LIKE R Russell Smith, I have been reflecting on the problems some elderly drivers have faced where they have been required to resit their driving test (Letters, August 1,3 & 5). Difficulty has related to motorway driving and Mr Smith suggests they should display a green P plate.
In my view this would not help the elderly person to pass the test or when driving their car in what can be a dangerous and difficult environment on a busy motorway or dual carriageway.
My suggestion is that, just as all learner drivers have to pass a theory test before they can sit the actual driving test, the DVLA could identify drivers who should obtain a certificate confirming that they have undertaken lessons/training relative to dual carriageway/motorway driving with specific reference to areas such as slip roads, roundabouts, gantry signage, Citrac signage, lane choices and so on before they progress to the test.
I am aware of drivers, not particularly in the “old” category, who will literally go out of their way to avoid driving on a motorway and there are other drivers from the western/northern isles and the more remote parts of the country who may have never had the opportunity to drive on a motorway or even a dual carriageway.
Such drivers should have the option of a suffix being added to their driving license number and/or a number plate identifier making it illegal for them to drive on a motorway, whereby there would not be a requirement for them to take the motorway section of a driving test. The simple sat-nav on our smartphones and tablets offers a non-motorway option so no-one need be stuck for a route.
Duncan Miller,
38 Middlemuir Road,
Lenzie.
AS A postscript to “Probation for elderly drivers” ( Letters, August 5 ), on reflection perhaps a new “GO” plate for chronologically challenged and motorway-averse Golden Oldies would present a more positive message than the “I’m still wet behind the ears” P plate.
R Russell Smith, 96 Milton Road, Kilbirnie.
SOMETIMES I wonder if the railway industry gets an unfair press because it is more openly transparent than buses, ferries and planes.
Occasionally, we do hear which airlines have been the most punctual and how many cancellations there have been on ferry routes but the railway publishes much more detail.
Some people then say “I will go by bus as the trains are always late”. “Always” is the misconception that has been fostered.
The railways are generally very good at informing passengers about late running, either by a station display board or through the provision of a phone on the platform or by online or social media. Bus passengers are mostly left standing at the stop with no knowledge of when the scheduled service will arrive.
In Nairn, for example, the former bus station was closed and there is one small open shelter that is miserable in wet or windy weather.
The display merely advises the timetable schedule, not when the bus is actually expected to arrive.
Contrast this with the railway station, which has a waiting room and toilets open for much of the day and information screens informing passengers exactly when the train is expected.
What Nairn urgently needs is a double-track railway to prevent the delays commonly caused by congestion on the single track.
One service is even scheduled to wait there for 13 minutes because of this before it can continue on to Inverness.
Bus passengers deserve better too.
R J Ardern,
Drumdevan Road,
Inverness.
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