'Drivers can only learn skills by experience' - Your Letters: February 17

I am somewhat frustrated at trying to send the following letter to the Transport Minister. As requested, I have sent the letter to Cat Eccles, my local MP. I hope I shall get a response at some stage but I am not holding my breath.

I am 84 years old and have been driving, mostly professionally, for 65 years, covering several hundred thousand miles.

As you can imagine I have observed all sorts of unbelievable driving.

I have recently been vaguely following the machinations about the tragedy of deaths of young drivers and passengers, including some from this region. Like many young people who start driving I studiously read the Highway Code, mostly in order to pass my test.

After that it was years before I read it again.

You can tell young people what the law says but in most cases it is likely to be the last thing on their mind.

I have always thought that putting so much emphasis on stopping distances in car lengths, feet or metres was ludicrous.

Drivers will always find out their stopping distances by hitting something, or somebody.

Drivers can only learn skills by experience.

The only solution, to my mind, is the introduction of state of the art driving simulators in every secondary school.

Pupils can then voluntarily learn what a car does when you treat it in a certain way when on the road.

Cornering a sharpish bend on a wet road above 30mph can be disastrous. Also gravel on a road can give a similar result. You learn when you are upside down in a ditch.

I hasten to add that the last two examples are not through personal experience.

The last thing you wish to consider is spending vast amounts of cash on simulators.

However, compare that to current expenditure on road policing and clearing up and the huge emotional cost to the UK and it becomes reasonable.

Peter Wise, West Midlands

A YEARNING FOR NORMAL TIMES

When’s it all gonna get back to normal?

Ok, I’m tired of watching all this bad news now

When’s the news gonna get back to normal?

I’m tired of knives And all these terrible lives

When’s the news gonna get back to normal?

I’m tired of the soaps that don’t show any hope

When are the soaps gonna get back to normal?

And I’m tired of songs that seem to encourage doing wrong

When are songs gonna get back to normal?

I’m tired of ‘stand ups’ who just talk about their hang ups

When’s comedy gonna get back to normal?

And the films they’re all rot. They no longer have plots

When are films gonna get back to normal?

And you go into town and all the shops are shut down

When are towns gonna get back to normal? 

I don’t feel normal about any of this

When am I gonna get back to normal?

Alan Jones, West Midlands

WORRYING DEALS ACROSS THE POND

A ray of light seemed to have arrived just when the promised Golden Uplands was a distant memory. Trump ("elected" USA leader ) has done a u-turn and said that Starmer is doing a great job in the UK. True, Starmer has thrown himself into the cut and thrust of our problems, but the NHS, carers, and child poverty are all still rising. Still, if we can get aid from a convicted liar, felon, and budding dictator what can go amiss?

The problem arises if the people of the UK are asked for their opinion (it's called democracy!). The ever-increasing majority of people and businesses want to rejoin, but meanwhile, the EU may affect Trump's plans for himself and his billionaire mates to cream off some organisations that exist here (NHS being a prime example) to add to their millions and up the cost of living drastically for our neediest here. Still, Starmer could waffle on, trying to do ever-changing deals with the USA aided by those three Trump clan followers - Johnson, Truss, and Farage. Meanwhile, our PM will most likely drift along and then finally join the Reform or some equally xenophobic organisation because he does not seem to represent the people of UK or the Labour Party.

The old members of the Labour Party are probably turning in their graves right now.

Roger Cain, Clee Hill

HOW ABOUT THOSE OF US WHO SAVE?

On February 6 the Bank of England reduced its rate. Yippee! But a couple of weeks ago, like many others, I received a letter from the building society reducing the interest paid on my savings. It was already a pathetic amount. Just a thought, when will these "friendly societies" start charging people fees/interest for having entrusted them with our small amounts that we have on deposit with them?

M Gough, West Midlands

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