Why are there speed limits on American highways?”
The German autobahns are famous for being some of the few public roads in the world without blanket speed limits for cars and motorcycles. Lack of blanket speed limits does not appear to negatively impact the road safety of autobahns compared with motorways in other countries; motorways are safer than other road types. Perhaps this is due in part because traffic can be heavy enough to restrict speeds to little above the typical motorway speeds found elsewhere. Certainly, speed limits do apply at junctions and other danger points, like sections under construction or in need of repair. Speed limits at non-construction sites are generally 100 km/h (62 mph), 120 km/h (75 mph), or sometimes even 130 km/h (81 mph); construction sites have a usual speed limit of 80 km/h (50 mph) but may be as low as 60 km/h (37 mph) or even 40 km/h (25 mph). Certain stretches have separate, and lower, speed limits used in cases of wet lanes. These stretches often feature an electronic speed limit signal that
