Car rental, Audi A4 Station Wagon in Munich

It's not Audi specific. It's an EU rule for newly registered cars since July 2024.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/edgarsten/2024/07/01/mandated-anti-speeding-tech-for-new-vehicles-begins-in-europe/

and if you ignore it or get angry at it the speed camera just beyond the sign will snap a neat cameo photo of you at the wheel and send you an expensive souvenir.

If you drive within the law the beeps won't happen. And Germans are sticklers for the law. There is no "fudge factor" or coasting down to the new speed. 50 means 50, and the sign showing a built up area is actually a speed limit sign until the one at the edge of town with the red line across it. And 30 or 15 in play areas really really means that. Every time you are in a 100 kph area on a rural road and you approach a crossroads the speed will drop to 70.

The car is doing you a favour and saving money and lives.

So how does the system deal with when you pass slow moving traffic on a 2 lane road?

I will save the webmaster the work and refrain from editorializing on this 'feature'

I wonder if youtube has any helpful hints...hmmmm.......

Nigel,

So far many do abide by the speed limit, but not the majority. At speed limits of 30 and 50 especially. I’ve pulled over so many times to let cars go by me that were ready to take my back bumper off.

To everyone driving for the first time in Germany and Austria. On secondary roads the speed limit is constantly changing. 50 for a mile or so, then 70, 80, back to 50, then 100. We were coming from Inzell to Berchtesgaden on the 305 or 306. Twisting turning roads where the speed limit was 100 but I can’t even see how anyone could maintain 60.

It is universal, and usually it's good. Most cars with this also allow you to set the car up so it will not exceed the speed limit. I don't mind it, much, but the DS model I'm in this past two weeks does upset me as it's "program" is too often wrong. You will find most people who drive in Europe use their cruise control for just this reason, something a lot of Americans have to learn. Set your cruise at 1 kph below the limit and cease being annoyed.

And seriously, you do not want to get a ticket. They get expensive fast.

Odd as it sounds, but in America, at least where I am in New Jersey, speed limit signs are a farce. I commute 95 miles round trip 5 days a week for the last 10 years. I drive Interstate 80, 287 and the Harden State Parkway. If I drove the posted speed limit, I’d be certainly dead or in too many accidents. In the 65 MPH highways, the typical speed is 80 MPH or higher. I’ve actually driven to work and back at 65 MPH. To do this I must stay in the far right lane and even then there will be cars on my rear bumper and then passing me., To sum it up, there is nearly zero enforcement of our speed limits that I have seen or heard about. Getting a ticket and fine for going over the speed limit is virtually unheard of around here.

You can switch off the ISA (for "Intelligent Speed Assistance") per ride.
Maybe wording in car system English is different. Path in Audi system:
"Car" --> "Assistance" --> "Traffic sign speed control" off.

After motor restart this setting is activated again and must be switched off again.

Tip: Long press on "Traffic sign speed control" lets you add the function to favorites, so the access gets easier.

Getting a ticket and fine for going over the speed limit is virtually unheard of around here.

This is due to a major cultural difference/mindset. In most of Western Europe breaking the law is a bad thing. It's looked down on, and those who do it are expected to be punished. All the laws, even small stuff like speed limits, jaywalking, etc. Shoplifting is virtually unheard of, unlike the USA. People wait for the lights at the corner to cross the street. Bums don't sleep on the streets without knowing the cops will roust them, and people like it this way.

I love America, but there are times when I prefer Europe.

Things are different in the US away from the coasts. I can personally attest to enforcement of speed limits in my metropolitan area. I think strict enforcement of all traffic laws would be a good way to balance the budget. Cellphone use while driving alone, would generate enough income to cover the deficit.

Interesting discussion. MarkK, thanks for clarifying that this is a feature that can be overridden.

I'm not a huge fan of government as Mommy. But if I move to Europe it's something I'll need to get used to.

Jphbucks,

It’s kind of maddening. I mean 1 KPH over the limit and it rings incessantly. Drive an hour on local roads and the speed limit changes so often that the car bings what seems to be constantly. Abiding by the law is one thing, but one single kilometer per hour over the limit and your car drives you mad. If this is the future, I’ll drive my 1972 Mercury Montego more often!

I have to agree with KGC. These are rule-based societies with a rule or protocol for everything. Some things may puzzle outsiders, but as you work your way through the situation, you begin to understand the logic. Cultural and mentality differences.

Germany is more rule based as far as I can tell. Jaywalking is just not done, for example. In Britain it’s very different. People cross the road any where, any time. If there’s a gap in traffic before the green man appears, I’m crossing.

We do have a lot of speed cameras. Nobody likes them.

Germany is more rule based as far as I can tell. Jaywalking is just not done, for example.

We saw plenty of jaywalking in Munich. Maybe university towns are different.

Some studies suggest that jaywalking is not less safe than crossing at zebra crossings. It's not clearcut either way. Original laws requiring pedestrians cross at corners were driven by auto manufacturers who didn't want their products slowed down by annoying pedestrians.

Drive an hour on local roads and the speed limit changes so often that the car bings what seems to be constantly.

Again, it's a different mindset. I work with a large number of Americans, and we have to train them on stuff like this. Americans tend to think they can slow down when they pass the speed limit signs. Europeans start breaking when they see the sign in the distance as that's where you need to be going the new limit. Cameras can, and sometimes are, set less than 100 meters into the speed zone. And there are speed zones that are not marked, such as the "in town" speed of 50 kph.

I personally think this is one of the reasons manual transmissions are much more prevalent than in the USA. Driving stick allows you to adjust your speed with much less requirement to use the brakes.

