According to a survey by Puls-Marktforschung, a narrow majority of drivers are against a speed limit of 130 km/h on German autobahns.
According to the study, 48 percent of those surveyed stated that they were "rather" for a speed limit, 52 percent were "rather against". The survey commissioned by "Mobil in Deutschland" was carried out among 591 people in Germany. Only people who travel by car (almost) every day were interviewed. The Automobile Club sees the advantage of the survey in the fact that drivers who drive regularly, often or daily, were specifically surveyed.
Hardly any CO2 savings at Tempo 130
For years, the speed limit on German autobahns has been used as a way of avoiding CO2 and preventing accidents. Most recently, Tempo 130 was rejected by the Federal Council in 2020. Now, so shortly before the general election, the topic is back on the agenda. While the CDU candidate for the pulpit Armin Laschet (here in an interview ) and the FDP oppose the introduction of a speed limit, the SPD , Greens and Left Party support such a speed limit in different degrees. The effect is almost insignificant, especially in the case of CO2 emissions with less than 0.3 percentage points compared to unrestricted driving. Experts don't see a connection between speed and traffic jams, nor do they see a gain in safety.
By the way, Mobil für Deutschland e.V. is one of the smallest automobile clubs in Germany and is based in Munich. The association was founded in 1992 by Michael Haberland, who is also President and a member of the CSU. Around 10,000 members are organized in the small car club. For comparison, the ADAC has 21.2 million members.
Conclusion
The general rule is that a representative survey should be carried out with at least 1,000 respondents, but representative figures can also be obtained with a significantly smaller number. However, the probability of statistical errors increases with smaller samples. Be that as it may, in the current survey on speed limits, 52 percent spoke out against it.
