Sure, that's the law, but what are the reasons or what is the motivation? In city centers, the speed limit is often 50, which actually means 55-60 to "swim along" in traffic.
Ecologically and due to the various parking lot problems, the legislator should be motivated to get more citizens into such vehicles?
by cheeseglobe
16 comments
45 km/h is the border where you need a B licence.
Below that they count as scooter and can be used with a much easier (and cheaper) licence.
> In city centers, the speed limit is often 50
It’s often 30, unless of course you elect a mayor from the CDU.
> Ecologically […], the legislator should be motivated to get more citizens into such vehicles?
Ecologically, the legislator is motivated to get people out of private cars completely.
These vehicles are engineered to be in [EU vehicle category L6e](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quadricycle_(EU_vehicle_classification)). On the one hand, this means they don’t have to have security features that “real cars” need, like airbags, ESP, or even anti-lock breaks. I’ve never seen one of these vehicles crash-tested, and I don’t imagine they’d do well. This makes them light and cheap.
On the other hand, vehicles of this category cannot exceed 45 km/h.
Which, [on the third hand](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gripping_Hand), means that regulations for being allowed to drive such vehicles are much more relaxed. In France, for instance, you can legally operate such a vehicle on a scooter driving license from the age of fourteen; 15 in Germany.
But yeah, 45 km/h is an annoying speed.
> the speed limit is often 50, which actually means 55-60
No, the speed limit is 50. No more, no less.
>the speed limit is often 50, which actually means 55-60 to “swim along” in traffic
You shouldn`t drive 60km/h in cities. Only few people drive like that, not the majority.
Also, the centers are mostly 30km/h. Or standing at a red light.
There are petrol-based vehicles of that type too; this isn’t specific to electrical cars.
And if you think these are annoying in city centers, try rural areas where the roads are too bendy and go through too much vegetation to allow for easy overtaking, and those things crawl along at 45 when everyone else can do 70 to 80.
!Remindme 1W
Every few years there are discussions about raising the limit from 45 kmh. It hasn’t happened yet. Evil tongues claim that the car lobby proposed the limit so low.
Long story short: “Real” passenger cars have significantly higher safety requirements, etc., in order to be approved in the EU. Light motor vehicles (L1e-L7e) have certain regulations (e.g., size) but do not require ESP or an emergency call system (eCall), for example.
Because a crash at 50 would definitely kill your
> the speed limit is often 50, which actually means 55-60
No it fucking doesn’t. Is this so hard to understand? The speed limit is 50 = **the speed limit is exactly 50**
in france you dont need any licence and can drive them from 14 years of age, that’s why they are all from french brands
strictly speaking these are not cars
They are all over france, mostly students. But they are very unsafe
Yeah about the Speedlimit 50 means 50.
As means 30 30 and 20 20…
To get enough hate from normal car drivers.