Call for 80 km/h rural road speed limits in Germany

The German Road Safety Council (DVR) is calling for lower speed limits on rural roads in Germany after the latest road death statistics for 2023 showed that deaths increased by 2% compared to the previous year.  

Manfred Wirsch, President of DVR said: “We cannot simply watch as the politically set reduction targets are slowly being missed. This is not just about numbers, but about human lives. We urgently need a noticeable boost to road safety that addresses the greatest danger – crashes on rural roads. There are many small measures from education to improving the infrastructure. But it’s time we tackle the key to greater safety and that is: reduce speed.”

Crashes on rural roads account for around 60% of road deaths in Germany. The DVR is calling for a maximum of 80 km/h on narrow rural roads. 

Wirsch adds: “An 80 km/h limit on rural roads is an easy-to-implement measure that would immediately save lives. There is a great deal of professional agreement on this, but there is now a lack of political will. The requirement does not apply to wide, partly motorway-like rural roads. However, a large part of our rural road network is not suitable for speeds of 100 km/h. We should be honest and reduce the speed limit, which can significantly reduce the severity of the crash.”