Police union: electric cars make speed limit necessary

The calls for a general speed limit on freeways continue unabated. Now Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), the NRW police union, the ecological transport club VCD, Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND) and Verkehrsunfall-Opferhilfe Deutschland (VOD) have joined forces. A speed limit is important to meet climate protection targets in traffic, but also for safety reasons, according to a statement from BUND.

Michael Mertens, Chairman of the GdP NRW, says: "If you want more electromobility on freeways without additional safety risks, you have to ensure that the flow of traffic is more harmonized. The only way to do that is with a speed limit." Electric vehicles cannot be driven at speeds of over 130 km/h without shortening their range. This would change the flow of traffic on freeways, with individual, significantly faster vehicles posing an ever-increasing risk of accidents.

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VOD Chairwoman Silke von Beesten agrees with Mertens. Various studies have indicated that there would be fewer fatal accidents and serious injuries if traffic was slowed down. "We are therefore calling for a maximum speed limit of 130 km/h on freeways, a standard speed of 80 km/h on rural roads and 30 km/h in urban areas." VCD Federal Chairwoman Kerstin Haarmann adds that although the German government has committed itself to Vision Zero - zero traffic fatalities and serious injuries – it is also refusing to introduce a speed limit on freeways and a 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas.

Figures that are being bandied about

DUH and BUND naturally point out that a general speed limit is a cheap and effective way of reducing fuel consumption. According to DUH, speed limits on freeways, both outside and inside cities, could save more than 11 million tons of CO₂ per year.

The Federal Environment Agency has calculated that a speed limit of 120 km/h on freeways would save 6.7 million tons of CO₂. Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing (FDP), who rejects a general speed limit, commented in April of this year: "There are so many figures floating around. The important thing is that only measures that are accepted can be successful."

Ragnhild Sørensen, spokesperson for the Changing Cities association, counters that "there is a nationwide majority in the population for more road safety, less CO₂ consumption and liveable cities. Above all, there is a great desire for action instead of stubborn ignorance". A survey conducted by the ADAC among its members this year revealed that 55% of them favor a general speed limit.

(anw)