As you know, there is a furious debate under way over testing for drivers over a certain age.

The proposal is that, to curb poor driving performance, these motorists should be tested more often once they reach a particular point on the calendar.

Now, those drivers claim that this is a restriction on their freedom. They say driving is a right that they have earned. They say that it's unfair to single them out for the failings of a few.

They are right.

So I would like to propose a different age for those tests: That age should be 15. (I don't care if they are not actually driving yet. It's never too early to start testing.)

The tests will not be annual, however. They will be administered on a weekly basis to anyone who possesses, has applied for or plans to apply for a Massachusetts drivers license at any time now, in the past or in the foreseeable future.

Don't worry, you will not have to take time out of your busy day to go to the registry office. Testing officials will come to you (at your home, school or place of employment, your choice) and administer a battery of written, oral and road tests. And relax, the essay questions will require answers of no more than 400 words, 500 tops. (Sample topic: People who text while driving - idiots or simply insane? Discuss.)

Extreme? I don't think so. Because it's obvious that no one on the roads of the Commonwealth today - and I include bicycle riders, pedestrians and people in those electric scooters - have any idea how to behave.

Don't believe me? Let's take this sample test question: You are on a two-lane street. The car in front of you stops to make a left turn into a driveway but is blocked for a moment by oncoming traffic. Do you:

A.) Pass him on the right, even if it means driving over the sidewalk and running over several street signs, a park bench and a fire plug?

B.) Lean on your horn in the belief that letting the other driver know someone is behind him will cause the other lane of traffic to magically move.

C.) Wait patiently for the oncoming traffic to clear so the driver in front of you may safely make his left turn.

If you answered A, congratulations, you are an experienced, qualified Massachusetts motorist with a glove compartment full of tickets for moving violations. If you answered B, you have been driving in this state for far too long. (If you answered A and B, you are from Rhode Island.) If you answered C, you are obviously from out of town.

TOM REILLY is an experienced Massachusetts driver with the insurance premiums to prove it. He is also a Sun Chronicle news editor and can be reached at 508-235-0332 or at treilly@thesunchronicle.com. Read his blog at thesunchronicle.com/reilly.