PAUL MILES

LAST MONTH I wrote about the issues facing new riders when attempting to pass their tests and mused over how much simpler life was back in the day. I took my test in 1975, a time when a ‘learner’ could ride a near-100mph 250cc bike and never actually need to pass the driving test at all if they didn’t want to. I knew several older riders still on ‘L’ plates after a decade or more of riding.

But a full licence was essential for any teenager back