TheNo matter the age, Germany is the only country in the world that does not have a speed limit in general. This claim is not true even for Europe. Finally the Isle of Man is here! The island in the Irish Sea, part of Great Britain, has no motorway, but no speed limit. It will annoy the “Mad Sunday” that is celebrated every year, when hobby motorcycle riders follow the narrow country roads on a racing course. There are even many countries beyond Europe that do not have speed limits: for example, Nepal, Myanmar, Burundi, Bhutan, Somalia, Haiti – not to mention Afghanistan and North Korea.

Seriously: The 130km / h speed limit between Flensburg and Bad R‌ichenhall will be a boon for motorways and their users. Anyone who has lived abroad for a few years will learn to appreciate a journey with incredible relaxation and sophisticated speeds: for example on a British motorway 70 miles per hour, which equates to 112.6 kilometers per hour. That way, you get to your destination, and the pressure is much lower than in Germany. Wouldn’t a holiday ride on a French, Dutch or Italian motorway be more beautiful?

There was a speed limit in Germany

So, it’s not good news that all people’s greens are now giving up their long – term need for speed. As is well known, the Eco Party is currently discussing a partnership with the next federal government. This week, parliamentary group leader Anton Hofriter was asked if Greens would sign an alliance agreement that did not provide a speed limit. “I do not believe in making individual measurements a condition,” Hofriter replied. The sounds certainly look different.

Long forgotten: there was a speed limit in Germany too. In 1973, it was the height of the first oil crisis. In order to save petrol, which has become scarce, Social Democratic Chancellor Willy Brand has been driving at 100 km / h in Autobahn. The brand’s transportation minister, Loritz Loritson, saw the opportunity to implement a fixed speed limit. It failed miserably – due to the resistance of the almighty ADAC, now with the infamous slogan “Free citizens demand free travel!” Printed. “Strong interest groups are very active,” Loritsen commented on his failure.

Some positive arguments are only convincingly limited

Today petrol is not cheap, and it is true that some arguments in favor of the speed limit are partially convincing. For example, climate protection advocates argue that slower speeds will reduce CO2 emissions. Also, unlike the conversion of all German ships to battery and hydrogen drive, the speed limit can be implemented very quickly and without much effort. But the fact is that the progress that can be made on climate protection is moderate. At 130 kilometers per hour, according to the Federal Environment Agency, CO2 emissions from the transport sector will fall by just 1.2 percent. It will be a success, but only a small success.

In this regard, it is understandable that Greens is now yielding to the speed limit. If they push it forward against all obstacles, it will be a template for their political opponents: attention, ban party! So the Greens will burn a lot of valuable political capital for small profits on climate protection.