With no upper speed limits in most
areas, German autobahns are veritable racetracks for some who whoosh by
on the runway-like freeways at 150 mph — or faster.
(Getty Images)
With no upper speed limits in most of the country, German autobahns are veritable racetracks for some who whoosh by on the runway-like freeways as fast — or faster — than a jetliner at takeoff.
They are also a troubling source of rising carbon emissions for a country that fancies itself a leader in the fight against climate change.
Some Germans opposed to the freeway free-for-all have been putting a spotlight on the higher carbon emissions, the inherent dangers and the powerful car lobbies that quietly and efficiently manage to maintain the status quo.
But the right to drive as fast as cars can go is considered sacred by many Germans, and talk of taking away that entitlement with speed limits is seen as blasphemy.
Tensions between the two sides flared again in recent weeks after the
preliminary findings of a low-level government panel exploring ideas to
cut carbon emissions were leaked. One of the proposals — to introduce
an 80-mph motorway speed limit, or Geschwindigkeitsbeschraenkung — was immediately condemned by the omnipresent opponents of a limit.
“The debate in Germany is totally irrational,” said Cem Oezdemir, a leader in the pro-environment Green Party and regular target of wrath. “For some people, calling for a speed limit in Germany seems to feel like the state is calling for some kind of official decree to limit your virility.”
In part because of the high speeds, Germany’s motor vehicle carbon emissions have risen by 6% since 2010. The nation had promised in the Paris Climate Accord that by 2020 it would cut its overall carbon dioxide emissions by 40% from 1990.
Germany will miss that target, in part because of the lack of progress in cutting transportation emissions.
The German Federal Environment Agency
has forecast that reducing speeds to a maximum of 75 mph would cut
carbon dioxide emissions from cars on motorways by 9% — or by 3 million
tons per year.
The widespread belief that everyone in Germany should be allowed to put their pedal to the metal on the autobahn — without any government interference — has been impervious to arguments about carbon emissions, or about crashes.
About 400 people are killed every year in freeway crashes that, while occurring at a comparatively low rate considering the numbers of miles driven and in contrast to other countries in Europe, are often more ghastly. In one horrific 2004 crash, an off-duty Mercedes test driver going 135 mph tailgated a 21-year-old single mother who lost control of her Kia; the woman and her 2-year-old daughter were killed.
Police leaders have said that about one in four deaths and some of the 5,000 severe injuries suffered each year could be prevented with a speed limit.
“Some people legally drive 120 mph to 150 mph in this country,”
Michael Mertens, deputy leader of the national police union, said in a
recent interview with Suddeutsche Zeitung newspaper. “That’s simply
insane. At those high speeds no one can stay in control of their car if
something unexpected happens.”
Because of the high speeds, fear is a constant for many Autobahn drivers.
“Lots of people get panic attacks on the Autobahn,” said Alexandra Baerike, a psychologist and driving instructor in Cologne. “The enormous differences in speed can be intimidating.”
“There are some nasty drivers who behave badly — tailgating and trying to force others out of their lanes by flashing their lights and getting too close,” said Baerike, whose thriving specialized practice has helped about 3,000 German drivers overcome their freeway phobia. “You need a thick skin to survive.”
Even Tom Hanks found the German motorway speeds daunting, as he once famously explained. “No matter how fast you’re driving in Germany, someone is driving faster than you,” Hanks told David Letterman in 2012.
But for some, that’s the whole idea.
“The principle of freedom has proven its worth. Anyone who wants to drive 75 mph can drive 75 mph. Those who want to drive faster should be allowed to drive faster,” Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said in a recent interview in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “What’s the point of telling people what to do all the time? German freeways are the safest in the world. We’ve already got speed limits on a third of the autobahn. The system we’ve got in place now works just fine.”
The General German Auto Club, known by its initials ADAC, Europe’s largest national motor club, has thrown its influence behind the issue. And with ADAC’s membership of more than 20 million, a number that’s nearly a quarter of Germany’s population and covers most car owners, that influence is considerable.
