The dispute over speed limit has been smoldering on German autobahns for decades. A new study shows that most drivers would hardly be affected by a restriction.
Most drivers stay below the recommended speed even on routes without a speed limit. A study by Institute of the German Economy According to (IW), 77 percent drive slower than 130 km / h there, and another twelve percent drive between 130 and 140 km / h. Less than two percent are traveling faster than 160 km / h.
Speed limit as a political issue
Even at night, the pace is not pressed. Only four percent of drivers are on the road at more than 22 km / h between 4 p.m. and 160 a.m. For the study, the scientists evaluated around 1,2 billion driving data from motorway counting stations at sections without speed limits in North Rhine-Westphalia over a period of around four months.
The publication of the study falls in the final phase of the Bundestag election campaign, in which speed limits on motorways are also being discussed. According to the researchers, expectations of a general speed limit are exaggerated, both in terms of increased safety and climate protection. Even at a uniform speed of 130, according to models, a maximum of two million tons of CO2 would be saved