The 'speeding' debate is the motoring equivalent of creationism. Perhaps it sholuld be taught at school in science lessons alongside six-day-earth-building and storks dropping babies down chimneys.

Theo, Somerton, UK

Shouldn't we invest time & effort into educating people to become better drivers? Speed isn't the issue, and we shouldn't kid ourselves that 30mph is slow. Even hitting someone at walking pace can cause injury! People who simply cannot drive must be delt with, they are the true danger on the roads.

Kerr, Herts, UK

This might work OK on nice straight roads, but if the car is cornering then an unexpected application of the brakes could cause the car to exceed the grip limit of the tyres.

If the government wants to make these compulsory, then it would have to be preceded by a review of the current speed limits.

Steve, Peterborough, UK

What is the motorway speed limit these days? The real one?

Speed limiters would help, but only if speed limits were set more sensibly, and everyone had them. And for every time that "you need to accelerate out of danger", you accelerate into danger a dozen times.

Alex, Tunbridge Wells,

My sat nav has a limit warning - it bongs if I exceed the limit, it works V well, allowing me to pay attention to the ever growing plethora of signs, red patches of tarmac, lines, zones and other inflicted overloading of my processing ability.
Any chance of educating pedestrians in the future?

Tom Taylor-Duxbury, Ludlow, UK

Accidents occur through lack of concentration by the driver.
Stupid poiticians should concentrate on enforcing existing laws to cover, mobile phone use, texting, eating and drinking whilst driving, and having conversations with passangers
They will still do the above if you controll their speed.

Gino, Hastings, England

Why is it that there are endless calls from pressure groups for cars to go slower but whoops of delight from the same people when faster trains are announced. The number of people who die on trains and aircraft would be reduced if they went slower.

keith, WELSHPOOL, UK

The last time this idea was proposed, the European courts ruled it illegal. This is the only reason it's being proposed as a voluntary scheme.

Car drivers need more reason to concentrate on the road, not less.

Jerry, London, England

What critics of the Department for Transport's scheme are basically saying is that they wish to continue to break the law unopposed by law enforcement. For some reason they feel that the law of the land doesn't apply to them when they are driving. This results in thousands of deaths and injuries.

John Slinger, Rugby, UK

before anything is done to cars, speed limits should be reviewed. in school hours, 15mph near schools would be credible. on motorways, 100mph is fine for many cars and drivers (some shouldn't allowed to leave the slow lane, of course). this won't help people who don't look where they are going.

jem, london, uk

Dear Giles
Wake up and smell the coffee - let's go the whole hog and implant a camera and recorder in newborn babies that may be downloaded by the state to ensure total compliance. Do not judge the speeding motorist by your semi zombie standards - freedom and choice should be respected.

Tim Staple, Waterlooville, England

It's depressing how many speeding drivers are in denial about the danger they pose to others.

Jamie Gilmour, Bolton, UK

The M6 toll road has the highest average speed for any UK road, the majority of users drive in excess of the 70mph limit (average is around 80mph). It is also one of the UKs safest roads, how can this be? Its obvious, the M6 toll is a well lit, well designed and well maintained road unlike the rest

David C, Manchester, UK

Most of us drive according to the conditions and maintain the correct position, speed and gear - it's not rocket science.

Sadly, we have morons who consistently cut corners, tailgate, operate mobiles/smoke/eat/change the baby/ fail to filter at road restrictions - et al. Target them instead!

Trevor R. Booker, Brightlingsea Essex,

I can see the attraction of driving fast in a powerful car. That's what track days are for, where mere mortals can rent supercars.
Getting cars to obey speed limits is a great idea. Faster speeds on Motorways and more modest ones in residential areas.

Richard, london, England

Something needs to change as speed limits are widely ignored, particularly in 30mph areas where they are needed to protect pedestrian's lives. Pro-active traffic policing together with more sensible limits (higher on motorways, lower on narrow country lanes and in towns) are required.

Ben Garside, Loughborough, UK

So, in summary, in order to be safe on the roads it is not necessary to obey the speed limit but rather break the law in order to avoid becoming a half-awake Zombie? Has everyone gone mad? People should be obeying speed limits and any restriction placed on our vehicles should make no difference.