From
the Archives, 1992: COLUMN ONE : A Brake on Speed Demons : Germans have
long seen racing on the autobahn as an inalienable right. But a speed
limit finally looms, championed by ecologists, police and terrified
European neighbors. »
The ADAC battle cry, “Free travel for free people,” first appeared in West German election campaigns during the Cold War era to try to intimidate any politicians from calling for speed limits. But it still resonates among hard-liners viscerally opposed to the government telling them how fast they can drive.
Defending the freedom to drive at blinding speeds on highways first built in the 1930s — ostensibly for the coming age of mass car travel, but in reality more for Hitler’s army — is fraught with historical baggage.
“It’s been a very emotional issue in Germany for a long time,” said Claudia Kemfert, professor for energy economics at the DIW Berlin, the German Institute for Economic Research. “We’re pretty much the only country in the world without a speed limit.”
About two-thirds of Germany’s 8,100 miles of freeways have no speed
limits; opinion polls show that about half of Germans, and most
political parties, want to keep it that way. A recent poll by the ARD TV
network found 51% of those surveyed wanted an 80-mph limit, and 47%
opposed it.
Those who oppose the limits have generally been more vocal.
“There are very powerful lobbying forces against speed limits,” said Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at Ing Diba bank in Frankfurt. “It’s like gun control in the United States because hardly any politician dares get near the subject of speed limits.”
Germans wonder why the United States cannot make progress on curtailing gun violence, Oezdemir said, while foreigners wonder why Germans cannot make any progress on getting freeway speed limits.
“Every country has their blind spot,” Oezdemir said. “And it makes people lose their minds.”
The freeways are seen as a hallowed proving ground for car makers such as Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen, which build their cars for the high-speed pressures in Germany and count on that image of performance to help sell the vehicles abroad.
Managers and unions of those blue-chip companies fear freeway speed limits would tarnish their reputation and cost jobs. There are tourist groups from as far afield as China and the United States that travel to Germany just to drive at top speeds.
“We’ve talked ourselves into believing this idea that people won’t buy German cars if there’s a speed limit here. It’s not true,” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, a German car industry analyst at the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
He noted that he once worked as a manager at Porsche, where many
wondered why so many Americans bought the sports car despite the 55-mph
speed limits in the United States.
“It’s like people in America saying they won’t feel free without guns,” he said. “Everyone knows that doesn’t make any sense. It’s the same thing in Germany with speed limits. It’s a myth.”
But the argument that’s spanned decades shows no signs of abating.
In an unsuccessful attempt to stop the debate recently, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said there were better ways to combat climate change through the transportation sector than limiting drivers on Germany’s freeways.
“The government,” he said, “is not planning to introduce a general speed limit.”
Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.
Betty MacDonald Memorial Award Winner Wolfgang Hampel's very popular golden satirical book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is available in 5 continents and on Amazon U.S. Best Sellers Rank in Parody.
( see list below )
We have a golden Betty MacDonald fan club Egg for you.
Tell us your favourite satirical text of Wolfgang Hampel's book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier, please and you'll get several fascinating Betty MacDonald fan club items for free.
Wolfgang Hampel's very successful book is available in many countries around the world. ( see links below )
A wonderful Betty MacDonald fan club egg: You can win a first edition of one of Betty MacDonald's books with a dedication of Betty MacDonald. It's a golden treasure.
Don't miss this unique Betty MacDonald fan club offer, please.
Thank you so much for your interest and support.
Astrid
Betty MacDonald Memorial Award Winner Wolfgang Hampel's very popular golden satirical book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is available in 5 continents and on Amazon U.S. Best Sellers Rank in Parody.
( see list below )
Angelika Jung and Wolfgang Hampel in Marc Marshalls SWR 3 TV Sendung HERZSCHLAG-MOMENTE am Samstag, den 3. August 2019 21.50
Angelika Jung and Wolfgang Hampel in Marc Marshall's SWR 3 TV Show HERZSCHLAG-MOMENTE on Saturday 3rd of August 2019 21.50
Angelika Jung and Wolfgang Hampel in Marc Marshall's SWR 3 TV Show HERZSCHLAG-MOMENTE on Saturday 3rd of August 2019 21.50
Marc Marshall in SWR 3 TV ' Talk am See ' - HERZSCHLAG - MOMENTE
Wolfgang Hampel's very witty book 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is No 1 Buecher de TOP List.
Germany
Germany buecher.de
Germany Hugendobel.de
Wolfgang Hampel's Satire ist mein Lieblingstier in Buecher de TOP list
You can order Wolfgang Hampel 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' (Satire is my favourite animal)
U.S.A.
United Kingdom
Australia
Austria
Brazil
Canada
Czechia
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Germany buecher.de
Germany Hugendobel.de
Italy
Japan
Mexico
Norway
Poland
Poland
Romania
Singapore
Slovak Republic
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
The Netherlands
The Netherlands - DODAX
Wolfgang Hampel - Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal )
Informationen über die Kultveranstaltung "Vita Magica" der Akademie für Ältere in Heidelberg
Wolfgang Hampel - Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal )
The best president ever
Roger Cicero - ESC winner 2007
Many ESC fans from all over the world are so very sad because we lost Joy Fleming - one of the best singers ever.
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel sings 'Try to remember' especially for Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund at Vita Magica September
Vita Magica Betty MacDonald event with Wolfgang Hampel, Thomas Bödigheimer and Friedrich von Hoheneichen
Betty MacDonald forum
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( Polski)
Wolfgang Hampel - LinkFang ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Academic ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - cyclopaedia.net ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - DBpedia ( English / German )
Wolfgang Hampel - people check ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Memim ( English )
Vashon Island - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Monica Sone - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( French )
Wolfgang Hampel - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - Wikipedia ( English)
Wolfgang Hampel in Florida State University
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel
Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD
Betty MacDonald fan club items
Betty MacDonald fan club items - comments
Betty MacDonald fan club - The Stove and I
Betty MacDonald fan club groups
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund
https://www.booklooker.de › Bücher › Wolfgang Hampel
They are also a troubling source of rising carbon emissions for a country that fancies itself a leader in the fight against climate change.
Some Germans opposed to the freeway free-for-all have been putting a spotlight on the higher carbon emissions, the inherent dangers and the powerful car lobbies that quietly and efficiently manage to maintain the status quo.
But the right to drive as fast as cars can go is considered sacred by many Germans, and talk of taking away that entitlement with speed limits is seen as blasphemy.
“The debate in Germany is totally irrational,” said Cem Oezdemir, a leader in the pro-environment Green Party and regular target of wrath. “For some people, calling for a speed limit in Germany seems to feel like the state is calling for some kind of official decree to limit your virility.”
In part because of the high speeds, Germany’s motor vehicle carbon emissions have risen by 6% since 2010. The nation had promised in the Paris Climate Accord that by 2020 it would cut its overall carbon dioxide emissions by 40% from 1990.
Germany will miss that target, in part because of the lack of progress in cutting transportation emissions.
The widespread belief that everyone in Germany should be allowed to put their pedal to the metal on the autobahn — without any government interference — has been impervious to arguments about carbon emissions, or about crashes.
About 400 people are killed every year in freeway crashes that, while occurring at a comparatively low rate considering the numbers of miles driven and in contrast to other countries in Europe, are often more ghastly. In one horrific 2004 crash, an off-duty Mercedes test driver going 135 mph tailgated a 21-year-old single mother who lost control of her Kia; the woman and her 2-year-old daughter were killed.
Police leaders have said that about one in four deaths and some of the 5,000 severe injuries suffered each year could be prevented with a speed limit.
Because of the high speeds, fear is a constant for many Autobahn drivers.
“Lots of people get panic attacks on the Autobahn,” said Alexandra Baerike, a psychologist and driving instructor in Cologne. “The enormous differences in speed can be intimidating.”
“There are some nasty drivers who behave badly — tailgating and trying to force others out of their lanes by flashing their lights and getting too close,” said Baerike, whose thriving specialized practice has helped about 3,000 German drivers overcome their freeway phobia. “You need a thick skin to survive.”
But for some, that’s the whole idea.
“The principle of freedom has proven its worth. Anyone who wants to drive 75 mph can drive 75 mph. Those who want to drive faster should be allowed to drive faster,” Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said in a recent interview in the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “What’s the point of telling people what to do all the time? German freeways are the safest in the world. We’ve already got speed limits on a third of the autobahn. The system we’ve got in place now works just fine.”
