Latest news with #autobahn
Yahoo
22-07-2025
- Yahoo
10 crucial mistakes to avoid when driving long-distance with kids
Getting anywhere with children can be painful. Even a trip to the supermarket is likely to involve 'Are we nearly there yet?', loud singing, sibling arguments and, potentially, an unscheduled nap. Venture further and the problems multiply. Motion sickness, toileting accidents and boredom-induced tantrums become the norm. Don't let it ruin your holiday. Here are the dos and don'ts of navigating the longest of journeys peacefully and drama-free. 1. Don't take the scenic route Yes, that mountain pass comes with unsurpassed views. But it also involves endless switchbacks guaranteed to elicit vomit from anyone under the age of 12. If people in the car are prone to motion sickness, it might be better to stick to the motorway, or choose a less windy destination altogether. 2. Do factor in loo stops There's nothing worse than the dreaded backseat jiggle when you're stuck in a traffic jam or driving the narrow curves of a coast road. Stopping on either for a quick tinkle could be unsafe – and, in some places, illegal (unscheduled breaks on Germany's autobahn can result in prosecution). Plan toilet stops before you set out to avoid anyone being caught short – and keep an eye on the satnav so you can take an emergency break pre-pile-up. 3. Don't let them choose the music When you've listened to The Duck Song on repeat for the length of the Channel Tunnel, it won't just be the children bringing tears and tantrums to the car. Make a playlist of things that you all enjoy, choose family-friendly stories such as the brilliantly comforting A Bear called Paddington read by Stephen Fry – or give them a device with headphones and Spotify if they're old enough to manage the music themselves. 4. Don't leave the tablets too late If your child needs travel sickness pills to stop them being ill, note that these usually need a bit of time to kick-in before they start to work. For Kwells Kids, it's 20 to 30 minutes before the journey. And beware of other things that might exacerbate motion sickness, such as too much sun, a lack of fresh air or strong-smelling food in the car. 5. Do keep a change of clothes to hand Sickness, surprise wees or even just a few errant dribbles of service station ice cream make keeping everything in the suitcase seem like folly. Have a spare set of clothes in the car for emergencies to avoid the dreaded boot rummage. 6. Don't leave early That's when the world and his wife will be leaving, while a smug few start out at lunchtime and arrive in exactly the same amount of time. If you're determined to beat the traffic, early really has to mean before 7am. In our (very unofficial) study using Google Maps, leaving south east London at 8.59am meant getting to Newquay 5 hours and 37 minutes later. Leaving after lunch at 2pm, just in time for toddler naps and after a sustaining lunch, added just 20 minutes to the journey. 7. Do factor in nap time Most young children eventually fall asleep in the car. But, unless the journey is during nap or night time, it means they're likely to be wide awake for much longer than they should be at the other end. Consider tag-teaming the drive late in the evening and transferring kids straight to bed at your destination, or finish an afternoon nap with a stop for fresh air and a runaround to wake them up before continuing onwards. 8. Don't pick the wrong car seat The journey from toddler seat to booster is a rite of passage for some kids (to embark on it, they must weigh more than 15kg by law, while new boosters are only made for those more than 22kg). But, on long journeys, those who have just made the transition may find things uncomfortable due to a lack of support and, potentially, a seat belt that digs in. If they're still also within the weight and height restrictions for their previous seat, consider swapping back for a long journey. It's also worth noting that Which? research found backless boosters unsafe, stating that 'booster seats offer very little protection in a crash, particularly if the vehicle is hit from the side'. 9. Don't ignore are-we-nearly-there-yet boredom Unless you want to deal with long, tear-stained stretches, have things on hand for when tedium strikes. Games help (see below), but so do snacks and small presents (keep them in the front and dole them out to surprised 'ooohs'). Smaller children will love sticker books and toys made especially for the car, such as activity trays and pretend steering wheels (make sure there is an adult in the back to supervise younger kids). 10. Don't let them get too hot Irritability or, worse, a bout of sickness can be sparked by a sweltering car journey. Consider shades for the back windows, water bottles that have been kept in the freezer, and car-seat fans if the air conditioning doesn't quite cut it. If you're planning a long drive in the heat, it might even be worth considering a Noggle – a device which attaches to an air conditioning vent in the front of the car and directs cool air into the back. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more. Solve the daily Crossword
National Post
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- National Post
