MOST of us have blinked in disbelief when we have observed the antics of bad drivers.

Speeders, tail-gaters, day-dreamers and those who perform dangerous U-turns are sadly part of the passing scene.

They highlight the fact that high driving standards are increasingly necessary as Bolton continues to suffer from the sheer volume of traffic on the town's roads.

We therefore welcome the scheme - to be introduced throughout Greater Manchester - which could lead to careless Bolton motorists being ordered to have more driving lessons instead of incurring penalty points on their licences.

Drivers who commit less serious driving offences could be required to find between £90 and £125 for a one-and-a-half day course.

This would include a driver improvement session and instruction in items such as accident avoidance, hazard perception, driver behaviour and personal responsibility.

We believe such a punishment would be extremely salutary because nobody likes to be branded as a bad driver - particularly men.

More than 20 other authorities throughout the country have already tried this scheme and they report that it has been a success.

We feel there is a genuine chance that this approach would help to reduce accidents on Bolton roads.

The only problem we can see is that this is likely to be a very busy operation which will need a good deal of organising and maintaining.

There will be justice of another kind, though, if it results in employment for instructors who have put in the time and effort needed to become the advanced drivers which society so clearly needs.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.