The General German Auto Club, known by its initials ADAC, Europe’s largest national motor club, has thrown its influence behind the issue. And with ADAC’s membership of more than 20 million, a number that’s nearly a quarter of Germany’s population and covers most car owners, that influence is considerable.
The ADAC battle cry, “Free travel for free people,” first appeared in West German election campaigns during the Cold War era to try to intimidate any politicians from calling for speed limits. But it still resonates among hard-liners viscerally opposed to the government telling them how fast they can drive.
Defending the freedom to drive at blinding speeds on highways first built in the 1930s — ostensibly for the coming age of mass car travel, but in reality more for Hitler’s army — is fraught with historical baggage.
“It’s been a very emotional issue in Germany for a long time,” said Claudia Kemfert, professor for energy economics at the DIW Berlin, the German Institute for Economic Research. “We’re pretty much the only country in the world without a speed limit.”
Those who oppose the limits have generally been more vocal.
“There are very powerful lobbying forces against speed limits,” said Carsten Brzeski, chief economist at Ing Diba bank in Frankfurt. “It’s like gun control in the United States because hardly any politician dares get near the subject of speed limits.”
Germans wonder why the United States cannot make progress on curtailing gun violence, Oezdemir said, while foreigners wonder why Germans cannot make any progress on getting freeway speed limits.
The freeways are seen as a hallowed proving ground for car makers such as Porsche, BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen, which build their cars for the high-speed pressures in Germany and count on that image of performance to help sell the vehicles abroad.
Managers and unions of those blue-chip companies fear freeway speed limits would tarnish their reputation and cost jobs. There are tourist groups from as far afield as China and the United States that travel to Germany just to drive at top speeds.
“We’ve talked ourselves into believing this idea that people won’t buy German cars if there’s a speed limit here. It’s not true,” said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, a German car industry analyst at the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen.
“It’s like people in America saying they won’t feel free without guns,” he said. “Everyone knows that doesn’t make any sense. It’s the same thing in Germany with speed limits. It’s a myth.”
But the argument that’s spanned decades shows no signs of abating.
In an unsuccessful attempt to stop the debate recently, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert said there were better ways to combat climate change through the transportation sector than limiting drivers on Germany’s freeways.
Kirschbaum is a special correspondent.
Betty MacDonald Memorial Award Winner Wolfgang Hampel's very popular golden satirical book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is available in 5 continents and on Amazon U.S. Best Sellers Rank in Parody.
( see list below )
We have a golden Betty MacDonald fan club Egg for you.
Tell us your favourite satirical text of Wolfgang Hampel's book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier, please and you'll get several fascinating Betty MacDonald fan club items for free.
Wolfgang Hampel's very successful book is available in many countries around the world. ( see links below )
A wonderful Betty MacDonald fan club egg: You can win a first edition of one of Betty MacDonald's books with a dedication of Betty MacDonald. It's a golden treasure.
Don't miss this unique Betty MacDonald fan club offer, please.
Thank you so much for your interest and support.
Greetings,
Astrid
Betty MacDonald Memorial Award Winner Wolfgang Hampel's very popular golden satirical book Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is available in 5 continents and on Amazon U.S. Best Sellers Rank in Parody.
( see list below )
Angelika Jung and Wolfgang Hampel in Marc Marshalls SWR 3 TV Sendung HERZSCHLAG-MOMENTE am Samstag, den 3. August 2019 21.50
Angelika Jung and Wolfgang Hampel in Marc Marshall's SWR 3 TV Show HERZSCHLAG-MOMENTE on Saturday 3rd of August 2019 21.50
Angelika Jung and Wolfgang Hampel in Marc Marshall's SWR 3 TV Show HERZSCHLAG-MOMENTE on Saturday 3rd of August 2019 21.50
Marc Marshall in SWR 3 TV ' Talk am See ' - HERZSCHLAG - MOMENTE
Wolfgang Hampel's very witty book 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is my favourite animal ) is No 1 Buecher de TOP List.
Wolfgang
Hampels sehr witziges Buch ' Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' ( Satire is
my favourite animal ) ist No 1 Buecher de TOP Liste.
