Speed limits in Germany
In 1973, in the wake of the 1973 oil crisis, a federal speed limit of 100 km/h (62 mph) on Autobahns was imposed to help conserve fuel for fear of impending future shortages (not for environmental or safety reasons). The measure only lasted from December 1973 to March 1974; while the administration and the Bundestag were in favor of keeping the speed limit, the Bundesrat pushed to repeal the law. As a compromise, a "recommended speed" was introduced on Autobahns and "highways outside of built-up areas with a center divide or without a center divide and a continuous lane for overtaking in both directions". This law is basically still in effect today. Unrestricted non-Autobahn highways, however, have since become virtually non-existent or replaced by "Schnellstraßen", Autobahn-like expressways typically limited to 120 or 130 km/h and normally only covering a few kilometers.
Limited-access road
An "autoweg" can consist of two or more lanes. The driving directions can be separated by a roadmarking, or by a central reservation. If a public road ("autosnelweg", "autoweg", "weg") consists of two or more lanes that are clearly separated from each other by a roadside or a space that is not accessible to vehicles, the drivers may not drive on the lane opposite to them.
Some expressways are tailored for local traffic, such as the D28 (Vrbovec Expressway), and some are built as bypasses or beltways, such as the D31 (East Velika Gorica Bypass). Croatia also has a large network of tolled highways for transit traffic with a higher speed limit than expressways. Both highways and expressways are grade-separated throughout their entire length.
Expressways in the Czech Republic, Czech: Rychlostní silnice (abbreviation: R), are defined as dual carriageways with smaller emergency lane. The speed limit is 130 km/h (80 mph). Expressway road signs are white on blue. There are 391.2 km of "rychlostní silnice".