Czechia is set to become the first country in the European Union to allow motorists to drive at 150 km/h on a motorway, a move that has sparked both excitement and debate across the region.
From the end of September, drivers will be able to test the higher limit on a new section of the D3 motorway between Tábor and České Budějovice.
The Roads and Highways Directorate (ŘSD) has already begun installing 42 electronic signs that will regulate the limit depending on road and weather conditions, according to the German daily Bild.
The current maximum of 130 km/h will remain the default. The 150 km/h limit will only apply in favorable conditions—clear weather, dry roads, smooth traffic, and no ongoing construction.
“The conditions must be absolutely ideal. There must be no queues, no slippery surfaces, and no reduced visibility,” said Jan Rýdl, spokesperson for the ŘSD.
The system will be managed centrally by the National Transport Information Centre, which will decide when the higher speed can safely be activated.
Variable traffic signs, supplied by the consortium Mobility and Intelligence and Známy Morava, are already being put in place. During their installation, traffic on the D3 has been restricted to one lane for about seven kilometers.
The trial, covering roughly 50 kilometers, will cost 55 million CZK. If successful, the higher limit could later be extended to other major roads, such as the D1 from Přerov to Ostrava or the D11 towards Hradec Králové.
What Europe Tried Before
While Germany famously remains without a nationwide motorway speed limit, its neighbors have moved in the opposite direction. Austria tested 140 km/h between Vienna and Salzburg from 2018 to 2020 but abandoned the project due to increased CO₂ emissions.
In the Netherlands, the government lowered the maximum speed to 100 km/h during the day in 2020 for environmental reasons. Yet in April this year, Dutch transport authorities partially reversed course, allowing 130 km/h again on selected sections even during daytime.
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