When living and studying in Germany, international students more or less know about the speed regulations on highways when learning about traffic in Germany to easily integrate into life here, right? During the time living in Germany, many of you will wonder why Germany does not limit the speed on the highway. Today, let’s find out with My Career!

Speed ​​on the highway in Germany

While in Vietnam, every road has a speed limit sign, the speed limit on the highway is 120km/h, in Germany it is not.
On the highway in Germany, you can drive at 200km/h, 250km/h… as long as your steering wheel is steady and safe.

Germany is the only country in the Western industrialized world that does not have speed limits on its motorways. And why is that? There are two main reasons:

The highway system in Germany is of extremely high quality.

Germany’s Autobahn network has a total length of 12,845 kilometres (2012), making it one of the longest and densest networks in the world. It is also known as the world’s largest and most modern highway system.

Each direction has at least 2 to 5 lanes, with an additional emergency parking lane in case of vehicle breakdown. Every 2 km on the highway there is an emergency telephone booth, 700 service points operating, every 30 km to 60 km there is a point. The restaurant system, conference rooms, fuel stations? here operate continuously 24 hours a day.

The German highway system is of extremely high quality, using modern technology in road surface manufacturing. At the same time, the highway system is also carefully maintained, carried out continuously, every day to promptly detect cracks, bumps, and dents on the road (if any). Every 1.6 km of highway costs more than 1 million USD to operate.

In addition, the legal system, public awareness and extremely strict driving license exam in Germany also contribute to the German government maintaining this law of no speed limit.

See more: How are traffic violations handled in Germany?

Support the development of the automobile industry

The second reason is also known by many people, it is also logical, but no one can guarantee how accurate it is.

That is, in Germany, there is an agreement between the German government and the big names in the automobile industry: to push the driving speed in Germany to the maximum speed recommended by the manufacturer such as 250km/h or even more, thereby increasing the experience and excitement for customers, thereby increasing the sales of automobile manufacturers in Germany.
Germany is considered the cradle of the automobile industry, the birthplace of many world-famous car brands such as: Audi, Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Volkswagen and Porsche.

Actually, if true, this is understandable. Surely the experience of sitting in luxury cars gliding on the highway will make supercar enthusiasts and speed enthusiasts excited and happy. This is considered a paradise for speed enthusiasts.

How safe is it to drive on the highway in Germany?

For many foreigners as well as new international students living and studying in Germany, when they learn that Germany has no speed limit on the highway, they often wonder: is it unsafe to have no speed limit on the highway?

The answer is no. It is thought that traveling at high speed without speed limits would be inversely proportional to safety and directly proportional to the number of accidents, but according to statistics in 2020, the number of deaths in traffic accidents on non-highway routes is higher than the number of accidents on the highway.

The Autobahn is safer than any other motorway system in the world. Less than 10% of traffic accidents in Germany occur on the Autobahn.

Will Germany change the regulation of no speed limit on the highway?

Perhaps many people will be curious, wondering whether Germany will change this regulation in the future or not?
In fact, every time a new government comes to power in Germany, the issue of whether or not to have a speed limit on the highway will be discussed, it may or may not change. There are also conflicting opinions in Germany about this, but so far Germany still does not have a speed limit on the highway.

However, it is important to note that not all highways in Germany are always allowed to travel at a free speed, but in reality, it will depend on the route, the time frame, the road condition or the weather conditions and there may be appropriate speed limit signs. Therefore, please pay close attention when driving on highways in Germany to ensure safety and compliance with the law.

We hope the above information provides you with useful information about traffic on highways in Germany.

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