Autoblog

It looks like Germany's autobahn system is safe from a potential increase of speed-limited areas, for now at least. As posted on numerous occasions, environmentalists, the European Union and even citizens of Germany have called for the adaptation of 80 mph (130 km/h) limits in the currently ungoverned sections. However, today the Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, publicly rejected a proposal aimed at reducing automotive emissions through autobahn speed regulations. Thankfully, Mrs. Merkel is a logical woman as she stressed that traffic jams caused by slow vehicles contribute as much greenhouse gas as a few speedsters. She offered better traffic management as a more effective solution to the Autobahn issue. Now, if only Angela Merkel could bring her ideas over to California.

[Source: Piston Heads]

Autocar is reporting that the European Parliament will consider a proposal this fall to ban all cars capable of reaching speeds over 101 mph. The proposal can be traced back to a man named Chris Davies, a Liberal Democrat Member of the European Parlaiment for the North West of England. Davies argues (try not to laugh while reading his words) that "between 1994 and 2004 the power of new cars went up by 28 per cent, making them a lot heavier, and so increasing the amount of CO2 they put out, even though no country raised its speed limit to allow cars to use this increased power."

The logic is so flawed here, we don't know where to begin. According to Davies, giving a car more power makes it heavier, thus increasing the amount of CO2 it emits. First of all, cars are heavier these days primarily because most developed nations, Europe and the United States included, have federally mandated that cars be made safer, and to achieve this, manufacturers have had to design new safety systems that add weight to cars. Things like airbags, crumple zones, side-impact bars, and the like are the primary reason cars have gotten heavier. While enlarging the displacement of an engine, switching from four to six cylinders or adding a supercharger could make a car heavier while giving it more oomph, more power for its own sake is neither a necessary nor sufficient condition for a car gaining weight.

[Source: Autocar]

Three days ago we scoffed at an EU official's suggestion that a speed limit should be applied to the remaining sections of Germany's famous Autobahn that remain free to speed. While reports indicated that speed-loving Germans were up in arms over the idea, a recent poll shows that two in three believe a speed limit should be instituted. Whaa? Conducted by ZDF television, the poll showed that 54% of those surveyed favor an 80 mph speed limit, while 10% would like a limit even lower. There were still around 35% of the respondents, which would thankfully include German Transport Minister Wolfgang Tiefensee if he were polled, who don't want a speed limit at all.

The controversy over speed limits on the Autobahn stems from suggestions that an over excited right foot leads to lots of wasted energy, which obviously ain't too good for the environment. Interestingly, the survey also showed that 56% of those polled think flights should be taxed more because of their negative impact on the environment. Yeah, that's right! Cap our cars, we'll tax your planes!

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Say it ain't so. An EU official has gone on record suggesting that Germans should give up their beloved freedom to speed on stretches of the country's famed Autobahn in deference to the EU's more aggressive climate change policy. Reports from Germany are that the nation's people find the suggestion ludicrous, farcical and a downright threat to their freedom. The popular German slogan "free driving for free citizens" has been ringing out on internet sites collecting reactions to the proposal.

It certainly doesn't sound as if capping the speed limit across the Autobahn is going to happen, but nevertheless a debate has begun about what many consider to be a waste of fuel and needless emissions created by blasts down the Autobahn. While it's tough to argue that most people travelling at triple digit speeds aren't doing it just for fun, instituting a general speed limit based on the argument that energy is needlessly wasted strikes us a slippery slope. Formula 1, on those grounds, is a needless waste of energy, or at least one fans could forego. All motorsports, for that matter, could be targeted with this argument.

It seems to us that the proper way to address unlimited speed on the Autobahn and the extra emissions it creates are to encourage automakers and entrepenuers to develop high-performance sports cars that are also more environmentally friendly. Freedom not only includes the choice to drive fast, but also to do so in an environmentally responsible way if one's available.

[Source: Indystar]

The days of unrestricted speeds on portions of Germany's autobahn may be numbered, but they will continue for at least the immediate future, thanks to their plucky Chancellor. The lucky souls who have a valid passport, a current license, a capable car and the will to challenge themselves will be able to do so without legal entanglements a bit longer.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel just added her support to legal measures that will help keep the country's autobahnen free of speed limits, Greenies be damned! OK, she didn't go that far, but Merkel's support was unflagging even against European Union criticism that Germany could do a little lot more in the fight against harmful automotive emissions. The unrestricted autobahn has been seen as a poster child for what's wrong with the automotive world by some environmentalists.

