Caven

LET'S face it, none of us are getting any younger.

Having just notched up a "significant" birthday myself, the tell- tale signs of ageing are becoming increasingly evident.

For starters, the grey matter isn't storing away as much stuff as it once did.

And as for memory loss, well, sometimes I wake up and struggle to remember my own name, it's that bad.

Thankfully, I know that I'm not alone - and it's probably not just my age. Most of our mind lapses are really down to today's hectic lifestyles and work pressures.

This might also go a long way to explaining why more than six million motorists admit to driving their car without an MOT because they forgot the renewal date.

Nearly a third of them took up to a month to rectify the issue, while one in five confessed to an even longer spell.

Motorists caught driving without a valid MOT certificate won't go unpunished either.

Apart from being hit with a pounds 60 fine, a lapsed MOT can also impact on car insurance and prevent you from renewing your road tax - again something that could land you in trouble.

Previously, the authorities used to alert you in advance, but not any more. The onus is now on the car owner.

Hats off, then, to Kwik-Fit for coming up with a free service whereby motorists can request an email reminding them of the renewal date.

At least there are still some people willing to help the common man.

(c) 2009 Daily Record; Glasgow (UK). Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.