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Federal Election: The Universal Impact of a Speed Limit

A symbolically highly charged (election) campaign issue is brought into focus once more just before election day. From the available facts, it is clear: a speed limit on highways reduces CO2 and other emissions, lowers the number of accidents, and improves traffic flow. Additionally, cars could be designed smaller and lighter, and electric vehicles would not require such large batteries. 

Effective: A speed limit would have an immediate climate impact equivalent to all domestic flights - or 1.1 million additional electric cars. | Photo: Adobestock
Effective: A speed limit would have an immediate climate impact equivalent to all domestic flights - or 1.1 million additional electric cars. | Photo: Adobestock
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Johannes Reichel

Few topics in the election campaign are, mind you, only in Germany, as symbolically charged as the question of a speed limit on highways. While the CDU/CSU, FDP, and the far-right AfD stylize the limit as a question of "freedom," the Greens, Left, and now also the SPD point to the benefits for climate and safety. The Greens, in particular, accuse the "anti-speed-limit parties" of having a misguided understanding of "freedom."

Experts have been supporting this position for years with facts as best they can, leaving little room for further questions, although the data situation (possibly systematically) is still sparse. There has been no support for setting up measurement points or conducting studies from the Federal Ministry of Transport under the dedicated speed-limit opponent Andreas Scheuer (CSU), as economist Christian Traxler from the Hertie School of Economics and author of a summarizing study on the state of speed limit research recently complained to the Süddeutsche Zeitung. Siegfried Brockmann from the German Association of Accident Researchers also suggests that a "clean study could interfere with political messages" and might not be well-received. Actually, there should even be a limit of 120 km/h at night and 100 km/h during the day, as demanded by the German Environmental Aid, to achieve a stronger climate effect. However, the 130 km/h proposal by the Greens and SPD is the most likely. The SZ provided a brief update from the battlezone as well:

  • CO2 emissions: The Federal Environment Agency calculates an emission reduction of 2.2 million tons at 130 km/h, 2.9 million tons at 120 km/h, corresponding to the greenhouse gas emissions of the entire German air traffic. Or as Agora Verkehrswende calculated in 2018: As much as 1.1 million new electric cars, a good third more bicycle and pedestrian traffic, 13 percent less traffic in cities or eleven cents more diesel tax.
  • Air quality: Higher speed also means higher nitrogen oxide and particulate matter emissions. NOx could be reduced by three percent at 120 km/h, particulate matter by one percent.
  • Safety: The number of fatalities could decrease by 15 to 47 percent according to the Traxler study, saving 39 to 126 lives. In 115 of the 334 highway fatalities in 2019, "non-adjusted speed" played a role, on tracks without a limit. The data situation is very challenging here. Nevertheless, a speed limit could improve traffic safety, according to the majority of experts.
  • Traffic flow: Especially here, an effect could be seen for smoother and calmer traffic. The optimal traffic density is at 70 to 90 km/h, with relatively low speed differences. The famous "traffic jam out of nowhere" would probably be a thing of the past. And especially truck drivers benefit from lower speed differences because they could overtake more easily.
  • Costs to the economy: Better traffic flow and fewer traffic jams (currently 53 to 70 million jam hours) could theoretically offset the costs of delayed arrivals, according to the Hertie School study. Especially the time gains in freight transport could be significant, a positive effect for the economy.
  • Automotive technology: A truism, but cars that only need to be built for a limit of 130 km/h could be smaller, lighter, and emit less, estimated at 20 to 30 percent by the Wuppertal Institute as early as 2007. Electric cars could also be equipped with smaller batteries and built lighter. By the way, researcher Traxler does not fear the often-cited negative image effect for German manufacturers abroad due to the introduction of a speed limit in Germany.
Translated automatically from German.
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