In short: At "Leaving the Autobahn" the examiner mainly wants to see: Note the advance sign and the countdown markers, move to the right early; Mirrors, indicate right in good time, shoulder check right; Do not brake on the through carriageway; Only reduce speed on the deceleration lane. A severe mistake that can end the test: brake down to 80 km/h while still on the Autobahn.
You are driving in the right lane of the Autobahn at 120 km/h. You saw the advance sign 1000 m ago, and now the three-stripe countdown marker shows 300 m to your exit. The exit ends in a tight bend.
The examiner says„Verlassen Sie bitte die Autobahn an der nächsten Ausfahrt.“
"Please leave the Autobahn at the next exit."
What you have to show
- Note the advance sign and the countdown markers, move to the right early
- Mirrors, indicate right in good time, shoulder check right
- Do not brake on the through carriageway
- Only reduce speed on the deceleration lane
- Look at the speedometer: after the Autobahn your sense of speed is off
- Adapt speed for the tight bend
The right order
- Advance sign and countdown markers: stay in the right lane
- Mirrors, indicate right in good time
- Shoulder check right, move onto the deceleration lane without changing speed
- Brake only there, eye on the speedometer
- Adapt speed for the tight bend
Typical mistakes
What the examiner records in the protocol
The examiner files every situation under five competence areas in the electronic test protocol. This is how the points of this situation are spread:
- Note the advance sign and the countdown markers, move to the right early
- Look at the speedometer: after the Autobahn your sense of speed is off
- Do not brake on the through carriageway severe mistake
- Only reduce speed on the deceleration lane severe mistake
- Adapt speed for the tight bend
- Mirrors, indicate right in good time, shoulder check right
How the examiner grades: the electronic test protocol explained →
A strong answer
I note the advance sign and the countdown markers and stay in the right lane early. I check the mirrors, indicate right in good time and do a shoulder check to the right. I do not brake on the through carriageway, I move onto the deceleration lane at the same speed and only reduce speed there. While doing so I look at the speedometer, because after the Autobahn my sense of speed is off. For the tight bend at the end of the exit I adapt my speed.
What the law says
§ 7 (5) StVO: announce the lane change clearly and in good time. § 7a (3) StVO: on the deceleration lane you may drive slower than on the through carriageway. § 18 (7) and (10) StVO: turning around and reversing are prohibited, you leave the Autobahn only at signed exits (sign 333). Sign 448 (advance sign, 1000 m) and 450 (countdown markers, 300/200/100 m). Hatched areas (sign 298) must not be driven on.
Legal text: § 7 StVO · § 7a StVO · § 18 StVO · Anlage 2 StVO (Verkehrszeichen) (gesetze-im-internet.de)
Quick check
You have missed your exit. What do you do?
- Reverse on the hard shoulder
- Carry on to the next exit
- Slow down and cut over the hatched area into the exit
Show the answer
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