Autobahnpolizei is the term in Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, Austria

Austria

Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...

 and the German-speaking parts of Switzerland

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 for the highway patrol

Highway patrol

A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...

. Heavy traffic and high-speed accidents resulted in the creation of special police units to patrol the expressways known as Autobahnen.

Organisation

Although the autobahns are federal roads, the Autobahnpolizei are always part of the state police (Landespolizei

Landespolizei

thumb|[[Germany|German]] police officer in [[Hamburg]]The Landespolizei are the main police forces of Germany. They are under the sole jurisdiction, funded and operated by the states of Germany.-History:...

).

Operations

Autobahnpolizei officers facilitate and regulate the flow of traffic, help motorists whose vehicles have broken down on the Autobahn and rapidly respond to accidents. Vehicle safety checks and crime prevention at rest stops are also part of the Autobahnpolizei’s duties.

Investigation sections probe crime at rest stops and the movement of criminals and smugglers on the Autobahn, often together with German Customs. The Autobahnpolizei also use fast unmarked vehicles with video cameras discreetly mounted front and back to follow and film reckless drivers and speeders. Approximately 30% of autobahns in Germany have a compulsory and permanent speed limit of 130km/h or less, primarily in urban areas. On the remainder, the 130km/h speed limit is only advisory.

Media

Alarm für Cobra 11 - Die Autobahnpolizei is a popular German television series about a two-man team of Autobahnpolizei first set in Berlin

Berlin

Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...

 then later in North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia

North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...

.

See also

• Highway patrol
  Highway patrol
  A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
  
   (USA)
• Road Policing Unit
  Road Policing Unit
  The Road Policing Unit is the term for the Highway patrol within the majority of British police forces.-Responsibilities:RPUs work with the National Roads Policing Strategy, which has five strands:* Casualty reduction.* Counter-terrorism....
  
   (UK)
• Traffic corps
  Garda Traffic Corps
  The Garda Traffic Corps is a unit of an Garda Síochána under Road Safety, Law Enforcement Branch.The Traffic Corps' main area of responsibility is ensuring the free movement of traffic and enforcement of all aspects of traffic legislation. The Traffic Corps was established in 1925 and each Garda...
  
  (Ireland)