A recent study by researchers from the School of Business and Economics at Linnaeus University in Sweden suggests that implementing a speed limit on German autobahns could lead to an annual economic welfare gain of at least 950 million euros. The study indicates that not introducing a speed limit amounts to a subsidy for fast drivers. To determine this, the researchers weighed the costs associated with travel time, fuel consumption, infrastructure, accidents, CO₂ emissions, air pollution, and other factors.
Despite this, the governing coalition in Germany has been unable to agree on a speed limit. Recently, in October 2022, MPs in the Bundestag Transport Committee voted against a motion by Left faction representatives to introduce a speed limit of 130 km/h on German autobahns. Adding to this, the federal government also confirmed that the coalition parties had agreed that there would be no general speed limit in the current legislative period in response to a small question posed by the Left.
The Swedish researchers take into account many other studies, including one by the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW), which also argues against a speed limit. However, the Swedish researchers question whether the time lost estimated in the Kiel study can actually be counted as “lost wages.” If the travel time is important as working time, it makes sense to use railway connections.
Furthermore, the IfW study concludes that “the longer travel times associated with the lower speeds lead to considerable additional costs”. The Swedish researchers challenge this conclusion by pointing out that most people have a tight travel time budget, so faster speeds translate to longer distances but not time savings.
For the calculation of the loss of time due to a speed limit of 130 km/h, the researchers assumed that the average speed on stretches with the speed limit is 118.3 km/h, and on those without is 124.7 km/h. The difference multiplied by the corresponding driving hours results in a loss of time of 49.7 million hours per year, leading to costs of just over a billion euros due to lost time. However, a speed limit would save €766 million in fuel, €293 million in reduced CO₂ emissions, €255 million in accident avoidance, €286 million in energy savings, and €248 million in infrastructure maintenance and manufacturing costs.
In addition to economic benefits, the researchers argue that climate change requires a new priority. They believe that a speed limit would encourage cars to be optimized for lower speeds and lower fuel consumption. Climate change is a global issue, and reducing emissions in the transport system is necessary.
