Demand for "sweeteners"

Head of the Fiscal Council wants to significantly slow down car drivers

It is a demand that has recently been widely discussed in the environmental movement: Slowing down the speed of motorists on the highway. Fiscal Council President Christoph Badelt has now taken up the idea - and is now calling on the government negotiators to actually implement it.

"The coalition negotiators should really jump over their shadows," Badelt wrote on the short message service X (formerly Twitter) on Thursday. However, he is not referring to the debate about a wealth tax or how else to get the national debt under control, but a speed reduction for motorists. 

"Brings as much as promoting building renovations"
This would be a sensible measure in view of climate change: "A speed limit of 100 km/h on freeways would save about as much CO2 as the promotion of building renovations and heating systems," the economic researcher continues.

And the figures do indeed show considerable potential. Experts have calculated that reducing the speed limit from 130 to 100 km/h on the country's freeways alone would save up to 850,000 tons of CO2 per year. 

Expert reckons with "massive savings potential"
The connection is simple: the faster a vehicle drives, the higher the air resistance and therefore the higher the fuel consumption. At a speed of 130 km/h, an average car consumes around 30 percent more fuel than at 100 km/h. This is also directly reflected in the CO2 emissions. "So there is massive potential for savings," says Badelt.

The time lost by driving at 100 km/h would be manageable. On a 100-kilometer stretch of road, the difference between 130 and 100 km/h on a clear road is around 13 minutes. In practice, the difference is usually even less due to traffic, roadworks and other restrictions.

Inexpensive and immediately effective
"Reducing the speed limit would be one of the most cost-effective climate protection measures of all," emphasizes the Austrian Transport Club (VCÖ). Compared to costly technical solutions or subsidy programs, it could take effect almost immediately - and without significant implementation costs.