Letter: Is your reporter safe driving by himself?

JONATHAN SALE would have failed the L-test driving as he did in his article 'Could you pass the A-level driving test' (Review, 25 July).

He was indeed wise to consider walking home. I can assure him that contrary to popular belief, vehicles do not 'suddenly materialise'. This is an excuse for 'I was daydreaming' or 'I didn't look' or 'my ignorance of the movements of other road users is so great that I do not know when or where to look or what to look for', which are the fundamental causes of the vast majority of collisions, and collisions are the only cause of road injuries.

Such people are not safe out on their own. If they are drivers, they should be accompanied by a supervising driver and behind L- plates. If pedestrians, they should be holding the hand of a competent person or the harness of a guide dog, which, as guide dogs do not seem to get run over, exhibit a far higher intelligence towards traffic than those humans who do.

P D Somerville

High Wycombe, Bucks