h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm sorry for the loss of Information in the edited entry. with >1.000.000 German Autobahn km's on my record, I have experienced almost everything You describe.

It was a good idea to provide a link to Your "director's cut"!!

jfsjbb

One little bit of information which might be useful for someone planning a trip. Is that lorries are not usually allowed to travel on Sundays and public holidays which makes travel somewhat easier.

I have often found that traffic hold-ups mentioned on the radio are no longer there when you get to that bit of the motorway. Instead, there are hold-ups elsewhere which are not mentioned.

Sorry to put this in at this conversation. I have now read all your article and your home page and all the conversations and think you have put in a lot of thought and well done.

Thank you all, and sorry for my laziness. I seem to loose track of my conversations.
After reviewing the entry again, I think an Addendum would be necessary:

There is a way to survive in a 'longitudinal wave' situation: (1) Keep distance. (2) Keep even more distance. (3) Keep an offset to one side of the car in front of you, so that you can see what the cars 4 to 6 --preferably even more -- positions ahead are doing, and slow down (or accelerate) according to that. Apart from avoiding a collision, do not rely on the car immediately in front.
And 'Surfing' this type of wave means the following: Being on the left lane, switch to the right as soon as car No.10 in front starts braking and if it is safe to do so. Maintain speed, and see cars No.1 to 15 vanish in the rearview mirror (this is not overtaking on the inside! Here we have two columns driving with different speed, and in this situation either of them may be somewhat faster than the other). Wait for a gap on the other lane, and take the chance. Repetition of these steps is quite similar to surfing.

'Spurrillen' (troughs or ditches in the lane) carry twofold danger for beginners: if you can handle them in dry weather, you must not rest on your laurels. Spurrillen filled with water behave completely different, because of aquaplaning, ie, loss of direct contact between concrete and the tyres. Cars do not have wings or other guidance surfaces (in contrast to hovercraft), therefore they get out of control even at rather moderate speeds.