A Shelby Mustang on the Autobahn
Today in History: A national speed limit was imposed on the Autobahn in Germany on this day in 1973 because of the oil crisis. The speed limit lasted only four months. The autobahn is one of the few highways where drivers get to pick their own speed limit. The highest speed ever clocked was 268.8 miles per hour, but that was under artificial conditions. (Basically, a raceway was set up for the purpose of setting records.) Under normal operating conditions, the fastest speed was set by a Porsche going 236 mph. According to a report by Car and Driver, the German Parliament voted – by an overwhelming margin – against a proposal by the Green Party to impose speed limits on the autobahn.
"The autobahn road system, situated in one of the most traveled places on earth, is extremely safe. Accident rates have fallen dramatically over the past few decades, and many of the remaining deaths can be attributed to factors other than speed. Today, the fatality rate is one of the lowest in the world." Daniel J Mitchell
Other countries have adopted higher speed limits as well. Austria’s speed limit has been provisionally raised to 87 mph on select stretches; Abu Dhabi allows 100 mph on sections of the road system, and many U.S. states are raising limits as well.
Rural roads on the Isle of Man have no speed limits on many rural roads; a 2004 proposal to introduce general speed limits of 60 mph and 70 mph on Mountain Road, for safety reasons, was not pursued following consultation. Measured travel speeds on the island are relatively low.
The Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Telangana also do not have speed limits by default.
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