John, Birmingham,

Once, before hoi polloi had, drivers were told to drive at a speed suited to the conditions.As Clarkson rightly says, speed limits are stupid; what's appropriate in freezing fog is not so on the same road in bright sun on a dry day.Tthese proposals are stupid, restrictive and typical of Labour.

Jan Thomas, Nottingham, England

Stupid, stupid buarcats - how can they possibly know what accident reduction there would be?? Accidents are far more complex than people driving too fast.

What is more dangerous - an alert driver concentrating on traffic at 90 mph on a motorway or a half awake zombie driving past a school at the end of the school day at 30mph on auto pilot?

Why does this government think we need them to run our lives for us? They can even do their own job properly half the time.

Peter Lovatt, Birmingham, uk

My natural tendency is to drive as fast as conditions allow. I'm alert and focussed and don't have speed-related accidents. Conversely, when adhering to speed limits well below a safe speed, I'm disengaged, my attention wanders. I've found that fast drivers are generally more aware than others.

Faustino, Brisbane (ex-pat), Australia

Slowing traffic cause more congestion and frustration as it spreads more traffic on the available road surface..e.g. If you put slower vehicles on roads there would be less vehicles able to use the same space. Speed eases traffic flow, and why we have Motorways..Try GOOD and CHEAP public transport!

Keith, Stoke Fleming, Devon

Most accidents, at any speed, result from one or more drivers not being aware of what is happening around them.

Any gadget that helps them ignore their surrondings is inherently a bad idea. One less responsilbilty, one less reason to take care.

Richard Galle, Stourport-on-Severn, UK

In a single day we heard that 'speed' related RTAs account for less than 2% of of the total. Yet this bunch of morons say they can reduce RTAs with injuries by up to 29% by controlling speed! Huh? How do you get 29% savings from a sub 2% causation?

It's an insidous plan to monitor every movement.

Chris , Bridgend, UK

There is a case to be made that it was the mandatory 55 mph limit and their extreme safety laws in the USA that largely did for their car industry. Instead of concentrating on better mechanicals, and efficiency, and handling, and performance, they have built sitting rooms on wheels for 2 decades.

George Edwards, Beijing, China

ooh look , Cant do anything about the slow motion car crash that used to be called "the economy" that they drove so recklessly so they have to been seen to be "doing something"!

so its cars today...Gibraltar will be discussed soon as well...then regulation for lollipop ladys..Anything else?

JonL, brum,

If cars eventualy start driving themselves, and we are merely reduced to being along for the ride, then wouldnt we be creating another network of trains? We then forsake all that makes the car so popular, namely the freedom of going where we want, when we want. Sounds like a step backwards to me.

Ian Harrison, Hitchin, Bedfordshire

When driving on motorways, my sat nav occassionally gets confused and thinks I'm on a parallel road or slip road: under the proposed system I'm assuming that if this happened the brakes would be slammed on and my speed rapidly reduced from 70 to 30mph.

Doesn't sound very safe to me!

Neil, London, UK

This is just another of those ill thought out Labour Govt ideas
which lack any sense of practical workability.

Most accidents are caused by a lack of due care and attention and not speed or drink.

Why is it a voluntary scheme?
Who will pay for it?

Think tank lefties at their work again.

Steve, Carrickfergus, Antrim

Of course not using cars at all would reduce emissions a lot more, as would staying in bed all day and doing abosutely nothing at all. Better ways might be found to save energy and to reduce accidents. This obsession with so called speeding is crazy and getting worse!

gary skinner, Halifax, W Yorks

One of my friends states that the easiest way to make cars safer would be to mount a large spike in the middle of the steering wheel. That would certainly cause people to drive with more care and attention!

Stuart, Stowmarket,

The 1962 Lotus Elan had a rev-limiter. It was lethal! You'd be cornering hard, using power to help you round, when suddenly there wasn't any, then there was, then not . . . Or overtaking when acceleration vanished. Lotus scrapped it right smartly - in both senses.

Noel Falconer, COUIZA, France