MR TOM Wright has no intention of putting the brakes on his long driving career.

After all, he is only 99 today.

Although he does not drive as much as he used to, he values the independence he enjoys with his car - despite the stresses and strains of modern roads.

"Sometimes I am totally drained after driving. It takes all my energy, but I intend to continue," he said as he prepared to motor to the Wirral from his home in Yarm to celebrate his birthday.

Mr Wright has been driving since October, 1925, and still has a clean licence.

He needed to drive when he went to work for a Newcastle electric supply company in its testing department. As a junior engineer, he had to go out and about checking meters for major clients.

The firm provided a Morris 10 - open top, of course - with a warm coat and gauntlets for winter and a raincoat in summer.

His "test" took the form of the garage foreman taking him out in a car similar to the Morris and he had to change gear going uphill.

"I started by crashing the gears," said Mr Wright. "Two weeks later I didn't and that was when I 'passed' the test."

He has never taken a test since but recently renewed his driving licence, which bears no endorsements.

The nearest he came to penalty points was about 30 years ago when he and his wife went Christmas shopping in Osmotherley.

"I parked the car on a slope, as I thought in first gear," he said. "When we came back the car had gone - it was embedded in a bus across the road.

"I had engaged top gear instead."

A police officer arrived at the scene at the same time and Mr Wright received a summons to Northallerton court.

Mr Wright was fined £2.50 but his licence was not endorsed.

Huddersfield-born, he moved to Thornaby in 1935 as second in charge of a huge area for the power company. He took over the top job in 1958 and retired ten years later.

After his first wife died of cancer, Mr Wright married Norrie Crossley of Yarm and went to live in the town. She died 25 years ago and he has been alone since then.

He has been driving constantly since that day in 1925.

Two years ago, the difficulties of modern traffic caught up with him when it took him all day to get to Minehead after taking a wrong turn in the Midlands when the way was blocked by an overturned lorry.

Does he enjoy driving?

"Yes and no," he says. "My balance is not so good as it was but it makes a big difference to me that I can get out and about and do my shopping and such.

"But I don't like driving at night."

A member of Egglescliffe parish church - he was a sidesman for 30 years - he still attends worship every Sunday and also picks up two women who need a lift.

Mr Wright now has an automatic Mazda 323. He started off with a Ford 8, which cost £100 and £10 extra for a sliding roof and leather upholstery.

He has had a variety of motors over the years. One of his cars had such a quiet engine he once left it running when he parked.

"Someone else had to tell me," he said.

After so much motoring experience, his advice to drivers today would be: Keep your distance.

"That is very important," he said, "especially as you get older and your reflexes slow down."

He thinks speed cameras are a good idea "to stop those inclined to take advantage of getting ahead of others".

He added: "I hate drivers who push into the queue when two lanes narrow into one."

But driving has not been his only mode of transport.

Between 1925 and 1930 he cycled round over most of the kingdom. One journey to Scotland - Newcastle to Oban - took two days there and the same coming back.

Mr Wright admits to being shocked when he first arrived in the area.

"I wondered where I had come to when I saw the blast furnaces on both sides of the Tees," he said. "But I soon found the advantages in the North York moors and the dales. It is lovely. I have done lots of exploring, there is some wonderful country."

He now spends much of his time listening to classical music and has been a pipe-smoker for 70 years.

These days, he only drives a couple of times a week.

His automatic Mazda was bought in 1990 and has done less than 40,000 miles as his journeys have become less frequent.

Mr Wright now has his eye on getting a 100th birthday telegram from the Queen.

His advice for those looking to a long life is: "For those people getting older, I would say be interested in all types of subjects. Keep mentally alert, especially with current affairs.

"I am a bit of a newshound myself."