Louise Jew writer: Eek! I hate speed – and get really scared and start to brake if I suddenly find I’m going downhill at 70mph.

Now the Government is consulting on proposals to raise the national speed limit on motorways to 80mph – and that inevitably means people will drive, routinely, at 90 or more.

I’m a regular passenger in a high-powered car – and my friend Dolores (whose name and sex have been changed to protect the guilty) sometimes puts their foot down to more than 100mph on a clear stretch of road just to prove the vehicle has that much poke.

I dread to think what they’ll do if they think they’ve got that much more margin.

The Department of Transport already confesses that 49% of drivers break the 70mph limit and ministers believe that upping the limit to 80mph would mean “millions of otherwise law-abiding motorists would be brought back inside the boundary, restoring the moral legitimacy of the system”.

So it seems we’re in the driving seat to dictate the law on this occasion and, the department tells us, technological advances mean that cars are much safer than they were, contributing to a fall of more than three quarters in the number of people killed on British roads since 1965.

But the idea of being in a crash at 80mph or more ought to fill anyone with horror, however tough the vehicle they are in.

The department reckons that the higher speed limit, for cars, light vans and motorcycles, could boost the economy by hundreds of millions of pounds by cutting journey times – and we all know how much business needs a fillip.

But, as vicar’s wife Amanda Robbie points out, on a 100-mile journey you could save just about 10 minutes by going at 80mph, rather than 70mph.

And Willenhall Carnival Queen Stacey Senior raises the question of increased fuel consumption at the higher speed, potentially leading to more stops at the petrol station.

There are obviously some big sums to be done here – but let’s hope the greatest calculation will be what’s best for road safety.

Find out what the rest of Lou’s Women say below – and add your own comment.

Retired driving instructor Helen Broadhurst, aged 81, says: “ Motorways frighten me – I avoid them if possible.

“Drivers already go too fast and too close to the car in front. I was a driving instructor before I retired and so I am a very cautious driver – I never break the speed limit.

“I was overtaken by a cyclist once – but it was a narrow country lane and I was being very careful and he was pedalling very fast.”

Zumba teacher Lou Thomas says: “I’ve heard drivers say you can get away by exceeding the speed limit by 10% and how many stick to the current 70?

“If it goes up to 80 it will be like giving permission to travel at 90 which is seriously scary.

“I would prefer it to go down . Sixty on a motorway is fast enough for me.”

Student Holly Dodd says: “Britain, internationally, has one of the lowest motorway speed limits at the moment anyway.

“German autobahns have no general speed limit, 81mph being advised, and their road fatality rates average only slightly above our own.

“Panicked road users have complained that everyone’s average speed will now increase to match the new restrictions, with drivers who used to drive at 80mph increasing to 90mph, but I don’t know as it will change road speed all that much in real terms.

“I certainly won’t be driving any faster than I usually do, but I’ll just have the peace of mind in knowing that, as I near 80 mph, I’ll be doing so legally as well as safely.”

Julie Wilson, our Stourbridge chess supremo, says: “I think the main thing is that people drive safely and sensibly.

“It’s okay to drive at 80 mph on a motorway on the few occasions when there’s not much traffic.

“One thing I think should be considered is teaching people how to drive safely on motorways.

“Lots of other countries include motorway driving in the driving test and learners are allowed on the motorway with an instructor in a car with dual controls.”

Language coordinator Irina James says: “This does not affect me in any way.

“Most people on the motorway travel at that speed anyway.

“I do it as well, up or downhill, so nothing new there.”

Conservationist Sheena Hamilton, from Wombourne, says: “I don’t drive myself but am a passenger – and I think there will have to be a lot of research before the speed limit is raised.

“There are some maniacs on the roads and the lorries are the bully boys.

“I think lorries should have their own lane and have to stick to it and not be able to overtake.”

West Bromwich vicar’s wife Amanda Robbie says: “I’m happy with the 70mph limit and am not convinced that the country will be more efficient if it changes to 80mph.

“When I was doing a lot more long-distance driving I worked out that travelling over the speed limit not only made me more stressed but also didn’t save all that much time.

“A 100 mile journey at 80mph will take you one and a quarter hrs. At 70mph it only takes another 10 minutes or so.

“Is that 10 minutes so vitally important? I’d like to see some hard and fast calculations about money saved to the economy by people travelling 10 miles further in an hour.”

Chris Armstrong, the “Llama Lady”, says: “I drive long distances daily and I keep up with the traffic on the motorways.

“The majority of people are travelling over 80 mph. I regularly drive at that speed.

“It’s the drivers who hog the lanes and don’t allow people to overtake them that cause the accidents.

“I must admit I love speed and have only ever been nervous of it if someone else is driving.”

Tennis player Pat Bailey says: “I have to admit I love speed but only when I am the driver. I am a rotten passenger.

“I do not agree with raising the speed limit though, as we all know we go over the 70mph now. Well, I do.

“I think if it were raised to 80mph we would not stick to that then we would do 90 –100.”

Willenhall Carnival Queen Stacey Senior says: “It’s not speed that causes accidents it’s thoughtlessness and risk taking behaviour.

“I wonder how many motorists already travel at this speed, and so it might not make much of a difference anyway.

“There have been times when I have travelled along and not noticed my speed creeping up until my steering wheel starts to shake and I realise I’ve gone over the speed limit! But, strangely enough, so were my fellow road users who were still over taking me.

“I’m in favour I think but I wonder what research there is to say travelling at that speed actually has any benefits and gets you to your destination any quicker.

“Logic tells us it does but what about increased fuel consumption – more stops at the petrol station?

“Is there an increased risk of accidents? Increased congestion? More wear on your vehicle? Carbon footprint?”

Jean Martyn, the Britain’s Got Talent star, says: “As I spend most of my life on motorways, I think raising the speed limit is acceptable, as most people don’t stick to 70mph anyway particularly with the modern cars of today.

“It really is down to the motorist themselves driving sensibly to the conditions of the road.”

Elaine James, from Cookley, near Kidderminster, says: “I thought the speed limit was 90mph – because that’s the speed that most people seem to do.

“Seriously though, there aren’t many people that stick to maximum 70 mph so I don’t think raising it to 80 mph makes much difference.

“In fact, going too slow can sometimes cause accidents. Advanced driving instructors will always say ‘you must make reasonable progress’.

“Good example of this, I was travelling along the motorway the other day and realised in the nick of time the person in front of me was only doing about 30 mph.

“Luckily I was able to swerve on to the hard shoulder but it was so unexpected for someone to be going so slow on the motorway.”