HANOVER: Most of the time, it’s impossible to get any reception on a car radio when driving through a tunnel. But according to a German safety inspection group, there are some tunnels where radio usage is actually possible - and encouraged.
These tunnels tend to be more than 500 metres in length and are usually part of a highway or freeway. In the famed Gotthard Tunnel in Switzerland or Hamburg’s Elbe Tunnel, for example, special broadcast systems have been installed to ensure proper radio reception.
Leading up to the entrance of these kinds of tunnels, there are in fact signs that instruct drivers to turn on their radios, and for good reason: if there is an accident or fire in the tunnel, police road patrols can provide traffic warnings or even instructions to create aisles or use evacuation corridors.
TUV Nord says these announcements will automatically be broadcast on the car radio when it is turned on and the "traffic announcement" function has been activated.
