Here’s Why Germany Must Not Abandon The Derestricted Autobahn
Earlier this week we learned of an official report suggesting the German government could bring an end to derestricted Autobahns in order to cut emissions. All EU governments are bound by carbon reduction targets set out in law with huge fines for failing to meet them. Make no mistake; this suggestion will be taken seriously.
Motorways without speed limits are as German as currywurst. It’s hard to picture a Germany where they were no longer a fact of life. Their presence is a statement that the German driver knows what he or she is doing. It’s an implicit ‘we’ve got this,’ thanks to excellent training and a very German ability to maintain focus and control.
The times are a’changing, though, and faster than ever. The last 20 years have probably seen greater societal change than the previous 50. Crucially, people are changing as quickly as the times.
The German youth is changing too, in its own fashion. Backed by younger, safety-minded people Germany could, very feasibly, decide to call time on the derestricted Autobahn. Der Spiegel reports 51 per cent of nationals are in favour of a universal limit.
The idea of a public road where you can hit 200mph could be seen, in a Europe where safety has become an excuse to put a stop anything that could be considered even remotely dangerous, as an outrageous anachronism. From some points of view it’s a miracle that any sections of free-and-easy Autobahn still survive at all.
If you can’t play football in the road without the people at number 59 calling the police, how on earth can you legally pass a truck with a speed differential of 150mph? There’s also a lot more traffic than ever, and more danger of hitting another car in a speed-related whoopsie. These are the sorts of arguments a modern Germany might offer. The token reduction of emissions – not many people actually drive flat-out because of the horrendous fuel economy implications – is really just a sweetener to a deal that, as the Fun Police seem to close in on every side, seems in some ways inevitable.
But it shouldn’t be. We would beg the German government, if we thought they’d even notice, to keep the continent’s last bastion of skills-centric high-speed driving intact. It’s a place where you can choose to drive at the proposed 130kph limit if you want to. It’s also a place where you can creep over that without fear of a hefty fine. Then, when your mind is in the zone, you can chase your 155mph limiter and feel very much alive for a minute or two.
The Germans have always treated this not inconsiderable responsibility with great respect. Through 30kph (19mph) zones they stick to the limit like glue. Where signs urge caution, the average German driver makes safety their priority. They earn their right to limit-free highways by behaving impeccably everywhere else. We get that. We admire it, even if our traditional British impatience means we can’t always emulate it.
Germany deserves its derestricted motorways. Just as much as the desire for independence from authority is part of the British persona, the German urge to focus and stay within the lines is an almost tangible part of the national identity. And that’s a good thing to know when a Ferrari passes you at the top of seventh.
Comments
You guys should be thankful. Our highways full of potholes and undulations the fastest we could go is 120kmh. Smh Indonesia…
you can go faster, if you have the right car and you brave enough to do so.
indonesian with underpowered and lack of safety features car doing 160km/h: gak goyang
Hey your neighbor here in Malaysia can only drive like 110km/h and we pay tolls. TOLLS YOU HEARD ME TOLLS!!!!!!! 😭
Well… On the other side of the coin, here in portugal, highways are very good, and some are better than most of the autobahn, but the speed limit is just 120kph. And the police is always setting up hidden speed cameras in the places where it’s safe to just put the pedal down. They don’t put them in the dangerous areas tho… we also pay a shit load of tolls and have to pay tax just to own a vehicle every year…
The token reduction of emissions – not many people actually drive flat-out because of the horrendous fuel economy implications – is really just a sweetener to a deal that, as the Fun Police seem to close in on every side, seems in some ways inevitable.
The reduced emissions currently are the main argument speaking for the speed limit. Statistics have shown times and times that introducing a universal speed limit has an neglectible effect on the number of fatal road accidents, but the lower emissions are a valid argument that I even accept, even though I absolutely disagree with a universal speed limit.
The percentage of 51 pro / 47 contra is mostly the same as it has been for the last 10 to 15 years, and it previous discussions haven’t changed anything about the introduction of a speed limit.
I don’t think that the ruling political parties will introduce a speed limit, just out of their very own survival instinct. If they don’t want to lose thousands of angry middle aged men to another party, then they won’t introduce a speed limit. The Green party (currently the biggest supporter of a universal speed limit) has seen a strong rise in the polls lately, but have plummeted again when the discussion about a universal speed limit came up.
