100 euros and an additional point on your driving record.

The general maximum speed limit within city limits is 50 km/h. There are also more and more traffic-calmed areas, which are divided into “30 km/h” zones and residential streets, where walking pace is always required.

Facts about Speed Limits on German Roads

Germany is one of the few countries worldwide where there are highways (autobahns) without speed limits. However, this applies to only a fraction of all autobahns. Currently, about 50% of all autobahns have permanent or temporary speed limits. The trend is moving towards more speed limits. In 1984, only 15.5% of autobahns had speed limits (Source: zeit.de).

German drivers often don’t strictly adhere to speed limits. In the past 5 years, there have been between two and three million entries into the driver fitness register each year due to speeding violations – that’s more than 7,500 violations per day. Note that only traffic violations resulting in points on a driver’s license are recorded here; minor speed violations that only incur fines are not included. Almost nine million drivers have points in the “traffic offender database.” At the same time, excessive speed, according to annual evaluations by the ADAC, is by far the number one cause of accidents. This applies both within and outside city limits.

Why Speed Limits Exist

Control of One’s Vehicle and Consideration for Other Road Users

Apart from environmental considerations (e.g., noise and nature conservation), speed limits outside city limits and on highways are typically established to ensure that drivers do not lose control of their vehicles even under less-than-ideal road conditions. If a road is not designed for higher speeds, has defects, or if the road layout does not allow safe driving at higher speeds, speed limits are often reduced.

Poor weather conditions and consideration for other road users can also be grounds for imposing speed limits. For instance, speed limits are often reduced near highway entrances and heavily trafficked sections to prevent rear-end collisions. Roads with wildlife crossings or inner-city streets in areas with heavy pedestrian traffic or children playing are often subject to speed limits to deal with sudden hazard situations without collisions.

The argument behind these considerations often hinges on the relationship between stopping distance and speed. Where collisions or evasive maneuvers are to be avoided, reducing the maximum speed limit is usually the only measure that government authorities can take to reduce the accident risk on certain road segments.

Stopping Distance, Braking Distance, Reaction Time, and Startle Distance

The critical factor in avoiding collisions is the “stopping distance.” The stopping distance is the distance a vehicle travels until it comes to a complete stop after an event that requires the vehicle to stop on its own. The stopping distance consists of the reaction distance and the braking distance.

The following table shows how far you travel during the reaction time at a given speed, the braking distance, and how many meters it takes to bring your vehicle to a complete stop. All values apply to dry roads and average driver reaction times.

Braking Distance and Stopping Distance Depending on Speed

Reaction Distance

The reaction distance is the distance covered at the current speed between the time a traffic event occurs (e.g., sudden braking of the vehicle in front) and the driver’s reaction (braking or swerving). Reaction time varies from person to person and can be shorter (e.g., with increased adrenaline levels) or longer (e.g., due to fatigue). In road traffic, the average reaction time is approximately one second. For this reason, it is colloquially referred to as the “startle second.” If you use this value as a basis, the reaction distance is simply the speed traveled in meters per second.

This “startle second” leads to the fact that a responding vehicle, even at the same speed, always covers a longer distance than a vehicle ahead that is already braking. Therefore, even with the same braking performance and a short reaction time, rear-end collisions are difficult to avoid if there is not enough distance to the vehicle in front. Similarly, the “startle second” can lead to the fact that at higher speeds, there may not be enough time to react or brake in the event of other hazards. Typical examples include an unexpected wildlife crossing, objects on the road detected too late, or the sudden merging of a slower vehicle into your lane.

Braking Distance

The braking distance is the distance traveled from the start of braking until the vehicle comes to a complete stop. The braking distance is particularly problematic because it increases disproportionately with speed. When there is a significant speed difference and sudden braking of the vehicle in front or an unexpected blockage or obstruction of the lane occurs, there is a significant risk of a rear-end collision or a collision.

According to this rule of thumb, a vehicle following another vehicle at 220 km/h when the front vehicle is traveling at 200 km/h has an 84-meter longer braking distance. In the case of an emergency brake, the braking distance is roughly half as long. However, it should be noted that this rule of thumb only applies to dry roads and cannot protect against a collision if the leading vehicle is already performing an emergency brake.

Moreover, the braking distance of a vehicle can also be longer if it has a higher load.
Caution: If the leading vehicle is unnaturally slowed down – for example, by colliding with another vehicle or a road barrier – the rule of thumb no longer applies. In such cases, the best way to avoid a collision is to reduce speed, maintain a greater safety distance, and drive attentively.

Extra caution is also required in bad weather conditions.

Stopping Distance

The stopping distance is the sum of the reaction distance and the braking distance. The stopping distance is particularly useful when stopping before an immobile obstacle (wildlife crossing, end of a traffic jam, lane blockage) is required. In flowing traffic, where the “obstacle” – the vehicle in front – moves in the same direction, the stopping distance is not particularly decisive. This is precisely why rules of thumb for minimum following distance often specify a distance based on speed, which is much shorter than the total stopping distance that both vehicles usually have to cover.