Among the most controversial measures mentioned in the framework of the government’s Energy Sobriety plan, there is one that crystallizes the tensions: the speed limit at 110 km instead of 130 on the motorway. Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne wanted to reassure the French on BFM on November 14, 2022. No, there will be no obligation.
Limit speed to 110 km/h instead of 130 on French motorways. We have been hearing about this controversial measure for several years now. Anne Hidalgo had made it one of her flagship proposals in her program for the Presidential in 2021, while Emmanuel Macron was a fierce opponent of this measure during his first term.
However, with the introduction of Government’s Energy Sobriety Plan, the drop in speed on the highways to 110 km/h has returned to center stage. We know, for example, that the executive has asked civil servants in recent weeks to reduce their pace on the highway when using their company cars. Why consider the introduction of new legislation? No, according to Elisabeth Borne.
Also read: Limiting motorways to 110 km/h could well favor electric cars
Forcing the French to drive at 110 km / h is not the right idea
Indeed, the Prime Minister spoke on the subject at the microphone of our colleagues from BFM TV this Monday, November 14, 2022. For her, imposing a new speed limit on the French “is not the right way”. In the eyes of the Matignon tenant, it is better to opt for information and education rather than punishment. “It’s important to inform about the savings we can make by driving slower, about the interest that this can represent for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, but we cannot operate with bans ”, she explains.
She adds : “The challenge is to respond to the height, to take strong measures and at the same time not to fracture society, not to leave people without solutions”. Paradoxically, it should be noted that the reduction in speed to 110 km/h on the motorways was not so badly perceived by the French population. According to a poll published by Le Parisien on November 6, it was stated that 68% of French people were in favor of this new limitation. At the same time, driving at 110 km/h allows significant fuel savings on the same trip, while a motorist will lose only 2 to 3 minutes over the duration of the trip.
