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.
Speed limits in the United States by jurisdiction
Non-Interstate divided highways (both freeways and expressways) have speed limits of 65 mph in rural areas and up to 60 mph in urban or suburban areas (NOTE: some non-interstate divided highways have gotten speed limit increases in November 2017 such as US Route 169 in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area). Rural two lane State and US highways in Minnesota have a default speed limits of 60 mph although many 55 mph speed limits are still in place after a traffic and engineering study from 2014-2019. County roads have speed limits of up to 55 mph for 2 lanes and 60 for divided sections.