But unfortunately it's not the end of the road for that arrogant band of everyday road racers who think that only little people and learner drivers are required to obey the speed limits.

They race past you over continuous white lines in flashy executive vehicles or turbo powered tin cans, while others pass you out on the inside lane of the dual carriageway in swaying juggernauts, elegantly balanced between the forces of gravity and momentum, and invincible in their own lofty cabs.

Then before you've even had time to recover, there's a flash of lightning to your right, followed by the thunderous roar of a high powered leather-suited biker who has broken the sound barrier and passed himself out.

Is it any wonder then that I arrive in Limerick city every morning gibbering and shaking with fright. At least with the unaccompanied 'L' drivers on the road, we knew where we stood.

But the galling thing from an 'L' driver's point of view is that the next time he goes on the public road, he may have to bring one of those jackasses in the front seat with him if he can't find someone respectable who has held a license for at least two years. If the Road Safety Authority really wants to know, this is called learning attitude.

I don't know why I consider myself an authority on driving, seeing that I only passed the test three years ago, on a second attempt.

I'm not proud of the fact that there was a 19 year gap between my first test and the next one, but I was very happy that the manual choke was no longer an issue the second time round and there was no danger of me flooding the engine. The waiting list wasn't that long either, but I couldn't go back until the tester had retired for fear I'd lose control like a Kerry footballer and knock the test sheet out of his hand - throttle him more like it.

Having said that, I think the current test is still anything but fair, and it certainly isn't transparent. The waiting list, we're told, has been reduced to an average of eight weeks, but that isn't strictly correct either.

Applicants are being contacted after eight weeks and asked when they can do the test within a specified period. If there's a slot available, fine. If not, they have to wait.

But the biggest scandal of all is that the pass rates still vary considerably from centre to centre around the country and even between private and public testers in a single centre. Why for instance, do 60 per cent plus pass the driving test in Limerick and over 65 per cent in Birr, while in Thurles there's only a 45 per cent pass rate and in Carlow a mere 42 per cent?

With such damn statistics I have no idea why anyone would even sit the test in Carlow, but apparently they do.

Finally I wish someone would agree with me that the driving test is not just another rite of passage. It's a nerve-racking experience, worse even than the Leaving Cert. The cash strapped HSE will be delighted with this suggestion, but I think that there should be counselling for applicants both before and after the event and the RSA should pay for it.

To this day I'm still smarting from the results of that first driving test. I feel hard done by, to be quite honest, because everything had gone spiffingly well - even the choke - and apart from the fact that I was shaking like a leaf, I have no idea what the tester's problem was, or why he was sitting on the edge of the seat.

Now, apparently, you can appeal to a District Court judge if you feel wronged. But a fat lot of good that will do you either. The judge has only two choices according to the law - either the tester was right and you failed and you have to sit it again, or the tester was wrong and you have to sit it again anyway - albeit this time for free.

But there's no compensation for the trauma, and the tester doesn't have to account to anyone.