Bad news, drivers! Bremen has become the first state in Germany to introduce a speed limit on its highways, and drivers must now slow down to a snail’s pace of 120 kilometers per hour (75 mph).
If you do the math, it may not be so bad. Bremen is an itty-bitty city state, so the new rules will annoy you for maybe half an hour. The question is, how will they even communicate with motorists who whiz along the country’s roads at a perfectly legal 130 miles an hour or more? That’s too fast to read WELCOME TO BREMEN, much less see a speed sign.
“Honey, did you see that thing? What did it say?”
‘I think it said we’re on Route 120, dear, maybe you should go a little faster.”
“Okay, but this other sign just said something about SPEED BUMPS ahea………”
related post: Flying cars not a total success…
Cars drive along a city highway in Berlin in a 2007 file photo. REUTERS/ Fabrizio Bensch
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4 comments so far
That’s nothing…you should see me drive down these backroads.
- Posted by KNext they’ll be banning guns in church.
- Posted by John C Abellthe only reason that USA has speed limits is not for safety but fuel economy. when the limits where introduced (1970’s) *not 100% shure on when *1960’s?, piston engines had the best MPG at 55 mph and diesel was at 50…
lets NOT ask or think, who has more accidents per person -Germany or USA?
- Posted by IgorAfter being there for a few months let me tell you that Germany has way fewer accidents than anywhere in North America - but they can do this by having:
-Intensive (and expensive) driver training including first aid
-Very disciplined drivers who follow the rules (if you see a bad driver then it’s probably a foreigner like me)
-Roads are in tip top condition
-Cars are (mostly) in the best condition
-Transport trucks and trailers are limited to 80/90/100 km/h (60mph?)
-Traffic monitoring is tied into GPS units which is standard in more vehicles than in North America. The route can be modified by the monitoring station to better control flow of traffic
-There is no speed limit on longer stretches of highways but there are speed limits on curves and around cities. The traffic control station can also change the speed limits of sections of the highway via electronic sign.
-Residential zones are limited to 20mph… a great idea to protect children!
I would be driving along at 130 and I would still be passed by someone (must have been going 200mph!)
North America is almost ready for higher speed limits
but it must be done in a way that minimize traffic deaths. Modern vehicles are so capable and safe now that it makes highly restrictive speed limits redundant.
Raising speed limits is about our personal freedoms and responsibilities. If we are a nation of children that need to be protected then leave these alone. If we are a nation of adults then we must take our responsibilities back!
- Posted by Kevin