Speed feedbackGermany

An introduction to the traffic rules and road signs of Germany. Learn about driving, road safety and much more in our illustrated book, with answers to frequently asked questions.

For informational purposes only. Always follow official regulations. Some content and images were created with AI assistance.


59. Speed feedback

Speed feedback is a traffic-safety system that measures an approaching vehicle's speed and displays it back to the driver. The display may show the measured speed together with a message, colour or symbol indicating whether the vehicle is travelling within the applicable speed limit.

Speed feedback displays are intended primarily to make drivers aware of their speed and encourage them to slow down when necessary. They normally serve a preventive or educational purpose rather than establishing a new speed limit.

Speed feedback
Temporary speed-feedback display on Am Feldbrand. (Bochum-Linden, Germany)
Wikimedia.org • Sebastian Martin Dicke • CC BY-SA
What does a speed-feedback display show drivers in Germany?

A speed-feedback display gives an approaching driver information about their speed or a response to it. For example, Berlin’s school-route displays use a green smiling face for compliance and a red unhappy face for excessive speed. Such feedback should be read alongside the road’s legally applicable speed limit.

🔗 gesetze-im-internet.de • Germany StVO: §§3,39–42; Annex 2, sign 274; municipal display examples

🔗 berlin.de • Berlin: school-route speed-feedback displays, 23 October 2024

Does the number on a speed-feedback board set the legal speed limit in Germany?

Normally no. A reading showing your measured speed is not itself a new regulatory limit. The limit comes from applicable laws and legally prescribed fixed or variable speed-limit signs; a separate enforceable speed sign must still be obeyed.

🔗 gesetze-im-internet.de • Germany StVO: §§3,39–42; Annex 2, sign 274; municipal display examples

Is every speed-feedback board an enforcement camera in Germany?

No. Many feedback signs are installed for education and speed awareness. Speed enforcement may occur separately or nearby, so do not assume there is no enforcement; observe the legal limit regardless of whether you see a camera.

🔗 gesetze-im-internet.de • Germany StVO: §§3,39–42; Annex 2, sign 274; municipal display examples

🔗 berlin.de • Berlin: speed-feedback and road-safety data, 24 February 2025

1 Germany 2 Motorway 3 Expressway 4 Residential area 5 Zone 6 Speed limit 7 Footpath 8 Bike path 9 Shared-use path 10 Pedestrian warning 11 Tunnel 12 Bridge 13 Cycling street 14 Pedestrian zone 15 Toll road 16 Customs 17 One-way traffic 18 Quay 19 Slope 20 Bus lane 21 Bus stop 22 Dead end 23 Stop sign 24 Give way 25 Roundabout 26 Priority road 27 Road narrowing 28 Priority over oncoming traffic 29 Give way to oncoming traffic 30 Pedestrian crossing 31 Railway crossing 32 Mandatory direction 33 School area 34 Overtaking 35 Crossing animals 36 Slippery road 37 Rockfall 38 Aircraft 39 Curve 40 Chevron 41 Wrong-way driving 42 Roadworks 43 Crosswind 44 Height limit 45 Width limit 46 Length limit 47 Weight limit 48 Radar speed sign 49 Selective barriers 50 Low-emission zone 51 Intersection direction sign 52 Priority at the next junction 53 Traffic lights 54 Traffic lights warning 55 Pedestrian lights 56 Road markings 57 Junction layout 58 Bike box 59 Speed feedback 60 Driving licence 61 Location marker 62 Countdown markers 63 Traffic mirror 64 Emergency telephone 65 International border 66 Pedestrian underpass 67 Cycling route 68 End of restriction 69 Parking 70 No parking 71 No stopping 72 Parallel parking 73 Park and ride 74 Kiss and ride 75 Parking meter 76 Parking disc 77 Disabled parking 78 Traffic management 79 Reversing 80 Traffic jam 81 Detour 82 Uncontrolled crossroad 83 Road surface 84 Exit 85 Horse riding 86 Provisional licence 87 Hazardous cargo 88 Emergency exit 89 Runaway truck ramp 90 Oversize load 91 Cycle highway 92 Carsharing 93 City limit 94 Gantry 95 Distance board 96 Breakdown bay 97 Hiking 98 Pavement parking 99 Road church 100 Tourist attraction ...