An alliance of climate and road safety organizations has called on the German government to introduce a speed limit on the country's road network ahead of a parliamentary debate.
A succession of governments have refused to implement the policy, "even though the 2030 climate targets are likely to be missed and the high number of road deaths in Germany has again increased," the group said on Friday.
The alliance, which includes a number of prominent climate organizations as well as the North Rhine Westphalia (NRW) police union, first called for the introduction of a general speed limit on motorways in 2021.
Despite the fact that several European countries have tightened speed limits in recent years, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's governing coalition has so far failed to act due to resistance from the Free Democratic Party (FDP). The coalition agreement explicitly ruled out imposing a general speed limit.
Alliance calls for action
The alliance is seeking a 100-kilometre-per-hour speed limit on motorways as well as a range of further measures. One organization, Environmental Action Germany (DUH), is pushing for a speed limit outside urban areas of 80 km/h and an urban limit of 30 km/h.
DUH chief Jürgen Resch said the policies could save more than 11 million tons of CO2 per year.
Germany's upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, is discussing amendments to the German Road Traffic Act on Friday. Resch said cities could make use of the new regulations, even if these do not go far enough.
The amendments include allowing authorities to implement 30 km/h speed limits in dangerous areas, such as playgrounds and school routes.
"If implemented consistently, our cities can at least become a little safer, quieter and cleaner," said Resch.
Other members of the alliance, such as Road Accident Victim Support Germany, called for a maximum speed limit of 130 km/h on German motorways.
"Various studies have shown that slowing down traffic leads to a significant reduction in fatal accidents and seriously injured road users," said the group's chairwoman Silke von Beesten.
Michael Mertens from the NRW police union also considers a speed limit to be important amid the rise in electric vehicles, which lose range when travelling at high speeds.
"This changes the flow of traffic on motorways and significantly faster individual vehicles pose an ever-increasing risk of accidents," Mertens said.