Just look at that S car go!

A recent suggestion by a reader that seniors do just that - for their own safety and the safety of others - certainly put the cat among the pigeons.

Now there are L-platers - we call them lunatics, losers or "L for long queues behind". And of course the P-platers - prats and a host of other "P" words not suitable for printing. So what about S-platers? Slow, senile, sexy, super?

Do we really need to identify a driver as senior, when it is blatantly obvious once you see the hat in the rear window or, as someone far more unkind said, the scratches up the side and worn tyres from hitting gutters.

That smarts. We've all seen our fair share of P-plater vehicles with side panels like corrugated iron - and don't get me started on the attitude of the drivers.

But back to the S's. "It's unnecessary and would achieve nothing; just another control in the nanny state," writes Tony, who describes himself as a cranky old geezer.

It's also a resounding "No" from Heather, of Wannanup in WA. "I think some people would get more impatient if they know it's a senior," she writes. "I don't think labelling anyone is helpful as seems to be the practice in the media (i.e. 'elderly' referring to anyone over 60). I'm 74, still work part-time and it really gets up my nose."

Mine too!

On the other hand, Brian, from Bowral in NSW, can see a place for them. "I believe that those required to pass an on-road driving test each second year should not be labelled. The one-hour tests I have undergone have been quite rigorous, as they should be.

"However, those able to drive into old age on restricted licences, allowing driving, without test, in a limited area from home, should display an S plate or something similar."

Louise from Lithgow, NSW, turns 59 this year "and in a lot of ways I am in agreement with this idea," she writes. "Everyone who turns 65 should have this in their vehicle (car/bike/truck/caravan/trailer) that they are driving, no matter what their driving record shows." Louise suggests the plates be placed inside the vehicle (front left and right back window) to save them being lost or stolen. Perhaps nicking S-plates could become a thing!

To top it off, Louise suggests over-65s caught driving without their S-plates be fined just like L or P-platers. Don't think she'd get much support for that one.