Cars, SUVs, Trucks

European Speed Limits

Speed limits are different throughout Europe depending on which country you are in and what type of road you are on. Some countries have different speeding regulations for beginner and learner drivers too.

The first British motorway did not have a speed limit imposed on it until a series of crashes caused a review of the system. A limit of seventy miles per hour was then put into play and has remained ever since. There has recently been a lot of debate as to whether to raise the limit to eighty miles per hour although currently the law still stands at seventy.

On French motorways there are variable speed limits, when driving conditions are dry there is a limit of eighty miles per hour but when it is raining this limit drops to seventy miles per hour. Since 2002 the French government have introduced a number of measures to attempt to reduce the speed people travel at, measures such as radar guns have been implemented on lots of French roads.

The Autobahns in Germany are famous for not having speed limits. There are speed limits enforced for buses, cars with trailers attached and trucks still. Traffic on the autobahns reaches speeds of 125 mph at times, although there is a recommended speed of eighty miles per hour in place. Under German law insurance payments can be decreased if the recommended limit of 80 is ignored. Not all autobahn areas are speed limit free, some built up or residential areas are under limits in order to reduce the sound of the traffic.

Italian highways are set at an upper speed limit of eighty miles per hour and a seventy miles per hour limit is imposed on windy roads and in bad weather. On new and clear, straight roads a limit of 95 miles per hour is imposed.

Swiss autobahns usually have a maximum speed limit of seventy five miles per hour and dual carriage ways have a speed limit of 65 miles per hour generally.

speeding offences are extremely serious whether you are a newly qualified driver or an experienced driver. A speeding solicitor will be able to help with any advice surrounding motoring offences.