Follow the jump for the rest of the story.

[Source: Inside Line]

Big Brother is slowly moving behind the wheel of our cars and we appear to be only a few short steps away from losing control of our driving all together. There are groups of respected motorists who have advocated abolishing speed limits all together, insisting that traffic speeds are self-regulating and better controlled by nature and natural selection. But there are definitely times when we would gladly give up a tiny bit of control if it meant keeping traffic congestion from getting out of hand. Automated cars have been tested and with manual overrides can actually be pretty effective in certain situations. Buick's automated highway experiment a decade ago and the countless adaptive cruise control systems on the market today show how useful electronics can be for traffic flow and safety. And now we have a system developed by Siemens VDO that could potentially keep any car cruising along at the posted speed limit so drivers can concentrate on their cell phones well driving, like they should be. (Sarcasm, of course)

Siemens VDO has developed a Traffic Sign Recognition system that will alert drivers if they're driving too fast. A camera will monitor the road ahead for speed limits on traffic signs. As the camera recognizes posted speeds, the information is processed and the driver warned if they are speeding. Not much of a leap to envision this system automatically slowing you down if you don't do it yourself, or even never allowing the vehicle to exceed that posted limit.

If that sounds a bit scary, it probably should. And Siemens VDO predicts it might be here before you know it. Production of this speed monitor system could start in less than two years. A similar system for educational institutions has been under development for some time now, but Siemens sees the automotive industry as a larger force towards getting the system to market. We have as much respect for the law as the next Bullrunner driver, but there are clearly times when speeding can be necessary, such as accident avoidance or to outrun a dangerous situation. So hopefully the system can be configured to allow some variance or be overridden completely when necessary.

[Source: Motor Authority]

The Intelligent Speed Adaptation (ISA) system uses a GPS and mapping system to determine where a vehicle is located and at what speed it's travelling. ISA, which was developed by the Motor Industry Research Association and backed with funds from the U.K. Department for Transport (DfT), was demonstrated last week using a motorcycle. When the driver exceeds the posted speed limit, he or she will receive a two beep warning. Once their speed is 5 mph over the limit, the vehicle seat vibrates as another warning. If the second warning is disregarded, ISA takes over and slows the vehicle until it's at or below the speed limit.

Critics point out the system does not take into account when drivers accelerate out of dangerous situations. Touché.

Related:
Cars obeying speed limit despite you

[Source: U.K. Times]

The number of fatal crashes on U.S. roads have steadily declined over the last few decades and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has found that this has little do with a safer motoring public and more to do with safer vehicle design.

Their findings confirm what has been assumed for years, that as more safety equipment is added and eventually mandated, drivers who would have been killed years earlier in older models are now surviving with greater frequency.

The study also points to the lack of required seat belt usage in some states and the waning enforcement of DWI charges as worrisome developments. These concerns, coupled with speed limits that have steadily increased across the country, are providing the IIHS a bleak outlook on the future.

One glaring omission in the press release (printed after the jump) is the effect of driver training programs on new drivers and how further driver improvement is a necessity to decrease on-road fatalities.

A too-clever motorist in the UK is staring at some jail time after concocting a sign-switching scheme to get out of a speeding ticket.

44-year-old John Hopwood apparently placed a stolen 40 mph speed limit sign over the 30 mph sign that he violated, then took a photo and brought it to court as proof of his innocence. Suffice it to say, it didn't work.

More details of Hopwood's shenanigans at the link.

[Source: UK Mirror]

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, ex-First Lady and likely future presidential candidate threw out an odd legal suggestion to the National Press Club this week: a nationwide return to the double-nickel. According to Clinton, "The 55-mile speed limit really does lower gas usage. And wherever it can be required, and the people will accept it, we ought to do it..."

The announcement comes as a surprise, despite rising gas prices and increased pressure from environmentalists, as it is unlikely to prove popular with voters.Naturally, that's not the only automotive issue on her mind... among other four-wheeled initiatives, Clinton reported that she is pushing for 50 percent of America's gas stations to offer ethanol by 2015, with 100 percent by 2025.

Sammy Hagar was unavailable for comment.

[Sources: The New York Post; Wayne State University via Autolife]