Germans at loggerheads over Autobahn speed limits

It’s claimed that ‘new speed limits would lower Germany’s carbon dioxide emission level by less than 0.5 percent’, reports DW.com. Limits already apply in some places, but climate propaganda has turned ’emissions’ into a political issue.

A majority of Germans approve of imposing a maximum speed limit on the country’s Autobahns, a survey published at the weekend indicated.

Fifty-two percent of those polled agreed that speeds of between 120 and 140 kilometers per hour (kph) (75 to 87 miles per hour) would be appropriate to help tackle climate change, according to the Emnid Institute survey, published by the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. Forty-six percent opposed such limits.

The view by albeit a narrow majority of Germans contrasts with the view of Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer who remains opposed to any speed limits, saying they are “against all common sense.”

Rejecting safety concerns, Scheuer, a conservative from the southern state of Bavaria — the home of carmakers Daimler and Audi, insisted that: “German Autobahns are the safest road in the world.”

Freedom more important

“The principle of freedom has proven itself,” Scheuer told the newspaper. “Whoever wants to drive at 120 (kilometers per hour) can drive at 120. Whoever wants to drive faster is allowed to do that too.”

The term “Freie Fahr für Bürger” (Unrestricted driving for citizens) has been a catchphrase since the 1970s that has allowed Germans to traverse much of the country’s freeway network at any speed.

Around 30 percent of German highways, some 7,640 kilometers (4,747 miles), already have speed limits, according to Scheuer.

The concept is, of course, strongly endorsed by the nation’s powerful auto lobby, who have a reputation for building some of the world’s most powerful cars.

Most German manufacturers, however, do limit the top speeds of most of their cars to 250 kph.

Continued here.