Sir, - When are we going to get rid of the old-fashioned driving test? The test that you have to wait five months to do. The test that some people will never pass no matter how good they are as drivers. They might fail because they are nervous on the day or because somebody is watching them. This can cause people to make mistakes they normally wouldn't make driving on their own, or to forget a rule of the road.
There are people driving for 20 years or more on provisional licences who never had an accident, an endorsement on their licences or claims against their policies, and who have cheap insurance which the insurance companies will gladly offer because they are a safe bet. These people will never have a full licence because some stiff-nosed examiner will fail them on some nitty-gritty thing and not take into account their excellent driving record.
I think it's time to do away with the driving test. My idea would be to give a full licence to anybody who has been driving on a provisional licence for two years or more and has had no accidents, no claims against their insurance policies and no endorsements. These people should be rewarded with a full licence, with a review after another two years. - Yours, etc.,
Kieran Fitzsimons, Carrigoona Close, Kilmacanogue, Co Wicklow.