There was some congestion and some of the roadworks were lengthy, but for the most part, the autobahn had moderate traffic and no speed limit. Where there was a limit away from hazards, it was 120 kph, which is still 75 mph.
On this trip, the roof box kept my speeds down to double digits, but cruising at 90 mph was a joy. Even with the extra drag, my Saab was still more efficient over this high-speed journey than it is over mixed British routes.
There’s something magnificent about people driving responsibly at well over 100 mph without drama. However, it seems most autobahn drivers select around 90 mph (145 kph), a speed remarkably similar to that chosen by all those naughty drivers on UK motorways who choose to ignore the limit. I wonder if it would be the 85th percentile…
Since Austria, with its 130 kph motorway limit, was a joy too, one wonders what we are missing in the UK and why we are being asked to trundle around at 70 mph, a limit which anyone who drives on the motorway will know is both generally ignored and unenforced. Wouldn’t it be better to have a credible limit, greater compliance and consistent, fair enforcement?
And so it’s time for me to make my way through “Road Accidents, Prevent or Punish”: more later.
