Mastodawn

@EUCommission Well, you wouldn‘t need additional research if you’d finally enforce a speed limit in whole Europe including Germany.

@aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission

I have heard there are occasionally traffic deaths outside Germany as well. Are you sure speed limits in Germany would decrease their number? Why?

@Tuuktuuk @EUCommission You know what I mean, sorry for the wrong expression. But: I‘m shure there are loads of studies and research in all of the EU countries, and it‘s not a question of knowledge to reduce traffic deaths, but of political will. We have several studies here that found out that it‘s important to lower speed from 50 to 30 in cities, that should be valid everywhere.

@aus_der_UBahn @Tuuktuuk @EUCommission I believe lowering speed limits has - beyond lowering road deaths - other consequences. Time spent on roads is an economic factor. That’s why it is indeed a political issue, not a knowledge issue.

That time difference is negligible. You spend so much time in traffic lights and such, that the average door-to-door speed remains almost unchanged even if you change the urban speed limit from 50 km/h to 30 km/h.

Also, where there are no traffic lights a road has highest throughput at a speed of 50 km/h. Higher than that, and the distance between two cars grows so large that you lose more throughput capacity to that than you win with a higher speed.

On a road prone to jams, 50 km/h can flow just fine while 80 km/h triggers a traffic jam, slowing everything to 30 km/h!

@Tuuktuuk @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission on an individual level, yes - scaled up to millions of people, I don’t think it is negligible.

When you scale it up to millions of people, then the effects of microparticles and noise start having a notable economic effect. At a speed of 50 km/h the formation of microparticles, mostly from friction between tyres and asphalt, is higher than at 30 km/h, and they also spread further. They increase the number of lung illnesses, which causes higher costs than the cost of lost 1 min per driver.

Then, the cities also become more comfortable to walk, which increases the profit of various cafes and shops along the streets, bringing further economic benefits.

Driving 50 km/h in a city is considered a *lot* more relaxing than driving just 30 km/h. 30 km/h feels sluggish, 50 km/h does not.
There is no noteworthy objective difference in average speeds, but there is a comfort difference! The comfort of life of people driving cars is of course an issue that is good to take into account. The 50 vs 30 km/h is purely a comfort issue, but comfort DOES matter!

@Tuuktuuk @wsmyr @EUCommission The comfort of car drivers? Man, do you live on another planet? Come to Hamburg and have a look at all the memorials along the streets where bikers and pedestrians habe been killed by car drivers! The only way to make cars safe is to ban them.

@aus_der_UBahn @wsmyr @EUCommission

Well, the comfort of car drivers does matter, but to be honest, only rather very little.

It matters, but the comfort of the majority of people living in the city is more important than the comfort of the about 20% to 30% of people who use cars. Big comfort difference for 70 % is more important than a small comfort difference for 30 %.

But yeah: the added comfort for the 30 % does matter. A bit.

@aus_der_UBahn @Tuuktuuk @EUCommission “The only way to make cars safe is to ban them.” Here we go again with the pub talk… what else do you want to ban to keep people safe? Public transport may work for Hamburg and many other metropolitan areas. But Europe doesn’t only consist of those. For rural areas, it is often inefficient and impractical, that is beyond questionable arguments like “comfort”.

Michiel Feb 20

@Tuuktuuk @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission I can tell you one case, where a schoolmate drove his Porsche at the Autobahn and drove himself to death at 240km/h. With speed limits enforced he would still be alive. At least way more likely. I don’t speed in France as the speed limits are aggressively enforced 🚗===🚓🇫🇷

@michielw @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission

Personally I'd say even 120 km/h is too high, as the fuel consumption increases so dramatically when you go over 90 km/h. Maybe 100 km/h would be okay, 110 km/h tops. But the difference in consumption between 110 and 120 is so big that 120 isn't worth the extra consumption and pollution.

But:The lack of speed limits on Autobahn is a parade example of what each member state should have autonomy on!

Michiel Feb 20

@Tuuktuuk @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission yeah agreed on speed. 120km/h doesn’t even make much difference for the typical distances traveled.

Dragofix Feb 22

@Tuuktuuk @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission Most accidents happen on higher speeds, also more serious harm.

Car harm: A global review of automobility's harm to people and the environment https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692324000267

Car harm: A global review of automobility's harm to people and the environment

Despite the widespread harm caused by cars and automobility, governments, corporations, and individuals continue to facilitate it by expanding roads, …

@Dragofix @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission

Tuukka R Feb 22

That is obvious. But slowing cars down in Germany from 180 km/h to 140 km/h does zilch to reduce the accidents that take place in Finland because of cars driving 120 km/h instead of 100 km/h.

Suggesting solving a EU-wide problem using a solution that only appears to one member state shows an inability to understand that there is life outside Germany.

https://www.udv.de/udv-en/accidents-involving-wild-animals-a-mass-phenomenon-75498

Dragofix Feb 23

@Tuuktuuk @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission I didn't say to 140 km/h or was talking about Finland, could be much lower EU-wide. It's better for the wildlife too.

