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I'm also German and I would like to have a general speed limit on highways.

Your theory sounds all nice and works if you drive on empty roads, but as soon as there's a bit of traffic the lack of a speed limit results in a very stressful and uncomfortable driving.

The main problem is the speed difference between the individual lanes. On the right lane you have the trucks which are limited to 90 km/h by law, so that's the maximum speed you can usually drive on that lane. Now most highways only have two or three lanes. No speed limit usually results in a difference of at least 40 km/h between lanes and always-changing speeds because of traffic. Driving in a small car with a low-power engine is no fun at all, your only choices are getting stuck behind trucks at 90 km/h or a constant speeding up, slowing down, switching lanes and pushing your car to its limit.

My personal theory is that this is one of the main reasons why German drivers are so aggressive. The drivers most in favor of no speed limit are usually also the most aggressive.

It depends on the Autobahn. I strongly felt what you described on pretty much any Autobahn around cologne where there always was a lot traffic and many on and off ramps. However, my ride usually would take me from there onto the 44(?) towards Paderborn and there was no speed limit and it was a joy even in an old Golf 2. There were very few on and off ramps and moderate traffic. My car would be able to speed up to ~220km/h over the course of several minutes, but it was so worth it.

>>My personal theory is that this is one of the main reasons why German drivers are so aggressive.

AS a person who drives through Germany frequently I am yet to see an aggressive driver on the Autobahn.

My point? Anecdotes don't prove anything. One person says that Germans are aggressive, another says they aren't. We need hard data instead.

Yes, the main point is that I pay more attention when driving faster on a freeway. One need only take a road trip in Australia to see how ridiculous low speed limits on open roads are. 110 kmh limit with, yes, very strong enforcement in place, in a completely rural area with few cars around, no people, no pedestrians, on a long drive (it's ten hours from Melbourne to Sydney with basically nothing in between).

Result -- zone out on cruise control, look at your phone, talk to others in the car, etc. Focus on the road? Nope.

Exactly -- sure, you can still hide behind a truck and go 100 km/h all the time -- but most cars efficiency sweet spot is around 130 km/h, and driving at that speed leads to more dynamic, occasionally passing trucks, etc.

What is an "efficency sweet spot"?

When I consistently drive at the speed limit (in the Netherlands, 120km/h) I have to fill up every 4 working days. When I consistently drive 100 km/h I only have to fill up every 5 working days. Takes 20% longer but the tank also lasts 20% longer.

Depends on the car. If you have a tiny engine, then it will use large amounts of fuel at high speeds. If you have a large engine, it will use less. My personal experience:

Peugeot Partner 2.0 HDi - 6-7l/100km when driving in city traffic, 12-13l/100km when driving at 140km/h,

Land Rover Discovery 3 4.4L V8 - 15-16l/100km when driving in city traffic, 9-10l/100km when driving at 140km/h.

Basically your engine should stay below 3000rpm - if you have to keep it at 4000rpm just to maintain a certain speed then it's too much for the engine and it's not being efficient.

It really depends on the car. I mostly drive rentals, in the range of Ford Fiesta to Opel Astra -- all of them fell in that range.

110 isn't that much different to the US's 75. There is much stronger enforcement though. I spent six weeks driving around the US, multiple hours most days, and I was generally 0-5 mph above the speed limit... but I didn't have to look at the speedo. Came home, and it was painfully obvious just how much of my attention was split watching the speedo like a hawk because people can and do get fined for doing 64 in a 60 zone. And the fines aren't trivial.

If the limit were higher, wouldn't you still zone out on cruise control, and so on, just at the higher speed?

Australian traffic camera tolerances are also set ridiculously low, and there are far too many variations in limits.

I fully support 50kmh urban street limits, but the open road sections should have a day/night limit, where the day limit is 130, like most of Europe and some parts of the US. There should also be limits to how often a speed limit can change in a single stretch of road, and highway speed zone changes should have a minimum of three signs at even spacing to indicate the change approaching, at the spot and one more reminder.

There should also be a ban on concealed traffic cameras - getting a fine long after the event has very little effect on the behaviour, apart from generating feelings of injustice.

I'm sure you hear this all the time, but it's my understanding that US drivers are not nearly as well "trained" as German drivers. Anecdata, yes yes. It's trivially easy to acquire and maintain a driving permit here in the States, and it shows.

(US citizen here - I don't know about German drivers, but of course the skills of Germans are legendary. The automotive media tells us all German drivers are as skilled as Walter Röhrl. I'm only partially kidding.)

they're not that much better, you still have seniors, old ladies in a hat, etc. driving.

the initial steps to obtain a driver's license are much harder than in the US, that's correct.

There is some truth to that, we have more training: 14x 45min of theory school-style lessons and at least 12x 45min of practice with a certified driving instructor. Also, the minimum age to be driving on the road is 17, and you have to be accompanied by someone 21+ until you are 18.

The skills here are not legendary per se; the mean might be a bit better. The difference is that people seem to have more respect for other drivers and dangers on the road, creating more awareness overall.

But still, I think allowing skilled drivers to drive faster would do no harm to the population, if the faster people stick to the guidelines. For example: you do see the occasional snail moving in the left highway lane, but it won't be long until he is ushered away by some faster car with some furious flashes of the brights.

There are also very high standards (strict regular inspections) regarding vehicle maintenance. US citizens would never put up with that.

Ding ding ding! The solution is better driver training and mandatory retesting for all drivers at regular intervals. So many drivers of all ages are absolutely terrible. Everyone should be able to go 85 MPH on a six lane highway but you can't because there are so many bad drivers.

Driving is not a right and it should not be treated that way.

On a perhaps related note, a road I used to drive regularly had many curves and signs warning you to slow down at each one. Only one of the curves actually required you to slow down to navigate it safely. Guess which corner was where all of the accidents happened? If you "cry wolf" too often, people will ignore the speed limit (or caution signs or whatever). If, however, the speed limit is usually appropriate, people will take note when it changes, and drive appropriately.

I think it would work to just make the inside lane unrestricted and only have speed limits on the outer lanes. That way, slow and fast drivers aren't endangering each other because they're in completely separate streams of traffic.

Except that could encourage people to stay out of the right lanes -- leading to confusion or wasted lanes when trying to pass people, which happens all the time. If you closely watch a german highway, there are 2 to 3 lanes (per direction) for the most part, and the speeds are quite consistent: The rightmost lane is full of trucks going 60 mph (90-100 km/h), while the middle lane is going around 80 mph (130 km/h), which is the advised speed, or Richtgeschwindigkeit. The leftmost lane is left exclusively for passing slower cars and those going 100+ mph (160+ km/h).