Why Germany’s autobahns are a special case

Is Germany the only country without a speed limit on the Autobahn?

In Europe, apart from Germany, there is only one other area without a speed limit: the Isle of Man. The island is owned by the British royal family but is not part of the United Kingdom. The speed limit there is 112 kilometers per hour (km/h).

In all of Germany’s neighboring countries there is a speed limit in the road network, the lowest during the day at 100 km/h in the Netherlands, the highest at 140 km/h in Poland. Germany is the only industrialized country in the world without a speed limit, and there are only a few other countries without any speed limits.

Why does Germany not have a speed limit yet?

The discussion about speed limits is almost as old as the automobile itself. The year 1953 is decisive, when Konrad Adenauer’s government lifted all restrictions on freeways in West Germany. In the GDR, on the other hand, there was a speed limit of 100 km/h.

When the number of traffic accidents in Germany increased drastically in the following years, a CDU politician, Oskar Rümmele, of all people, called for speed limits of 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h outside towns and 90 km/h on motorways in 1957. At that time, the later Chancellor Helmut Schmidt (SPD) opposed the proposal; instead, one should first build sensible roads, Schmidt said at the time. The ADAC, and in particular the car industry, also objected to Rümmele’s proposal, and so the motorways remained without a speed limit, while a maximum speed of 50 km/h applied in built-up areas.

In 1970, 21,000 people died on the streets of the Federal Republic – a record. Shortly thereafter, as a reaction to the oil crisis of 1973 and 1974, the federal government introduced a temporary speed limit of 100 km/h on motorways. The number of road deaths has gone down.

The Minister of Transport at the time, Lauritz Lauritzen, and Chancellor Willy Brandt (both SPD) were confident that a permanent speed limit of 120 km/h would be implemented. As a compromise, they proposed 130 km/h to the Union, but even that was not enough for a majority. The speed limit failed in the Bundesrat due to a dissenting vote.

>> Read here: CDU politicians are promoting a general speed limit on motorways

Instead, the legislator established a non-binding recommended speed of 130 km/h. “It was sold as a speed limit, but turned out to be ineffective,” criticizes Philipp George from the CO2 tax association and the “Everyone for the speed limit” campaign. George sees Germany in a special role: In other countries, such as neighboring France and Austria, the oil crisis prompted the introduction of permanent speed limits on motorways.

Is a speed limit good for the climate?

A speed limit helps the environment more than previously thought. In January 2023, the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) published a new study on CO2 savings through a speed limit. According to this, Germany could save 6.7 million tons of CO2 annually with a speed limit of 120 km/h on the Autobahn. With an additional limit of 80 km/h on non-urban roads, it would even be eight million tons. This corresponds to 4.2 percent of the total emissions from passenger cars and 6.7 percent of emissions from commercial vehicles.

In an older study, the Federal Environment Agency only spoke of 2.6 million tons of CO2 savings. The basis for the new calculations is “Floating Car Data”, i.e. data for specific vehicle movements, from 2018. This enabled the authors not only to calculate direct emissions reductions through slower driving, but also whether people change their route at a speed limit and less drive on the motorway or whether they switch to other means of transport due to longer travel times.

According to UBA boss Dirk Messner, a speed limit between 2024 and 2030 could save 47 million tons of CO2 equivalents. For the same amount, another three million combustion engines on German roads would have to be replaced by electric vehicles every year.

Nevertheless, Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP) has repeatedly spoken out against a speed limit. At the same time, Wissing is coming under increasing pressure to achieve the federal government’s climate targets for the transport sector by 2030. In 2022, traffic exceeded its climate target by eleven million tons of CO2. In order to halve emissions from traffic by 2030 as planned, they would have to fall 14 times as fast as before.

Does a speed limit prevent traffic fatalities?

“It is undisputed that the number of accidents and thus the number of people injured and killed are reduced by a speed limit,” says Christian Traxler from the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin. According to the economist, simple comparisons of accidents on routes with and without a speed limit are like apples and oranges comparisons. Because lower speed limits would already apply on dangerous routes than on non-dangerous ones.

Opponents of a speed limit often emphasize that motorways are very safe compared to the rest of the road network. Many fatal accidents would occur on motorways, but overall the fewest accidents in comparison. The number of fatalities on motorways has also halved since 1995. Nevertheless, according to figures from the Federal Statistical Office, more people die on the Autobahn than on other roads per 100 kilometers of road, an average of 2.7.

