Unlimited Autobahns to stay…for now
October 30, 2007 by Karl Peskett
Calling all petrolheads worldwide – please join together with a communal sigh of relief.
The International Herald Tribune, is reporting that German Chancellor Angela Merkel insists that her government would not try to introduce a speed limit on the nation’s autobahns, despite a proposal from her coalition’s junior party.
Members of the Social Democratic Party, along with some of the Christian Democratic Union, backed a proposal over the weekend to introduce a general speed limit of 130 kph (80 mph) on Germany’s world reknown freeways.
In a television interview aired today, Merkel flatly rejected the proposal saying, “It won’t happen with me.”
Mrs Merkel is said to be in favour of better traffic management systems, insisting they would dispense with the traffic jams which stretch for kilometres. This would therefore effect a reduction in excessive emissions on the motorway, rather than passing the blame to high speed driving.
We couldn’t agree more.
Print it: 
I agree with Chancellor Merkel. Her common sense approach is to be expected from a forward thinking country.
In Germany better driver education, well engineered roads and *gasp* unrestricted speed limits are the norm, yet they still have a lower per capita annual road toll than us!
Hmm, I though speed (alone) kills! Fortunately here in Oze you can still get your license with a card that reads “Happy 18th”, our roads are sealed goat tracks and our speed limits are archaic.
Time to look at the bigger picture.
Go as fast as you can in an Autobahn, loose control and dead.
Go 110kph on the M5 and lose control, dead, no difference really, the education for their drivers is what saves them, they told that if you drive eratically the car will be come unstable nad you will have an accident and die. Out here we are simply told not to speed, no reason or warning apart from you’ll die. We need to show ppl what causes accidents so they don’t drive in that manner
Agree with Matt.
Well engineered roads & driver education are what we miss out on.Some scribes never mention this in their campaign for open ended speed limits on the existing infrastructure not designed for high speeds.We produce great cars but our roads are crap & so too are a lot of drivers.
Which freeway in Melbourne can you safely do 160km/h?
Rural freeways ie Calder & Hume in there current forms?
A big ticket item to fix & I dont think our small taxpayer base would finance it.Between all capital & regional cities billiard table smooth roads 3 lanes wide,no chance of a ROO carcas anywhere.What $ figure?
Driver education?Attitude adjustment or taking kids out onto the skid pan weaving around witches hats for a thrill.
Goingt Ford, have you ever been in Germany let alone on the Autobahn. I’ve done 225Kmh with no problems. Yeah if I crashed i’d be dead……..but I didn’t.
If you want to see what speed does google and type “Audi A3 crash” then look at the photos…Awesome
But I thought “Speed kills”??