Many of the road regulations in the countries that make up the European Union are very similar, although each country also has room for maneuver to stipulate its own laws. An example is the case of poster colors on highways and highways, there being an interesting division between countries that use green or blue for the background of these signs.
In this article the protagonist is the Czech Republic, which launched a pilot project last autumn on one of its highways, the D3, allowing circulation on it up to 150 km/h under strict conditions. This makes the country the first in the European Union to take this step, not without doubts and criticism from legislators and citizens.
A movement against the current. The Czech Republic seems to be going against the grain, especially considering that much of Europe is racking its brains to debate how to reduce emissions. Just like they count From Hybrids and Electrics, the Czech Government launched a pilot that allows drivers to reach 150 km/h on certain highway sections. The decision is supported by a legislative change approved in 2023 that enabled this possibility, although its implementation did not arrive until the end of September of last year.
Where and how it works. According to account According to the Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic, the section chosen for the test is a 47-kilometer section of the D3 highway, between the towns of Planá nad Lužnicí and Úsilný, near České Budějovice. Along this route, 42 variable speed signs were installed, with a total cost of around 2.2 million euros, which can show three different limits:
- 150 km/h when everything is in order.
- 130 km/h in general mode.
- 100 km/h when conditions get complicated.
The issue is that the maximum speed does not depend on the driver, but on a centralized system managed by the National Traffic Information Center, which crosses data from weather stations, cameras and sensors in real time. According to the spokesperson of the Directorate of Roads and Highways, Jan Rýdl, for the 150 km/h limit to be enabled “it cannot rain, the road has to be dry, in winter it is not activated in any case, traffic must flow normally and there can be no accidents, works or broken down vehicles.”
What makes it unique in Europe. With this measure, the Czech Republic becomes the country with the highest speed limit in the European Union, above Poland and Bulgaria, which currently top the list with 140 km/h. The only case that escapes this comparison is Germany, where some sections of the autobahn They lack a fixed limit, although this model has its origins in a very different historical tradition.
Czech Transport Minister Martin Kupka pointed out in an interview with the news channel ČT24 that the pilot’s goal is to evaluate “how the increase in the limit is received among drivers and whether it causes an increase in the number of accidents.” The test has a minimum duration of six months, and the results will determine whether the model is extended to other sections.
Not everyone sees it well. The decision has not been without criticism. Raising the maximum speed implies greater fuel consumption per kilometer traveled and, therefore, more emissions, something that clashes head-on with the environmental guidelines promoted by Brussels.
Austria tried something similar between 2018 and 2020, when it raised the limit on the motorway between Vienna and Salzburg to 140 km/h, but backed down due to political pressure and concerns about emissions. The Netherlands, in the opposite direction, even reduced its limit during the day from 130 to 100 km/h for similar reasons.
Furthermore, beyond the environmental issue, it is always worth remembering that the higher the speed, the shorter the reaction time in any circumstance and, therefore, the greater the consequences in the event of a collision. Czech authorities defend that the dynamic control of the system mitigates these risks, but not everyone shares that confidence.
Cover image | Wikipedia and Ministry of Transport of the Czech Republic
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