Here's my exaggerated view on why a general speed limit for Germany will probably never work.

We can't really say that it has been a concise decision:  498 towards 126 votes against a general speed limit on German motorways set a clear statement. And while Volvo is considering the limitation of its new vehicles to 180km/h, all the world has already applied general speed limits to their roads. With drastic consequences for noncompliance, reaching from fines to imprisonment. In fact, Germany is one of only a few countries and the only industrial nation where drivers can theoretically speed up as fast as they want. Ok, that applies to round about 70% of the so-called German "Autobahn", but it means an immense 25.800 km of pure fun, isn't it? Some would also say it's pure danger. Because it is also fact that almost 50% more people die in car accidents on non-restricted motorways compared to those parts with a speed limit. On the other hand, Germany is by far not leading the list of fatalities in car accidents in Europe according to the statistics. And yeah, we also would like to reduce emissions for sure, and driving fast means burning more fuel, more of our ending fossil resources and of course produce more CO2.

But the topic is way too emotional to just list up the facts. And I'll try to take it from my personal experience, since my earlier commute offered me to survey every single day what's going on. 81 km per day has been my way to work - and return. That's 162 km every day, whereas 155 of those were spent on the A661 and the - most famous - A3. As one of the most important, the second longest German motorway is pretty much packed every day. 365 days a year. Accidents happen on a daily basis, construction sites are everlasting. My car? An Audi A4 with a decent TurboDiesel engine providing me with 150hp to end up at least with a top speed of 225km/h. You see, I've got my portion of German mentality too. So what is it that makes us Germans so reluctant to accept what ALL other European countries already applied to their streets, roads and motorways? And would there be a way to force us into a speed limit?

First, reducing the speed limit is an offence to our believe in personal freedom.

No kidding, a point that is often brought up in discussions when it comes to a general speed limit. Whoever wants to drive slower, is free to do that. But we Germans believe in our right to drive as fast as we want, this is our personal freedom. A questionable freedom that produces a quite significant death toll by the way. And still, me personally, I can't deny the fascination of driving fast, there's something in it that we can't really explain. Sounds funny, but it seems that we believe in having control over that kind of speed, but sometimes that can get very dangerous.

Which seems to be a fact #2:

A missing sense of danger or safety.

Almost every day and at least every time I'm going on a longer ride through Germany, I witness insane situations. Most of them involving speed. The vehement and continuous contempt of speed limits is omnipresent and culminates in special areas like construction works. Rushing left (German's drive on the right btw) into the lane change with a delivery truck at a speed of approx. 140km/h where 80 is the limit is surely a sign that some intuition was missed in the drivers learning stages.

We don't fear fines.

Got clocked? Haha, what can possibly happen? In fact, German authorities issue some of the lowest fines ever for speeding. Even after the reformation of the demerit point system in 2014, speeding remains courteous around here. That two or three months without a license after either one significant or several smaller violations are not discouraging us. The contrary is the case: if you're dependent on your car for employment reasons, you simply file a suit, and the revocation is turned into a higher fine. Too easy buddy. And it's exactly this fact that invalidates a theory often used when it comes to changing behaviour: GET THEM BY THEIR MONEY! It won't work, and do you know why?

We. Are. Rich!

Even more than the carelessness about safety, traffic, weather conditions, fines and other drivers that are with us on the same road, we don't seem to care about money. We can't seem to be if I look at the countless SUVs and high-powered cars that fly by every morning and every evening. If you own that GLE or Porsche Cayenne with severeal hundred hp, burning shitloads of fuel besides the ridiculous cost, price doesn't matter to you anyways. Let's be honest: we've got way too much money in this country and we feel way too entitled to ever adhere to a general speed limit!

Saying this, even IF there would be a general speed limit introduced, we need to change a lot in our behaviour to make that work. And that requires also a new generation of drivers, with a completely new mindset. Driving fast is an addiction, pretty much like smoking: the signs on the road picturing the death tools don't stop people from speeding, same as on the cigarette packs stop them from smoking. But new rules and creative ideas might help new drivers to think twice. If not autonomous driving cars will bring some relieve in the future, it is on us to make sure we drive safely, with mutual respect and adhere to speed limits that do exist - even on German motorways. Like with so many things in this world: awareness starts with the people, not with the rules they created.