41 km/h over the limit in Germany: a ban on the open road
From 41 km/h over, a German speeding offence costs you a month without driving even on country roads and motorways.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · Method
41 km/h outside towns: first month of ban
Total including fees
€348.50
| Excess after tolerance | 41 km/h |
| Points | 2 |
| Driving ban | 1 month |
| Probation | A offence |
Driving a car 41 to 50 km/h too fast in Germany is the first band with a driving ban outside built-up areas. The fine catalogue sets €320, two Flensburg points and a one-month Fahrverbot (driving ban) on open roads; with fees the notice comes to €348.50. In town the band costs €400, also with two points and one month, €428.50 in total. At 40 km/h over outside towns it would still have been €200 and a single point. Because almost every reading on a country road or Autobahn is above 100 km/h, 3 per cent is deducted: on a 100 km/h road you need a reading of 146 km/h to reach 41 km/h over. If you had no ban in the two years before the offence, you may start it whenever suits you within 4 months of the decision becoming final. The month counts from the day the authority receives your licence.
The open-road cushion ends here
Up to 40 km/h over, German law treats speeding on country roads and motorways more gently than in towns. At 41 km/h the cushion is gone: a one-month ban applies on the Autobahn too, and the offence scores two points instead of one. For a car, the step from 40 to 41 km/h over outside towns is the costliest in the whole table: €200 becomes €320, one point becomes two and a month without a licence is added. Drivers who commute on fast roads, or who drive long distances on weekends to visit family, meet this band more often than city drivers. In town the ban has applied since 31 km/h over; here the fine simply rises to €400.
Camera readings that reach the band
On fast roads, readings above 100 km/h lose 3 per cent, rounded down, according to the rules of the national metrology institute (PTB). The table gives the lowest reading that leaves 41 km/h over on common types of road:
| Road | Lowest reading | After tolerance | Fine | Ban |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-up area, 50 km/h | 94 km/h | 91 km/h | €400 | 1 month |
| Outside towns, 70 km/h | 115 km/h | 111 km/h | €320 | 1 month |
| Country road, 100 km/h | 146 km/h | 141 km/h | €320 | 1 month |
| Autobahn, 120 km/h | 166 km/h | 161 km/h | €320 | 1 month |
| Autobahn, 130 km/h | 177 km/h | 171 km/h | €320 | 1 month |
Germany's famous unrestricted Autobahn stretches carry an advisory speed of 130 km/h but no limit, so no speeding fine applies there. Variable signs above the lanes, though, are binding limits and are often enforced by cameras.
Timing the ban around your life
For most people this is a first ban, which brings the four-month window of Section 25(2a) StVG. The ban takes effect at the latest 4 months after the decision becomes final, and until then you choose. In practice:
- Note the delivery date printed on the yellow envelope.
- Add 2 weeks: that is when the notice becomes final if nobody objects.
- From then you have 4 months and may keep driving.
- Send your licence to the authority named in the notice by registered post, or hand it in in person.
- The month starts when it arrives; the licence comes back at the end, by post if you ask.
Expats often line the month up with a long visit home or a quieter month at work. If you rely on the car for school runs, look at the Deutschlandticket or a bike for the month before you pick the date.
No window after a recent ban
If you had a ban that became final in the two years before this offence, the window does not apply. The new ban starts when you hand in your licence and no later than one month after the decision becomes final. Separate bans run one after the other. The notice has to say which rule applies to you, so read that sentence first. The driving ban guide covers what happens with EU and non-EU licences.
Towing a trailer lowers the bar
Hire a trailer for a move to a new flat or tow a caravan to the Alps, and table 1 a applies instead of the car table. A car with a trailer is usually limited to 80 km/h outside towns, even on the Autobahn, so 41 km/h over is reached at a reading of 125 km/h, a speed that would be legal for the car alone on many stretches. The fine in that table is €480 outside towns with 1 month, and in town €560 with 2 months.
Five years of points
Bans come with two points under annex 13 of the Driving Licence Ordinance, which stay until 60 months after the decision is final. For drivers on probation it is an A offence with a remedial course. The costs under Section 107 OWiG are €28.50 because five per cent of €320 is below the minimum fee. Try your own figures in the fine calculator, or look at the next band on the page on 51 km/h over.