...and that you'd be allowed to do if you were born earlier. The 1997 age lottery irritates me something chronic.
I sent the following to my MP and am chasing hard. I encourage others to do the same.
Dear My MP,
I obtained my bog standard car driving licence after 01.01.1997 which allows me to drive cars, lorries <3500kg, tractors, mowing machines and mopeds (with trailers <750kg behind the car/lorry/tractor). People who obtained their licences before 01.01.1997 automatically got the parts on their licence allowing them to drive the same, as well as lorries <7500kg and minibuses, trailers >750kg on both and vehicles to which parts L and N refer (UK Driving Licence Checks | Driving Licence Checking | Driving Licence Verification Service from Licence Check).
Terrified, clinging-to-the-wheel, forgotten-where-the-brake-pedal-is pensioners who got their licence from the post office between the wars can drive a minibus of 17 victims with a couple of tonnes of trailer on the back.
My mother and a friend of mine, quite careless women of 64 and 41 respectively who often bump into flowerpots on the driveway, can happily terrorise those on pavement corners with a long wheelbase lorry loaded to the gunwales.
I, a quite able and practical 23 year old, who would find it very useful indeed to be allowed to drive small lorries and minibuses to do stuff like picking up machinery or taking groups of scouts on camping trips (the sort of things that stand to benefit the economy and well rounded society), can't because of some age lottery.
If the 1997 change hadn't been made fewer people would be driving chronically overloaded Transit vans because they don't have the part on their licence for a bigger (safer) vehicle (and don't fancy shelling out £1000 - £1500 for it) and fewer people would be driving vehicles they just don't have a licence for. Also, it would be easier for people to get into jobs where these sorts of vehicles are used (and indeed would save organisations like schools a fortune having to put teachers through minibus tests).
I'd like you to speak to whoever you think would have a sympathetic view to my plight, particularly people responsible for jobs, employment, the economy etc.
Letting people do more stuff = people do more stuff = economy does better if the Country isn't sat on its red-taped hands.
Please keep my abreast of how you get on.
Yours sincerely,
AHPP