Not our fault that Dave down in Bristol still owns a Ford Anglia that can’t get past 65 😭😭😭
This article seems to be a bit clichee… German drivers are by far not as disciplined as this article suggests. Everybody is tailgating you, even if you’re 5 over the speed limit already, which is not the best idea for me to do since I pretty much just got my license and thus have to obey especially strictly to those rules set by the gouvernment. I think, the stupidness of drivers doesn’t change from one country to another.
I have to disagree. Coming from Switzerland I occasionally drive on the German Autobahn. The drivers are mostly very aware of the situation and alert. They drive extremely well and disciplined (keeping to the right). The only people I see tailgating are usually foreigners, especially us swiss people, who have to prove some kind of point because we are not allowed to drive as fast.
As for other roads, tailgating and bad driving is common everywhere.
Nach meiner Erfahrung hast du komplett recht, die durchschnittlichen Deutschen Autofahrer sind riesige Arschlöcher. Aber: Die fahren aggressiv, egal ob mit tempolimit oder ohne.
Lies mal mein anderes Kommentar, da hab ich ein ziemlich gutes Beispiel gezeigt
Say that last line in New Zealand. I dare you.
More traffic means more people sitting around with engine left on (unless you have or use stop start) that means more pollution in one area.
Why can’t those in favour of the speed restrictions consider variable speed limits? Surely this is the direct, yet sensible middle ground for both sides of the arguments.
Germany does have variable limits to an extent - some parts of the Autobahn do have a 130kmph limit and at times it may be reduced further. There are also signs on some roads requiring a lower limit for trucks or during wet conditions.
You wanna to know what’s going on in these hippies minds.
“Driving faster emits more nasty Co2 so why not we enforce granny speeds on the Autobahn?”
The only thin i have to say to this (i’m against a speed limit) is:
People behaving stupid causes accidents. And people are stupid, no matter what speed.
Yes, a fast crash is more devastating than a slow one, but then again, perfect road safety means abolish all traffic.
It’s a bit like Guns for americans. If we don’t need it, alright. 90% of my Autobahn travels are at 120 kph on the right lane. But when i need it, say someone is in the hospital or dying (f.e. Clarksons 928 Story) i want to be able to be with them, even if that means averaging 200+ kph.
I do totally agree with you. I don’t need or want to go blistering speeds all the time. But please leave this decision to me.
The main problem of a universal speed limit is that people would be more focused on their speed than before, looking more at their speedometer, which is reducing the focus on the road. One of the main benefit of having no speed limit is that you are free of checking your speed by fear of police or radars, and you are much more concentrated on the road and others around you.
Thing is that road culture isn’t the same in North America as it is in Europe. It’s now more difficult to get a license over here than in the past, but compared to Europe it’s easier and for a reason. People have always travelled by car due to the relative absence of infrastructure for public transport, and always have had a need to be able to travel by car due to the spreadness of the population across territory - both in the United States and Canada. Everything is far away if you don’t live in a city, and it is actually very difficult to get a way to travel daily if you don’t live in the city and don’t have a car.
Now, where am I going with this? Due to the fact that it’s always been part of our culture and due to geographical problems, it has always been easier and less expensive to get a license in North America than in Europe. People don’t get as much training as in Europe, and so they can be less competent on the road than in Germany, as an example. From what I’ve heard, left lane cruisers aren’t as much a thing on limitless Autobahns than on your average highway here, just like road discipline in general. Roads can also be in worse conditions here than in Germany (especially in Canada due to the constant freezing circle that’s damaging roads at a higher rate than somewhere else) and will thus allow less high speed driving than on good condition roads.
All that combined means that it is a lot more dangerous to attempt to put limitless portions of highways in North America. Someone travelling at 200+ km/h on the left lane meeting some lunatic travelling at 90 km/h on the same lane at the last minute because they changed lane without signalling and without checking will only produce catastrophic results. North America isn’t ready for that kind of thing and will probably never going to be.
The problem is that we have a Institution wich wants to ban it and they wont stop until they get what they want but often what they want isnt actually better like having a speed limit
I would want to see if there is any impact to tourism with this. I’m sure the derestricted zones aren’t the main reason people go to Germany, but it seems synonymous with the country and part of the experience people seek when they visit the country. People may choose to vacation in other European countries with more emotion tied to their image than the protocol based one with a four letter word stuck in the back of many peoples’ heads…
Petrolheads = 1% of poulation so no there would be no effect.
Only for youtubers who rent supercars and flat them on the autobahn there will be a change in money per second.
The autobahn is clearly not only helping car enthusiasts but everyone else with derestricted speed limits
I hope I get a chance to go to the autobahn when I go to Germany