Petition 60km/h for mopeds rejected by the Bundestag

On January 24, 2023, SIP Scootershop launched a petition and submitted it to the German Bundestag. The aim: to raise the maximum permissible speed for mopeds with an engine capacity of up to 50 cc or for e-scooters with a maximum continuous rated power of 4 kW (6 hp), which may be driven with the category AM driving license integrated in the category B driving license, from 45 km/h to 60 km/h.

The entire justification will not be quoted again here, but there were and are many good arguments for raising the speed limit. It is particularly important to us that vehicles that remain below the permitted speed limit of 50 km/h are regularly perceived as an obstruction by other road users and are overtaken as quickly as possible. It is not possible to "swim along" safely at 45 km/h, even in urban traffic.

Especially in times of impending driving bans in city centers and increasing parking space shortages, the switch to environmentally friendly, space-saving two-wheelers should be made more attractive. The lower energy consumption and therefore lower CO₂ emissions combined with a lower impact on resources and less traffic space used speak in favor of the two-wheeler as a replacement for the car. This switch must be made as attractive as possible.

The mills grind slowly

Our initiative met with a great deal of approval, and on June 23, 2023, we were able to thank 52,155 people for their signatures. We then looked for a suitable way to effectively hand over the petition to the Petitions Committee in Berlin. The search for willing elected representatives turned out to be difficult, because apparently mopeds have no lobby in this country. Finally, in July 2023, Member of the Bundestag Volker Ullrich (CSU) agreed to symbolically accept our petition and take it with him to the capital. Then nothing happened for a long time.

In January 2025, Michael Schümann and Dina Ludmann from Motorrad Online publicized the issue once again - and apparently some civil servants in Berlin were woken up from a deep sleep. Because on July 10, 2025, two years after the petition was handed over, Dr. Hülya Düber (CSU), Member of the Bundestag and Chair of the Petitions Committee, wrote a letter that reached us a few days later. It stated that the Bundestag had discussed our petition and decided on June 26, 2025: "To close the petition process." This means nothing other than that our petition has been rejected.

Summary

The petition to increase the maximum speed limit for mopeds was rejected by the German Bundestag.

_Petition on the maximum speed limit_

_Request: Increase the maximum speed for mopeds from 45 km/h to 60 km/h._
_Aim: To improve mobility for young drivers and drivers with category B._
_Reason: Current regulation is considered unsatisfactory _.

European legal requirements

Classification of motorcycles into vehicle categories is prescribed by European law.

_Implementation in Germany is carried out by the Driving License Ordinance (FeV)_.

Maximum speed of 45 km/h requires category AM driving license; higher speeds require category A1.

Decision of the Petitions Committee

_No legislative need to change the regulation recognized_.

Recommendation: Closure of the petition procedure, as the request could not be met.

Loser: common sense

We naturally find this answer disappointing, because it's not as if the maximum speed of 45 km/h on an AM driving license is predetermined by God - a sovereign state should be able to replace the "45" with a "60" if common sense makes this need for change obvious. Or is the Petitions Committee trying to tell us that our laws are not made in Berlin, but in Brussels?

Klaus Hüttinger, publisher of the industry magazine _World of Bike_, is equally disappointed: _"I am stunned! It's a miracle that Berlin has even read the petition. I didn't expect anything else from there, and things don't look any better in Brussels either. A change would be a huge improvement for driver safety. It's simply shameful."_

Ralf Jodl, Managing Director of SIP Scootershop and initiator of the petition, says: _"This decision proves once again that the riders and drivers of mopeds have no lobby in Germany and in the EU. A simple look at Asia makes it clear that these vehicles will become increasingly important in the future. It is sad that people's safety is being ignored."_

Christian Laufkötter from the Vespa Club of Germany notes (VCVD): _"We as VCVD note with concern the increasing endangerment of mopeds up to 50 cc by heavily motorized cars. The ever more powerful electric cars in particular, which accelerate much faster on the road, even in city traffic, inevitably put underpowered scooters or scooters with a throttle of 45 km/h at a great disadvantage and increasingly expose them to great dangers on the road due to the driving style of car drivers. In this respect, we very much welcome an increase in the maximum speed limit to 50 or even 60 km/h, as this would make a significant contribution to road safety. Such an increase would also make a significant contribution to improving safety outside built-up areas. Experience has shown that slow vehicles are often underestimated by drivers and are therefore exposed to increased danger. _
The answers given by politicians can only lead to the conclusion that they are hiding behind rubber paragraphs and do not want to deal with the matter. Politicians are ignoring the will of more than 50,000 citizens who are concerned about their safety and that of their children."_.

Stephan Maderner from the industry magazine Bike & Business: _"A speed limit of 60 km/h for all AM vehicles would be necessary in terms of safety policy and would make it possible to safely keep up with city traffic. In addition, such a rule would put an end to the German two-tier society for mopeds and also ensure harmonization throughout Europe. Every politician should be forced to ride a 45cc scooter or similar for a few hours in a major German city. to survive in traffic."_

One conceivable solution would be the introduction of an additional national driving license variant with the designation "AM+", based on existing special regulations such as the moped driving license in accordance with Section 6 (1) No. 4 of the Driving License Ordinance (FeV). The AM category, which is valid throughout Europe, would remain unchanged with a maximum permitted speed of 45 km/h. In addition, the AM+ category could be introduced nationally, which would allow the driving of 50 cc scooters with a maximum speed of up to 60 km/h - for example, from the age of 16. And both AM and AM+ explicitly refer to environmentally friendly electric scooters.

But perhaps it is time to fundamentally rethink the classification of vehicle categories. The AM license, with which you are allowed to drive at 45 km/h, is probably simply being kept unattractive - because much more money can be earned with the much more expensive license for the 125 cc class.

What can we do now?

Anyone can write to their elected representative in their constituency and draw attention to the issue. You can find your MP on the homepage of the German Bundestag. We have created a sample letter that we offer for download:

Shortlink: https://sip.shop/abgelehnt

SIP Scootershop GmbH
Marie-Curie-Str. 4
86899 Landsberg
Germany

https://www.sip-scootershop.com

Herr Ralf Jodl
081919699960

ralf@sip-scootershop.de

SIP Scootershop GmbH is one of the leading mail order stores for scooter parts worldwide. Over 400,000 customers from currently 54 countries, 55,000 different parts in stock and over 1900 parcels a day at peak times are just a few examples. SIP Scootershop is a young company with 170 employees.

This release was published on openPR.