Germany has always been one of the most lenient countries with its drivers thanks to the lack of speed limits on certain sections of its highways: the famous “autbahn” – a term that does not limit itself to unlimited roads but refers to the entire German bus network.
These roads were originally opened in the 1920s, during the interwar period. However, the construction of the modern autobahn system, as it is known today, began in the 1930s with the Nazi regime already in power.
Highway, no speed limit
High-speed roads are known for having no limits in certain sections and for being an important part of the country’s transportation network. Germany is a country with a very important geostrategic location within Europe, and this high-speed road system allows most of the country’s large cities to be connected in a simple way.
This absence of borders was captured by one Instagram user, who commented: “You know you’ve arrived in Germany when cars go faster than planes (220 km/h).”
In recent years, there has been a heated debate in German society about whether it is desirable to join the rest of the European Union in imposing speed limits on the autobahns.
In Germany, environmentalists have raised their voices and proposed speed limits in sections where mobility is free. They argue that by setting the speed limit at 130 km/h, between 1.1 and 1.6 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) could be avoided. On the other hand, there are those who believe that the increasing presence of electric, hybrid and plug-in hybrid cars will help reduce pollution levels without the need for measures to do so.
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