In Germany, when highway traffic slows to a walking speed or stops completely, all vehicles are obliged to move to the side to create an open lane in the middle. This free lane, or Rettungsgasse, is for emergency vehicles only, and must be wide enough for a firetruck or snowplow. While regular traffic may be partially off the shoulder, they aren't moving anyway. Meanwhile, ambulances and wreckers can speed along on the pavement. An English translation of German Wikipedia explains how Rettungsgasse works, as well as traffic jam rules for other countries. -via TYWKIWDBI
Would it be the same if they had simply stayed in their lanes and leave the shoulder for emergency vehicles to pass through?
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What a great idea! In the US, we waste a lot of money by paving shoulders, which sit unused most of the time. But the Germans have eliminated the need for a shoulder by having each lane donate half of its space in the middle. Simple and effective.
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There are many roads down here with little or no shoulder that could use this method.
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