Germany’s famous – and sometimes infamous – autobahns have appeared in the news again recently, as the issue of speed limits has been raised for debate in the country’s parliament.
Presently, many sections of Germany’s motorways have only a suggested speed limit of 81mph, or have temporary speed limits. The death rate on German motorways may appear to be high, especially when Germany’s 2008 fatality figure of 495 is compared to the UK’s 157 of the same year; even after taking into account Germany’s 30% larger population, the figure is still high.
But is the lack of speed limit to blame? There have been many enquiries, reports and surveys on the subject. For many experts, there are other factors to take into account. For example, standard of driving may be partly to blame – a notion vastly complicated by the fact that Germany’s autobahns are used by many nationalities ‘passing through’ the Bundesrepublik.
One notable 1991 case study looked at the effects of introducing a speed limit. A limit of 130km was applied to the A61 Rheinland-Pfalz autobahn, along with a ban on overtaking HGVs. The outcome of the measures was a reduction of 30% in deaths and serious injuries.
Others point out that, using the UK as an example, road deaths have dropped massively since the 70mph limit was introduced 45 years ago. The other side to this argument is that quality of learning has improved, and huge advancements in safety technology and road development have been seen.
So, the jury is still out on whether Germany should impose limits across its motorway network.
Are you one of our breakdown cover customers who has driven on Germany’s autobahns? Do you think limits should be introduced? Leave your comments below.
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