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]
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]
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