meanwhile if you did this in my home country, half the people there would just pass to the corridor never questioning for a single second why that corridor exists and why all the others are not using it
this post was submitted on 14 May 2026
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Yep, we do not have the wide ass shoulders on our Autobahn network. We also know how to merge using the entire merging lane and the zipper effect. In the USA, it's cross the white line at lower speeds to create an accordion effect.
Americans would be too angry about the one or two cars or motorcycles that might occasionally take advantage to be able to do this. Even merging results in a lot of grumpy drivers trying to prevent "cutting".
Great idea, though.
Driving through the rettungsgasse is punished very heavily though
Americans literally do the same thing...
As a german I'm always flabbergasted when people from other countries are amazed by that. It makes sense to do that - help get's faster to the accident and therefore the road will be cleared much faster than if the emergency services are stuck somewhere in the traffic jam. Do you have this strange behavior in other parts of your daily life, too?
I know atleast one country where half the people there would try to use that corridor. So yea it requires some couple levels in civilization.
This would require people capable of thinking and having empathy for others
In the US? You mean other than keeping the shittiest health care system in the world just to be sure no money would go to someone who can't pay?
Our culture is narcissism
Here in America you'd get people peeling through the middle
That's what's amazing to me. Every single driver resisting the urge to cut the line when the opportunity is right there? Couldn't be America.
It's also severly punished
Around here, emergency vehicles just drive in the shoulder when this happens.
We Brits got rid of a lot of them (and laughably called them "smart" motorways), so now we just sit there and watch people burn.
Yes, but you're ignoring the advantages of smart motorways. By removing the hard shoulder, that ensures people who break down can block an entire lane and endanger themselves and others in the process! Smart! Bonus! Win! 👍👍👍👍
How can there be traffic if there are two empty lanes? We’ve already added more lanes, the traffic has been solved. If the ambulance needs to get through, they should add a fifth lane. (/s)
I didn‘t see any comment mentioning this, but not creating an emergency lane only 10 years ago was a huge problem in Germany. Then the government increased the fines massively and started a big awareness campaign. It took several years, but now it is the norm.
Intervention and change is possible as long as their is political will.
That push in Germany quickly got wider EU traction & it's finally starting (5~10 years ago?) to be the norm in the main countries too (not just for when the traffic stops completely but even in cases of slow moving traffic like below 60 or maybe 80km/h).
Thx!
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wait hold on. i don't see an emergency vehicle. you just do this because traffic is stopped?
Yes, we are taught to move left or right to create a middle lane during a traffic jam.
how do you think it would work if they only did it when there was an ambulance?
That's how it works in the UK. You see a blue light in your rearview, then everyone tries to find space and the emergency vehicle proceeds at a clip of 5-10mph, while the affected people ahead burn/bleed etc.
Same way as in statesia. It wouldn't
In Paris, government people and/or VIP use fake ambulances to take advantage of this and avoid being stuck with us peons.
What would they do if it was five lanes each direction?
Everyone goes to the right, except the left most lane. They go to the left. This is independent of the number of lanes.
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