WITH the Grand Old Duke of Edinburgh’s recent bit of trouble and the hoo-ha about older drivers, it reminded me that last October I undertook a Driver Skills Scheme 60+ Driver Appraisal (not a test) run by Hampshire County Council in conjunction with their Road Safety Team.

I passed my test in 1957 and after 60-odd years of driving and seeing an article about this scheme in the Echo I decided to check it out.

It is not free but you get a non-committal fully qualified person in the passenger seat while you drive your vehicle on a route of your own making.

It lasts about an hour and I used urban and rural roads and a motorway. A few weeks later you get a typed report on your progress on the day. We had discussions on the way round on different points and I found it most illuminating.

It’s pleasing to yourself and your family to know that you are reasonably safe out there and not a danger to yourself or other road users – we all pick up bad habits over time.

Do it before it’s too late.

Jeff Davis

Chandler’s Ford