Germany's autobahn cracks as heat wave strikes Europe
Germany will carry out emergency repairs on its autobahn this weekend after extreme heat in recent days blew up large chunks of concrete along key stretches of the highway. Article content Temperatures of up to 39C caused the material to expand and crack open roads in various parts of the country, leading to hours-long traffic jams. With summer breaks beginning in many German states on Friday, repair works over the weekend are set to impact traffic flows further. Article content Article content Article content The phenomenon known as 'blow-ups' occurs when concrete expands and has nowhere to go, leading to sudden fractures or cracks. It mostly affects older, heavily used or previously repaired highways during high temperatures, especially ones that aren't layered with asphalt. German authorities have prepared for the event by lowering speed limits along older sections of the road during summer — a noticeable measure in the only industrialized nation without a general speed limit on highways. Article content Article content Germany and the wider region have faced increasingly intense and frequent heat waves, with Europe warming twice as fast as the global average since the 1980s as a result of climate change. The scorching temperatures pose risks for critical infrastructure as well as human health. Article content While works to repair the damage in Germany have started, a highway section in the heavily-trafficked Ruhr area will be closed completely in one direction from Friday night until Monday morning to cover up remaining cracks and holes. In the western-central state of Hesse, five metres of the road were 'chiseled up and the broken pieces removed,' the local representation of Germany's highway authority said on Thursday. Workers have since replaced it with new asphalt. Article content Article content While the fallout from the heat is likely to cause frustration for German drivers as they embark on their summer holidays, high temperatures have also led to more grave consequences in parts of Europe this week, with the Greek island of Crete battling wildfires that have forced thousands of residents and tourists to evacuate. In Spain, Italy and France, several heat-related deaths have been recorded. Article content
Bloomberg
04-07-2025
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
Germany's Autobahn Cracks After Heat Wave Hits Europe
Germany will carry out emergency repairs on its autobahn this weekend after extreme heat in recent days blew up large chunks of concrete along key stretches of the highway. Temperatures of up to 39C (102F) caused the material to expand and crack open roads in various parts of the country, leading to hours-long traffic jams. With summer breaks beginning in many German states on Friday, repair works over the weekend are set to impact traffic flows further.
Top Gear
03-07-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
The kings of speed: five of Top Gear mag's greatest memories in a Bugatti
Advertisement We had 24 hours with a Chiron Super Sport – what would you have done? If your answer is drive at over 200mph on the autobahn and then join a public session at the Nürburgring then great minds think alike. The only spanner in our plan was the sheet rain falling when we arrived at the circuit. I decided to go out in the car anyway with a very wide-eyed Andy Wallace riding shotgun – especially when we snapped sideways and the windows filled with Armco. We managed to stay on the tarmac, barely, and with refrigerated tyres we struggled to keep pace with the diesel BMW 3 Series Compact in front. Head over to the Top Gear YouTube channel and you can watch the whole ordeal in glorious 4K. Advertisement - Page continues below I'm a long way from being a racing driver. But how's this for a list of racing driver excuses? On the day life presented me with the chance to hit 250mph in a Chiron, it was too hot and humid for the W16 to make max power. The US spec petrol was low on octane, the wind was gusting on an active military runway (NASA's Cape Canaveral) that could be closed at any moment. Several runs were postponed. The engine baked in the summer heat. Time at the location was ultra tight. It came down to one attempt, one run, no second chances... and the Super Sport went and did it. A GPS verified 250mph, in worst-case scenario conditions, with a petrified driver. That's how easily a Bugatti hits record speeds. You might like Ollie Marriage: warped speed I'd been going to Bruntingthorpe for years. A solid two miles of cold war runway that knew its time was up. Crumbling surface, weeds on the fringes, broken bits of aeroplane in the bushes. And yet somehow, the best place in the UK to go fast. But not 200mph fast. I'd wrung stuff out there so many times, had cars tapping the 155mph limiter, once had a TVR Tuscan off the dial at 210mph, only for the GPS trace to reveal the truth – 178mph. And then I sent a Veyron down its crusted runway. I remember the sense of rumbling power, the sheer force that kept building and building, and glancing down to see the needle sweep innocuously past 200mph barely beyond the halfway point. Advertisement - Page continues below Tom Ford: eager to police