Many greetings - viele Grüße
Mats
Many greetings - viele Grüße
Mats
Germany
Germany buecher.de
Germany Hugendobel.de
Germany - jpc
Germany - lehmanns media
Germany - Jokers
Germany - Weltbild
Ich habe dieses Buch gekauft, weil Krimi-Königin Ingrid Noll Wolfgang ... sehr, daß wir die monatliche literarische Veranstaltung Vita Magica von Wolfgang Hampel bald einmal besuchen können.
Wolfgang Hampel's Satire ist mein Lieblingstier in Buecher de TOP list
You can order Wolfgang Hampel 'Satire ist mein Lieblingstier' (Satire is my favourite animal)
U.S.A.
United Kingdom
Australia
Austria
Brazil
Canada
Czechia
Denmark
Finland
France
Germany
Germany buecher.de
Germany Hugendobel.de
Germany - jpc
Germany - lehmanns media
Germany - Jokers
Germany - Weltbild
HungaryItaly
Japan
Mexico
Norway
Poland
Poland
Romania
Singapore
Slovak Republic
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
The Netherlands
The Netherlands - DODAX
Wolfgang Hampel - Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal )
Informationen über die Kultveranstaltung "Vita Magica" der Akademie für Ältere in Heidelberg
Wolfgang Hampel - Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ( Satire is my favourite animal )
The best president ever
Roger Cicero - ESC winner 2007
Many ESC fans from all over the world are so very sad because we lost Joy Fleming - one of the best singers ever.
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel sings 'Try to remember' especially for Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund at Vita Magica September
you can join
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald Society
Vita Magica
Eurovision Song Contest Fan Club
Wolfgang Hampel - Betty MacDonald fan club - and Vita Magica Founder
on Facebook
Vita Magica Betty MacDonald event with Wolfgang Hampel, Thomas Bödigheimer and Friedrich von Hoheneichen
Vita Magica
Betty MacDonald
Betty MacDonald fan club
Betty MacDonald fan club Google Images
Betty MacDonald fan club on Facebook
Betty MacDonald forum
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( English ) - The Egg and I
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( Polski)
Wolfgang Hampel - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - LinkFang ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Academic ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - cyclopaedia.net ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - DBpedia ( English / German )
Wolfgang Hampel - people check ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Memim ( English )
Vashon Island - Wikipedia ( German )
Wolfgang Hampel - Monica Sone - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( English )
Wolfgang Hampel - Ma and Pa Kettle - Wikipedia ( French )
Wolfgang Hampel - Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle - Wikipedia ( English)
Wolfgang Hampel in Florida State University
Betty MacDonald fan club founder Wolfgang Hampel
Betty MacDonald fan club interviews on CD/DVD
Betty MacDonald fan club items
Betty MacDonald fan club items - comments
Betty MacDonald fan club - The Stove and I
Betty MacDonald fan club groups
Betty MacDonald fan club organizer Linde Lund
+€1.00 shipping
Free shipping
Free shipping
Free shipping
Free shipping
Search Results
Web results
Satire ist mein Lieblingstier
- Satirische Gedichte: Mit Informationen über die Kultveranstaltung
"Vita Magica" der Akademie für Ältere in Heidelberg | Wolfgang
Satire ist mein Lieblingstier
- Satirische Gedichte. Mit Informationen über die Kultveranstaltung
Vita Magica der Akademie für Ältere in Heidelberg. Satire ist mein ...
Jul 17, 2018 - Bücher bei Weltbild.de: Jetzt Satire ist mein Lieblingstier - Satirische Gedichte von Wolfgang Hampel versandkostenfrei bestellen bei ...
Satire ist mein Lieblingstier - Satirische Gedichte von Wolfgang Hampel (ISBN 978-3-95828-155-4) bestellen. Schnelle Lieferung, auch auf Rechnung ...
Aug 1, 2018 - Betty MacDonald fan club - and Vita Magica founder Wolfgang Hampel's new book ' Satire ist mein Lieblingstier ' ( Satire is my favourite ...
„Wolfgang Hampel, Satire ist mein Lieblingstier - Satirische ...
https://www.booklooker.de › Bücher › Wolfgang Hampel
