Could it really be that most Germans actually favor speed limits on the Autobahn, the last bastion of legal fast driving in Western Europe? According to a poll conducted by Germany's ZDF Television, the majority of those surveyed both support climate control legislation and speed limits on the country's highways, which includes the Autobahn.
This came as a shock to me. After France's clamped down and virtually ended fast driving here where I live, I have often traveled to Germany just to see what certain cars were capable of on the Autobahn, which has many tracks with no speed limits whatsoever. Even when French highway cops were more tolerant of drivers who would shoot down the French Autoroute at speed of more than 120 mph, it was too dangerous (France not too long ago, had one of the highest car-accident fatality rates in Europe).
I really thought the Autobahn's special status was something Germans cherished. At least that seemed to be the case last week, when German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel spoke out against the European Commission's calling for Germany to impose speed limits for all of its highways.