A story well told by now, but a few years ago, I was tasked with picking up the Bugatti Veyron world record car from the factory and driving it across and down the Stelvio Pass. Tough job and all that. But it wasn't the autobahn-in-a-Veyron that turned out to be the focus, even though that's another story entirely. It was the ride I gave to the local Italian carabinieri who'd organised the road closures for TG. The back side of the Stelvio Pass is much more open and we only went for a quick 15 minute blast – but when we got back, the cop got out of the car, kissed the ground and cried. Loudly. We'd been down the – closed – single track road a little too fast for his constitution, apparently. Jason Barlow: blade runner The launch of the Bugatti Veyron was the hot ticket of 2005. Dogged by developmental issues and behind schedule, there were murmurings perhaps it was simply never going to happen. But here it was, at last. I covered it, and recall one of my colleagues – a well-known figure in the car mag world and an awesome driver – being uncharacteristically nervous as we boarded the helicopter that was taking us from Palermo to the venue, a medieval winery near Madonie. He was right to be – we landed safely but on the next flight the pilot misjudged things and the tail rotor clipped a concrete outbuilding. Fortunately no one was hurt. And the car? Well it didn't miss a beat. The drama, it turned out, was elsewhere... See more on Supercars
Top Gear
16-06-2025
- Automotive
- Top Gear
Audi Q6 Sportback e-tron Driving, Engines & Performance
Driving What is it like to drive? It might sound like damning with faint praise, but one of the virtues of the Q6 Sportback e-tron is that it's the sort of car that you can just jump in and get on with driving. It feels large on the move (visibility could be better, it's hard to judge where the car's extremities are), but will lollop along in a laidback manner. On the smooth roads around Munich we could immediately see how Audi has largely catered the car to the tastes of its home market. It's remarkably refined on the autobahn, keeping things hushed all the way past speeds that in the UK would see you in the queue for a bus pass almost as quickly. Advertisement - Page continues below So not really that fun to drive then? The bulk of the range does a very professional, competent job of getting you about the place, but another surprise is the SQ6, which while falling short of being what you might call 'fun' at least combines a startling turn of speed (4.3 seconds to 62mph) with perky handling that tricks you into thinking the car is more lithe and slinky than it really is. The quattro four-wheel-drive system is more of a psychological boost than a practical one in everyday driving. You'd be perfectly happy in the rear-wheel-drive version, which never really feels like it's going to trouble the electronic safety wizardry. Whether we'd say the same thing on greasy December roads is another thing. What about range and powertrain options? Official WLTP range is 339 miles in the 83kWh car, 408 miles in the RWD performance spec car, 395 in the quattro AWD model and 377 miles in the S-badged car. But how close you get to those numbers depends on how much of the performance you try and use. There are three flavours of powertrain – your standard setup, then 'performance' and 'quattro'. The entry one only comes with the 83kWh battery and produces 249bhp, upping it to 288bhp for brief periods if you use the launch control feature, when it'll do 0–62mph in 7.0s (7.6s if you don't – on all the other models where it's featured, it only makes a 0.1s difference). Advertisement - Page continues below Performance comes with the big battery and unlocks a higher power of 302bhp, which rises to 322bhp in launch control mode and 6.6s to 62mph. Quattro offers 383bhp whether you like or not (5.9s to 62mph) and the SQ5 is the perkiest with three e-motors producing 482bhp/510bhp and getting the car to 62mph in 4.3s. Top speed is 130mph unless you're in the SQ5, then it's 143mph. Phew. We've seen fewer numbers in a sudoku. And charging? How delicately can we put this – there's been a temptation with some of the EVs emerging out of the Volkswagen Group to chase headline charging figures that you'll manage for about 30 seconds on an extension cable coming out the side of a nuclear power station, after which electricity dribbles in. The Q6 Sportback e-tron manages to avoid the worst of this through 800V charging, improved thermal management, and the sheer size of its batteries. But peak charge speeds are 225kW for the smaller battery, 260kW for the larger batteried RWD car and 270kW for the others. Audi says the RWD performance car will get from 10 to 80 per cent in 22 minutes, or to put it another way you'll get 165 miles in 10 minutes at an appropriately powerful plug. If all you can find is a 50kW charger you'll be there for weeks with batteries this size, mind. Highlights from the range the fastest 285kW Quattro 100kWh S Line 5dr Auto [S+V] 0-62 5.9s CO2 0 BHP 382.2 MPG Price £74,950 the cheapest 185kW 83kWh Sport 5dr Auto 0-62 7.6s CO2 0 BHP 248.1 MPG Price £62,950 the greenest 285kW Quattro 100kWh S Line 5dr Auto [S+V] 0-62 5.9s CO2 0 BHP 382.2 MPG Price £74,950
