Pedal to the metal? Not so fast, says France
France has lowered the speed limit on two-lane highways from 90 kilometers per hour to 80 kph. The aim is to save 400 lives a year. Critics called the move "Paris snobbery" and a way to make money on speeding tickets.
Slowing down on the way to the Riviera
It started in 2015 when French officials chose three stretches of the Nationale 7 highway, the French vacation highway that leads to the Riviera, to test the new 80 kilometers per hour (50 mph) speed limit. On Sunday, all two-lane roads in France will now have lowered speeds from 90 kph (55 mph) to 80 kph.
No putting the brakes on an unpopular move
"The goal is not to piss people off," said French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. But he reiterated that he was ready "to live with being unpopular." He noted that a similar reduction on the Paris ring road led to an 18 percent drop in accidents. Some local officials have vowed they won't put up the new speed limit signs even though the government has promised to reimburse them.
Germany: Even without a speed limit, you can't floor it
In Germany, the speed limit on two-lane highways is 100 kph (60 mph) and on many stretches of highway there is no speed limit at all. But with crowded freeways, having no speed limit doesn't matter if you can't get enough room to cruise.
Saving money will take time
The French government has been running radio and TV ads to quell drivers' anger by saying the new speed limits will only add a few minutes to most trips. The upside is that motorists' fuel costs will go down by €120 ($140) year. The new speed limit in France matches those in Bosnia, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland.
Not safe at any speed
Sweden has the lowest number of road deaths at 2.6 per 100,000 and some of the toughest speed limits in Europe. Germany at 4.2, Great Britain at 2.8 and Ireland at 3.5 are some of the safest countries. The highest number of road deaths per 100,000 are in Romania (9.6) and Bulgaria (9.9). The high accident rates are attributed to poor roads and older, rundown cars.