“Zebra stripes”, yes, people tend to use them, but many don’t. I had a few scares with people popping out from between parked cars on the 171 here in Austria, At the stripes I’ve noticed people don’t even slow down or look to see if cars are coming, they just go and cars stop suddenly.

Europeans start breaking when they see the sign in the distance

Can they be reassembled?

I personally think this is one of the reasons manual transmissions are much more prevalent than in the USA. Driving stick allows you to adjust your speed with much less requirement to use the brakes.

Yeah, that is really a great idea. Slowing down without your brake lights to warn those behind you.

After my 7 days with this “smart car”, driving the highways and secondary roads in Bavaria (south of Munich) and in Austria (between Salzburg and Innsbruck), I’d never want one of these cars. While drivers do obey speed limits, not enough do to make me feel comfortable IF my car had speed restrictions, a limiter, on it. Just last night in a light snow, driving from Hall in Tirol to Igls and back, drivers were flying by me as I did 85 to 90 in a 100 zone. Even on the twisting road to Igls I pulled over to let others pass, even though I was doing the speed limit. This has happened many times on our trip, pulling over while doing the speed limit to let others go past me.

No, it’s nowhere near as much of a free for all as in the NJ NYC area. As I said in an earlier post, driving the 65MPH speed limit on my daily commute, I am practically the slowest car on the road. While most on my commute on 80, 287 and the GSP are going between 75 and 90MPH, here in Bavaria and
Austria Id say half of drivers do not adhere to speed limits.

When I was in Rome it was standard to see cars jumping around their stalled lanes into the opposing side of the street (when there was no traffic coming) running down a stretch then making a turn or jumping back into their lane. Or is Italy not considered "Europe"?

Have to say I’ve driven in very Northern Italy, the Dolomites, and it’s more like home. Drivers pass on the opposing lanes on the scariest roads!

When I drove in Germany this September, one of the first things I did was change many of the car's settings. It did indeed have wayyyy too much going on for my taste. Having said that, I paid particular attention to the road signs and also experienced a kind of speed zone whiplash as the limits yo yo'd up and down. Good grief, what PITA. But, if you don't want to get ticketed, learn to deal with it. Driving along the Rhine where many side roads were entering, the limit was changing almost every 400 yards. I decided the easiest thing to do was simply not try to constantly follow it up and drive at a bit more leisurely pace. As soon as I did that (slowed down) a lot of the aggravation faded. Instead of trying to thrash the gear box, I went with the flow. If someone wanted to crawl up my tailpipe (always a Mercedes) I let them. The Autobahn was an entirely different story. I still followed the signs, but when there was not limit, I drove the wheels off of the car.
They say, when in Rome, and I think that somewhat applies here. You will not exert New Jersey behavior on a German road, ain't happening.

While most on my commute on 80, 287 and the GSP are going between 75 and 90MPH, here in Bavaria and
Austria Id say half of drivers do not adhere to speed limits.

Just to give you an idea of amount of speeding tickets in both countries.
Germany's authorities counted 2,458,975 cases of speeding violations in 2023.
Austria's authorities counted 6,160,271 cases of speeding violations in 2023.

I do not want to give any interpretation or valuation into these numbers because there are so many missing information, e. g. number of speed checks, citizenship of speeding violators.

Heads up for Austria: Since March 1, speeders in Austria have had to reckon with severe penalties and high fines. In the case of extreme speed limit violations, the vehicle can now also be confiscated. Within the first months of this regulation over 70 cars were confiscated.

The TL;DR here: Americans, wherever they go, see driving as a right that is unwavering. Europeans (especially northern Europeans) see it as the privilege it is, with consequences for reckless behavior.

I've been in a Euro spec car in the last year with all of the warnings and such - even rented it in Munich, so it was very much in German driving mode from the start. But if i drove the posted speed, no worries. It's a behavioral change from driving in the States but the adjustment didn't take long. And to be frank: it was pretty low stress.

And I did get a speeding ticket in Geneva, on the way to returning the car. I was caught going 2 km/h over a posted speed, which incurred a 40 Swiss franc fine (which I paid). As a person whose work involves safe street advocacy, I was pleased to see no wiggle room in their photo radar system. It keeps folks driving the posted speed - not the typical 11 mph (18 km/h) allowance here in the States.

One other thing to realize: most European drivers are far more skilled than U.S. ones. Driver education and licensing in most EU countries is comprehensive. Licensing tests are, more often than not, failed the first time because they test a broad range of skills in both the written and practical exams. Whereas in the U.S. we basically give away licenses with cursory exams and drivers seldom ever have to re-test to renew their licenses over the course of a lifetime.

To the OP: sorry it was so annoying but it's part of engaging with another culture.

Just my $0.02 - YMMV.

... most European drivers are far more skilled than U.S. ones.

I've driven in ten different European countries, and I have found little evidence to support this blanket statement. There are both good and bad drivers in Europe, just as in the US.

Yes, “when in Rome”. I understand and it’s simply the fact I’ve never driven a car with so much monitoring stuff. I can get used to anything in time, so as long as I’m in Europe I’ll take it in stride. I’m not ready for this much in a car at home though.

R.D. REIT is correct about the skill level of the average driver due to the intensive training and testing. The average driver is using narrow lanes, tight parking spaces, commonly backing into small spaces, using crowded roundabouts 1-4 lanes deep. I’ve noted this for years here in France.

Again, while I was in Rome the traffic signs were said to be "suggestions" but the skill level was very high. I complimented my taxi driver, going to the Airport, on local skill and he said they "drive to the millimeter" in a way that suggested it was a well known phrase. Not a driver, don't know.