Germans vote for autobahn speed limits in opinion poll

Newswheel staff :: 19 March 2007 :: Filed under Europe & UK, Safety

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Say it ain't so...

Two out of three Germans reckon a speed limit should be imposed on their nation’s famously unrestricted autobahns. So says a recent poll conducted by German TV station ZDF. The poll follows pressure from EU environment minister Stavros Dimas who believes high autobahn speeds are inefficient…

Apparently, 54 per cent of Germans are in favour of a 130kph autobahn cap (around 80mph in old money) while a further 10 per cent fancy an even lower limit.

But don’t panic. Much of the allure of Germany’s domestic car industry derived from those unlimited motorways and the powerful machines built to ply them. For now, therefore, government ministers including transport secretary Wolfgang Tienensee remain more afraid of the damage speed restrictions would do to Germany’s proud car industry than of electoral fallout from punters demanding speed limits. For (a tiny bit) more on the matter, wander thee over to the Reuters website.

Linkage:
Reuters