A friend we know was visiting Germany in an official capacity back in the 1990s. That is, he was wearing a military uniform most of the time. But he had a day off, and his friend from the states picked him up for a daytrip around the Kaiserslautern area. As the friend-of-our-friend pulled onto the autobahn, he punched it.

A few minutes later, with the speedometer going off the charts in "kilometers," the military guy asked how much was that in "real speed"? That is, miles per hour?

After hearing the answer, he slowly reached over his shoulder for the seat belt. His driver-buddy just laughed. At this speed, the driver said, that seat belt will do no good.

Government officials in Germany have proposed a temporary speed limit on its famed highways. And it's going over about like an undercooked schnitzel.

With Germany and its western European neighbors preparing for a long winter, thanks to reduced Russian flow of resources in retaliation for the West's support of Ukraine, some politicians are calling for a temporary speed limit to help conserve fuel, The New York Times reports. The suggestion seems to be going exactly nowhere.

NB: The roughly 8,200-mile long autobahn system is not the lawless lead-foot free-for-all many perceive it to be. About 30 percent of its length is regulated by permanent speed limits, mostly in cities and construction zones.

But there are no mandated speed limits, only recommended ones, for about 70 percent of the German autobahn. Smokeys are not hiding in the medians of Deutschland.

The Times tells us of a Czech developer who took to an unshackled part of the autobahn and hit 260 mph--as fast as a prop plane. He posted footage from his ride on social media. And there was nothing the authorities could charge him with.

But with shortages looming and winter coming, slowing down would help save precious fuel, and the German environment industry says reducing speed on the autobahn would save millions of metric tons in carbon dioxide emissions.

But the current coalition government in Germany--the center-left Social Democrats, the Greens and Libertarian-flavored Free Democrats--is reluctant to press such a lightning-rod issue for legitimate political reasons.

Polling does reveal increased support behind temporary limits across the board, even among the membership of the venerable ADAC, the Munich-based auto club that boasts more than 20 million members. But when the government of Germany, which has the Greens as a major coalition member, balks at speed limits, you know you've hit a nerve in that country.

See the United States, Guns.

Print Headline: Cold lead feet

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