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Expressway (Kraftfahrstraße)
From this sign, the rules for traffic on Kraftfahrstraßen apply.
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When you see the Zeichen
From this sign onward, the special rules for Kraftfahrstraßen apply. Check whether your vehicle is capable of travelling faster than 60 km/h by design, and pay particular attention to the prohibitions on stopping, turning around and reversing.
Rules
- Only motor vehicles whose design-related maximum speed is more than 60 km/h may use a Kraftfahrstraße; this also applies to trailers being towed.
- Turning around, reversing and stopping are prohibited; the stopping prohibition also applies on the Seitenstreifen. Stopping because of a breakdown or another emergency remains permitted.
- On Kraftfahrstraßen, you may only enter at intersections or junctions, and you may only leave at those locations.
- Within built-up areas, the general speed limit is 50 km/h. Outside built-up areas, the general speed limit for cars without trailers is 100 km/h; on roads with physically separated carriageways, there is no general maximum speed unless another speed limit applies, but the advisory speed of 130 km/h applies.
- Pedestrians, bicycles, mopeds and other vehicles that do not meet the access requirements may not use the Kraftfahrstraße.
Tips
- As early as the entrance, check whether your vehicle or combination is capable of travelling faster than 60 km/h by design.
- Do not confuse a Kraftfahrstraße with an Autobahn: intersections, junctions and even traffic lights may be present.
- To stop, use a regular exit or a clearly designated parking area; the Seitenstreifen is not a parking area.
- Never try to deal with a missed exit by turning around or reversing. Continue to the next permitted exit instead.
Common misunderstandings
- The sign does not impose a minimum speed of 60 km/h. What matters is that the vehicle's design-related maximum speed is more than 60 km/h.
- Many learner drivers assume that every Kraftfahrstraße automatically has no speed limit or an advisory speed of 130 km/h. This is only the case when there are no different speed signs and the carriageways are physically separated.
- A Kraftfahrstraße is not automatically an Autobahn. It may have at-grade intersections, traffic lights or oncoming traffic without physical separation.
Exam tip
A typical exam trap concerns the statement that every vehicle must travel at least 60 km/h on a Kraftfahrstraße. The correct rule is: its design-related maximum speed must be more than 60 km/h; the actual speed driven depends on traffic, visibility, weather and signs.
Did you know
Kraftfahrstraßen can also run through geschlossene Ortschaften. Zeichen 331.1 does not automatically remove the inner-city maximum speed of 50 km/h.
Frequently asked questions
May I drive onto a Kraftfahrstraße with a moped?
No. A typical moped or moped-style light motorcycle has a design-related maximum speed of no more than 60 km/h and therefore does not meet the access requirement.
Does the advisory speed of 130 km/h always apply on a Kraftfahrstraße?
No. It applies to cars and certain other motor vehicles only on sections with physically separated carriageways where no speed limit has been imposed; within built-up areas, the general speed limit is 50 km/h, and outside built-up areas on sections without physically separated carriageways, the general speed limit for cars without trailers is 100 km/h.
May I stop briefly on the Seitenstreifen?
No, stopping is also prohibited on the Seitenstreifen. Only an unavoidable emergency, such as a breakdown, justifies stopping there.
May a car with a trailer use the Kraftfahrstraße?
Yes, provided that both the towing vehicle and the trailer being towed are each designed for a maximum speed of more than 60 km/h. In addition, the speed limits applicable to the vehicle combination must be observed.
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