I AGREE with Dan Deacon (Echo Letters, July 25), when he says that it is becoming harder for young people to obtain a driving licence, but on the other hand something surely must be done to halt the increasing number of vehicles on our roads today.

I do however object to his comment about older drivers.

From experience I have found there are also quite a few young “boy racers” who think they own the roads.

As an older driver myself I am proud to say I have never made an insurance claim, I have also never had a driving school lesson in my life but passed my test first time, (that’s when one had to make hand signals, something that would probably be beyond any of today’s drivers), I also taught my son and my daughter to drive and they again both passed their tests first time.

This is something one is now not permitted to do, they tell me applicants now have to prove one has taken so many driving lessons before they are allowed to take the test (another money-making ploy), but from what I have witnessed of the driving school standards of those who plague my Lordswood estate, I’m glad I taught myself and my family.

Having driven most vehicles on our roads from tank transporters, buses and coaches, to mini cars and motorbikes, I feel I have a right to form an opinion on older drivers, most of which (not all) are as safe as any you are likely to find on your travels today.

When Dan Deacon can say he’s toured London with 52 passengers behind him (PSV Licence), sheeted down a transport truck in the rain, passed the ‘advanced’ driving test and the ‘HPC’ (High Performance) test, he may then feel free to form an opinion of older drivers.

L A O’Bee, Southampton