Despite popular belief, roughly 30% of Germany’s Autobahns have enforced speed limits, primarily on stretches near cities or that are consistently congestion bottlenecks. German police revealed this week that a Porsche Panamera driver got caught on radar going 199 miles per hour in July. While authorities didn’t release the driver’s age or name, they noted that the speeder received a $1,047 fine, a three-month suspension of his license as well as two points on his license.
The Panamera driver was clocked by police in a 75-mph zone on the A2 autobahn near Burg in Saxony-Anhalt, about 80 miles west of Berlin. The 199 mph infraction was a record for the mobile radar enforcement trailer stationed on the roadside, according to the AP. For those of you who have never driven in Germany, the fines and penalties on the Autobahn increase on two different curves depending on whether the infraction is in an urban or rural area. The fines are steeper in urban areas, but both curves have the same thresholds for points and suspensions. No matter where you are, you will get a one-month driving ban for being 19 mph over the limit.
Speed Week has a different meaning in Germany
The Panamera driver will likely serve as a cautionary tale for drivers across most of Germany this week as police impose a “blitzermarathon” or “speed camera marathon” in English. According to regional German public broadcaster MDR, it’s a week-long ramp-up of speed limit enforcement with every mobile radar stand out in force to catch speeders. Police around Halle, Saxony-Anhalt’s second-largest city, handed out tickets for over 400 speed limit violations on the first day alone. Tamara Zieschang, the state’s interior minister, said, “Increased speed checks are an effective means of combating speeding and raising awareness of road safety among all road users.” Yes, safety is the primary concern as Germany’s Federal Statistical Office states that speeding was the cause of 30% of fatal crashes last year, more than any other cause.
In recent years, Germany has discussed imposing a general speed limit across the entire federal Autobahn system for several reasons. First, a speed limit would eliminate a significant chunk of the country’s CO2 emissions. The German Federal Environmental Agency estimates that an 80 mph limit would cut 2 million tons of CO2 every year. Second, Reckless behavior on unrestricted portions shared on social media is increasingly drawing the ire of the public. When a Czech millionaire hit 259 mph in a Bugatti Chiron on the A2, the same Autobahn as our Panamera driver, it provoked a response from the German Transport Ministry after the stunt went viral on YouTube. It’s safe to say that drivers might not be responsible enough to keep the Autobahn unrestricted.