There is a better chance for both to survive on lower speed. Crashing on a big animal with over 100 km/h is very dangerous.

Accidents involving wild animals a mass phenomenon

There are over 276,000 collisions with deer and other larger wild animals on German roads every year.

@aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission
Alright, so better rely on your pub talk instead of scientific research?! Germany is the only EU country w/o a general speed limit. As per road safety statistics 2024, with 33 road deaths/million, GER is well below the avg. of 45 deaths/million, although having a higher than avg. population density. How do you get to the conclusion that a speed limit in GER is the main factor for road safety in EU?
https://transport.ec.europa.eu/news-events/news/road-safety-statistics-2024-progress-continues-amid-persistent-challenges-2025-10-17_en

Road Safety Statistics for 2024: Progress continues amid persistent challenges

In 2024, 19,940 people lost their lives in road crashes across the EU, according to latest statistics released by the European Commission today.

Mobility and Transport

@wsmyr @aus_der_UBahn @EUCommission, by the classic "trust be bro" metric

@ppulfer @wsmyr @EUCommission Sorry, you‘re certainly right that I generalized from Germany to other countries. But there are many studies here that make speed limits responsible for less traffic deaths, e.g. this one, where they said that max. 120 would bring 1/3 less deaths. https://www.wiwi.rub.de/weniger-verkehrstote-durch-tempo-120/

Weniger Verkehrstote durch Tempo 120 - WiWi-Fakultät der Ruhr-Universität Bochum

Die erste große Studie seit fast 50 Jahren belegt: Ein Tempolimit auf Autobahnen würde die Zahl der tödlichen Verkehrsunfälle um mehr als ein Drittel senken. Tempolimits auf deutschen Autobahnen sind ein Riesenzankapfel – Freiheitsberaubung für die einen, lebensrettend für die anderen. Was stimmt denn nun? Nach rund 50 Jahren hat eine Wissenschaftlerin der Ruhr-Universität Bochum nun erstmals neue belastbare Daten gesammelt. Sie zeigen: Tempo 120 würde die Unfälle mit Sc...

WiWi-Fakultät der Ruhr-Universität Bochum

@ppulfer @wsmyr @EUCommission And in English here. That‘s not pub talk. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856425002447

@aus_der_UBahn @wsmyr @EUCommission, according to WHO data, death per capita suggests that speed is not the only factor. For example, deaths in Ireland is way higher than Germany despite the Autobahn. It is road safety standards and education that is the main driver

@aus_der_UBahn @ppulfer @EUCommission This isn’t - your former statement was 😉

@aus_der_UBahn @ppulfer @EUCommission Interesting study! However: "If a speed limit of 120 km/h were applied to all currently unrestricted sections of German autobahns, it would […] save 58 lives each year." This corresponds to a ~2.1% decrease of GER road deaths - considering that this number has decreased by 9% within 5 years without any introduced speed limit, I think there is not much substance to this measure, especially in EU context.

kris 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇨🇦Feb 20

@wsmyr @aus_der_UBahn @ppulfer @EUCommission Because of safer cars they are now „only“ crippled for live instead dead on scene. 🙄

AustinDSnizzl Feb 20

@EUCommission I'm regularly traveling in Italy. Not suprised of that statistic :D: D: D

@AustinDSnizzl @EUCommission

Can you elaborate, please?

AustinDSnizzl Feb 20

@Tuuktuuk @EUCommission Don't want to spoil the surprise for you. Just go, visit south of Italy and drive around there ;)

Lillian Violet Feb 20

@EUCommission I think the best way to prevent road deaths is simple, deprioritize the car and individual transport. Less cars is less accidents, and where you still have cars you slow them down and frustrate the drivers as much as possible. One good way to do that (and reach your climate goals on top!) is just investing heavily in public transport instead of roads and cars. We won't win the "EV wars" with China anyway, if you wish to go green you will not beat their EVs. Just builld trains, we're good at that here still regardless.

SIN001E/R-SINE | ΘΔ🦈 | 🏳‍⚧Feb 20

@GLaDTheresCake @EUCommission i think frustrating drivers will have the opposite results, drivers will just get pissed and learn to ignore and get around rules, like they learn to ignore nonsensical speed limits in some places

the proper solution is to ensure driving is always an active choice if you want to drive, and public transit is always an equally viable option; the highest risk people are the ones who don't actually want to drive in the first place

Lillian Violet Feb 20

@sinewave @EUCommission What I meant with frustrating drivers is the concept of car hostility in design, in effect what it means is that cars are forced (not incentivized) to go slow or around areas with bollards, speed bumps, bumpy streets, one way roads, and narrow streets. It is in many ways stopgap measures to put in place while you create a better hollistic solution to your transit issues like more public transit and more pedestrian spaces (which these measures create space for). In practice it makes people hate driving even short distances, and makes them opt to take public transport when they have to go into or out of cities (which is like 95% of all transport) instead.

hrast Feb 20

@GLaDTheresCake @EUCommission "STFU, dirty commie!"

