Could European moves to lower speed limits impact Britain, too?
The myth of the German Autobahn looks as though it will soon be over, as the legendary German highways are set to become speed-limited.
In Germany, 70% of the Autobahns have unregulated speeds. You can go as fast as you like, and to the rest of Europe, and even the world, the German highways have become somewhat mythical due to this.
However, that looks set to change, as legislators in Germany are beginning to think about imposing speed limits on the Autobahns. Moto.it reports that the idea to regulate the speed on the Autobahns has come about thanks to a change in public opinion, with 45% of ADAC members agreeing that speed limits should be introduced.
Rather than the limits being introduced as a direct safety measure, they are instead being pondered for emissions and pollution purposes. Moto.it reports that a limit of 130kph (80mph) on the Autobahns could lead to an emissions cut of almost two million tons of carbon dioxide per year. Additionally, if the limit were set to 120kph (75mph), the emissions saving could be as much as 2.6 million tons.
The news from Germany comes as the French Prime Minister, Elisabeth Borne, has come out in favour of reducing the French highway speed limit to 110kph (68mph). Moto.it reports that Borne has been head of the French transport ministry and the Minister for Ecology before she became Prime Minister earlier this year. Already in her previous roles, she had expressed support for reducing the speed limits, and in France, as Germany, the motivation is pollution-related.
The reduction of speed limits in Europe could be seen as a precursor to similar moves in the UK. Of course, here in Britain we are no longer in the EU, but maintaining certain conformities to European standards can be beneficial for political relations, especially when it comes to climate-related issues, where no one wants to move before someone else does, seemingly. But, in this case, the Europeans would be moving towards the British standard. Logically, it would be odd for these anticipated decisions by Germany and France to have a knock-on effect in Britain, but at the same time the decisions of our politicians rarely seem to be considered with any kind of logic.
