Marx said gun ownership is a right of the workers, didn't say nuthing about cars. So go fast and crash your shitty holocaust volkswagens stupid krauts. We salute you!

  • SoyViking [he/him]
    ·
    3 years ago

    The lack of a general speed limit on German highways exists for the most stupid of reasons.

    As car use increased, better roads were built and cars became faster it became evident in many industrialised countries, including Germany, that a speed limit would be a really good policy. The people in charge in Germany at that time were the Nazis. During the war the speed limit was lowered to save fuel.

    After the war West Germany abolished the speed limits. The West German car and motorist lobbies were powerful, the speed limits were seen as a relic of the Nazi past and following the experiences with the centralised Nazi state devolution to states were seen as a safeguard against the federal government becoming too powerful and tyrannic.

    And then came the stupid cold war shit. East Germany had a speed limit but West Germany didn't. Quickly this turned into a propaganda point in the west where the "Nazi" speed limit was used as an example of the lack of freedom in East Germany by Western propaganda.

    Free speeding became a part of how West Germans understood their own freedom and masculinity in opposition to the Nazi past as well as to the Communist alternative in the east. In the east speeding on the autobahn became a part of the dreams of greener pastures in the west that many east Germans naively held. Even after the annexation of the German Democratic Republic the right to free speeding remains an important part of German identity.

    It is a really, really stupid identity though. Those who work with road safety and construction would love a speed limit in order to reduce congestion, noise, emissions, accidents and so on and so on but free speed remains as politically taboo as the American right to bear arms.

    Although there is no word limit in theory, more and more stretches of highway are getting posted speed limits. Also a recommended speed limit of 130 km/h exists. It is not illegal to exceed this limit but if you are in an accident you become liable for damages caused by the high speed. German highways sees a lot of heavy traffic so at many times driving above the recommended speed is not possible at all.

    • AlexandairBabeuf [they/them]
      ·
      3 years ago

      gets rid of speed limits to 'erase naxi past' ; doesn't erase the actual literal nazis in government

      oh yeah, its Puppet Germany Time :germany-cool:

    • 6bicycles [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      After the war West Germany abolished the speed limits. The West German car and motorist lobbies were powerful, the speed limits were seen as a relic of the Nazi past and following the experiences with the centralised Nazi state devolution to states were seen as a safeguard against the federal government becoming too powerful and tyrannic.

      Suffice to say, germany after the war was still in large part run by the nazis and for some weird reason, I just can't imagine why, they didn't bother repelling any of the other traffic laws the nazis made which, I know this will come as a surprise, were explicitly made to encourage car traffic and discourage any other mode of transportation.

    • ToastGhost [he/him]
      ·
      3 years ago

      imagine thinking the nazis were bad cuz car cant go vroom vroom but you have high level nazi party members in charge of your government :germany-cool: