Autobahnfahrt (motorway lesson)
Also known as: Motorway special-purpose lesson · Autobahn-Sonderfahrt
The Autobahnfahrt is one of three German Sonderfahrt types in Klasse B: four mandatory hours on motorways or expressways. It covers on/off ramps, lane changes, speed handling, and following distance.
The Autobahnfahrt covers compulsory training for higher speeds and multi-lane carriageways. Annex 3 of the German Driver-Training Ordinance (FahrschAusbO) requires at least four hours on:
- Federal motorways (Bundesautobahnen), or
- Expressways (Kraftfahrstraßen) with separated directional carriageways.
Focus areas:
- Joining flowing traffic (accelerating to lane speed, no “creeping in”),
- Lane changes with shoulder check (Schulterblick) and indicator,
- Safe following distance at higher speeds — at 130 km/h, roughly 70 metres,
- Behaviour at junctions and service areas.
Students trained in rural regions without a nearby motorway sometimes complete their mandatory hours in one block after a longer drive to the nearest motorway. That is permitted as long as the required hours are met. For UK or US readers: there is no direct equivalent — the German motorway lesson is a structured curriculum item, not just road exposure.
Sources
Updated