Germany has no general speed limit, only a "Richtgeschwindigkeit", which means "Reference Speed", of 130 km/h. You're not supposed to go over that even in good conditions, though you won't get in trouble if you do. You do accept extra liability for any crash you might get in, or even be the cause of (say, someone who quickly gets out of your way didn't look properly and crashes into another car. You might be held liable for that too, if they can prove your indirect involvement.) one indirectly. In that case you can get in big trouble.
There are extra speed limits, indicated by round signs with red border and the speed in the middle in some areas, though. Those you are not allowed to exceed, or you get in trouble.
Tailgating is an offense here. Even if it's just for a second (if the tailgater is only about a meter away), it's considered coercion, and you can be punished for that.
And Germany has less deaths and accidents than Germany compared to the US (and taking into account the difference in population, of course). Of course, this might also be due to the fact that not every idiot can get a driver's licence if they want to - you might recall my troubles at passing the theory test, for example.
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