In 2018 there were 424 fatalities on German autobahns. For Michael Mertens, the chairman of the police union (GdP), the goal is “Vision Zero” for traffic fatalities. According to Mertens, a speed limit could reduce the number of road deaths by a third and the number of serious injuries.

Are you faster without a speed limit?

A speed limit leads to time losses for speed drivers: If you drive 160 km/h instead of 130 km/h on a 100-kilometer route, you save eight and a half minutes of time.

Christian Traxler explains that there is currently a lack of reasonable data for serious estimates of how many hours of loss of time a speed limit in Germany would entail. The economist calls for a more evidence-based transport policy. He emphasizes that a speed limit also saves time, since fewer accidents result in fewer traffic jams.

Who would be the winners and losers of a speed limit?

Almost a third of motor vehicles in Germany drive faster than 130 km/h on routes without a speed limit, according to the Federal Highway Research Institute. Twelve percent of drivers drive between 130 and 140 km/h and less than two percent faster than 160 km/h. These are the results of a study by the German Economic Institute (IW). These drivers are among the losers of the speed limit. Although they would save on fuel costs, they would reach their destination more slowly. For the majority of road users, however, there would be no disadvantages.

Truck traffic as a whole is also not affected by a speed limit of 130 km/h. “The freight industry could only benefit from a speed limit, because there would be fewer delays caused by traffic jams,” says Christian Traxler. He points to a “second-round effect”: fewer accidents lead to fewer traffic jams, which in turn would save time for the majority of road users who are already driving below the recommended speed.

The winners of the speed limit would be all those who feel stressed out by the speeds on German autobahns – and who may even avoid driving as a result. The health of millions of people who live close to the motorway would also benefit, as they would be less exposed to air pollution from nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, organic compounds and particulate matter.

Speed ​​limit: why it’s not just about CO2 emissions

“I don’t like the focus solely on CO2 emissions in the public discourse,” says Traxler. “In addition to the global CO2 effects, there are much more short-term, immediate positive effects from the reduction of other emissions such as nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.”

According to Traxler’s study, almost 40 million people live within five kilometers of autobahns in Germany and would be affected. According to studies, air pollution is particularly harmful to the health of children and the elderly.

>> Read here: VW, BMW and Daimler are already expecting a speed limit

Germany has not cut a good figure in the past, especially when it comes to recognizing nitrogen oxides as dangerous, says Philipp George from the CO2 tax association. In the 1980s, the government under Helmut Kohl denied the connection between nitrogen oxide emissions from vehicles and forest dieback. The results of scientific studies were discredited with a dubious Tüv report. “It mustn’t happen again,” says George.

What speaks against a speed limit on German autobahns?

The former VW boss Herbert Diess rejected a speed limit in an interview with the Handelsblatt and spoke of the “feeling of freedom on German autobahns”. At the same time, he admitted that a speed limit would not entail any economic disadvantages for the group: “We sell our cars all over the world, including in countries with speed limits.” The Association of the Automobile Industry is still opposed to a speed limit.

How quickly could a speed limit be implemented?

The legal implementation is considered to be very simple. The legislature would have to add a maximum speed limit for motorways to paragraph 3 of the road traffic regulations alone. Attorney Cornelia Ziehm, who specializes in environmental law, believes that a speed limit is legally possible; it is even necessary “for reasons of life and health protection and climate protection”.

Implementing the speed limit causes practically no costs – a great advantage for a climate protection measure in the transport sector, according to Philipp George from the CO2 tax association. “The FDP also knows that the budget has already been made and the options for action are limited.”

Speed ​​limit – what about the political majorities?

While the majority of CDU supporters were still in favor of a speed limit in 2013, in July 2022 a majority of 57 percent were in favor of a temporary speed limit. “We see a lot more movement on the subject among the members of the Union,” explains George from the CO2 tax association. The older target groups of the party would be more positive about a speed limit.

Theoretically, a speed limit could be introduced via a legislative initiative by the Federal Council: Assuming that all states without Union and FDP participation voted for it, it would only take a state government with CDU participation to achieve an absolute majority of the votes. Then the Bundestag would have to deal with the proposal.

Economist Traxler from the Hertie School of Governance does not believe in a quick introduction: “I see the FDP in a very strong fundamental opposition there.” As a compromise, he suggests introducing a speed limit for one year on randomly selected routes and the data use as the basis for a comprehensive study. Philipp George can also get a lot out of the idea of ​​a temporary speed limit. In this way, skeptics could possibly show openness without losing their political face.

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