Driving fast is in ‘the German DNA’, say lovers of the speed-limit free autobahn, but support in the country for a restriction is growing
eath-defying thrills are not what draws Lutz Leif Linden to zip down the autobahn faster than a plane taking off. Instead, the feeling of freedom and an appreciation of technological mastery play a part in his “almost loving relationship” with driving cars faster than most people can imagine.
The top speed he has reached on the road in Germany, the world’s only democracy without a blanket speed limit on motorways, is 400km/h (249mph). “It’s like an airplane,” said Linden, the president of the Automobile Club of Germany (AvD). “You are faster than an Airbus at start.”
Often compared to the US’s attachment to guns, the German need for speed has weathered decades of pressure to hit the brakes even as environmental and political crises have mounted. Last week, the International Energy Agency (IEA) issued the latest appeal for drivers to slow down as it urged countries to cushion the price shock from the biggest blow to oil supply in history.
The long-running debate over speed has become an emblem of a fight between shared green benefits and personal freedom in a country where cars – particularly fast ones – are still considered king. “It’s like the German DNA,” said Linden.