Csepp 🌢Feb 20

@EUCommission Maybe having fewer, smaller, slower cars on the road would be an even quicker way to safeguard pedestrians. Just an idea.

Alex Feb 20

@csepp Nono, BIGGER cars. That can hold 40-70 people. With professional drivers. We can call it BRING US SAFELY. Or BUS for short.

@EUCommission

Csepp 🌢Feb 20

@holsta @EUCommission Huh, if someone had a car that big, they could even do some sort of car-sharing. Heck, they could do that professionally, in coordination with the other B.U.S. owners, traveling on pre-defined routes, following a predictable timetable.

haagch Feb 20

@EUCommission Fewer people on roads = fewer road deaths.

But try traveling from Germany to Brussels, one of the seats of the European Commission, by train. Half the time you will miss your connection and are not allowed to continue with the Eurostar without buying an extra Eurostar ticket.

This kind of friction pushes people in cars on the roads and could be solved by policy with a European compensation structure for transporting people who missed connections between national train operators.

Evelyn Estelle Feb 20

@haagch @EUCommission Totally agree, situated in a relatively central location, having reliable and convenient train options in Germany is a must.

Sturmlilie Feb 20

@EUCommission What is happening in Estonia?
Edit: Ok apparently the dataset is so small that statistical fluctuations are not drowned out.

Traianvs Feb 20

@EUCommission Spain among the countries that goes up, to no one's surprise.

@EUCommission, I agree with the infrastructure and car safety improvements. We need that.

Sadly, #ireland is slashing the speed limits within cities from 50 to 30km/h, drastically killing productivity and heavily inflating prices for goods and services. The actual problem of low quality roads and, funny enough, very little education is not being addressed.

We need a common solution for Europe as a whole that actually addresses the issues and not on slogans or this week's "feelings".

Tomas Stanislawski Feb 20

@ppulfer
Yeah, because higher speed for cars is safer in cities! It would be better with no speed limits at all, anywhere.

@EUCommission

@bike4climate @EUCommission, what are you smoking? I never said higher speeds are safer. o0

Maike Feb 20

@EUCommission Reduce cars. I want more and safe bikelanes and reliable, cheap and crossborder public transport.

Yvan Decreux Feb 20

@EUCommission
France could probably have done better, but the 'yellow jackets', who opposed the reduction of the speed limit on national roads, managed to reverse this decision.

Tilda Moose, citizen Feb 20

@EUCommission
And for the love of God, will you ban blinding headlights immediately if you care about road safety. The market has run rings around science and governance.

Mieszko Ślusarczyk Feb 20

@MattMoose @EUCommission yeah, it’s annoying, especially with LEDs on Chinese SUVs. The next ones in the list are..bikes

Justi Feb 20

@EUCommission maybe the solution to reducing them further would be, hear me out, encouraging poublic transportation? Shocking, right? Please do something about it, especially in eastern europe. In romania and bulgaria the situation of public transportation outside 2-3 major cities is very dire.

Mieszko Ślusarczyk Feb 20

@justive @EUCommission shouldn’t tour government do something about it?

Justi Feb 21

@spitfire @EUCommission In theory, yes, in practice without EU guidance, at least, won't happen.

Mieszko Ślusarczyk Feb 21

@justive @EUCommission I’m not sure they go that deep into countries internal affairs.

vurk Feb 20

@EUCommission The only way to reduce road deaths to zero is to ban all vehicles and destroy all the roads.

Some more poorly devised pearl-clutching from this group of clowns.

Policy decisions should be proportionally calibrated, rigorously weighing costs, consequences, and scale rather than pursuing absolutist goals that ignore practical trade-offs and result in disproportionate interventions.

Like #ChatControl scanning all comms of 450million EU citizens to catch a handful of criminals.

Riku Mattila

Feb 20

@EUCommission Less traffic.

Mieszko Ślusarczyk Feb 20

@rmattila74 @EUCommission work from home would help

Thomas A. Frederiksen Feb 20

@EUCommission How about a focus on affordable, frequent, and easy to use public transportation. People using public transportation drive less or not at all.

kris 🇪🇺🇺🇦🇨🇦Feb 20

@EUCommission Safer bike lanes, max 30km/h within city limits and forcing Germany to finally apply a speedlimit of 130km/h on highways will help massively.

Sourdough Stereo Feb 20

Where is the train masterplan?

Michiel Feb 20

@EUCommission absolute reduction percentage graph is somewhat misleading. I see Netherlands is -3% but what are the absolute numbers? Road deaths per 1000 inhabitants?