Poll: Many Americans Want Seniors To Re-Take Driving Test
NEW YORK (CBS 2) -- In the Tri-State area and across America respect for our elders seems to take a dip when it comes to the rules of the road, according to a survey.
A new Marist poll showed nearly two thirds of all Americans -- 66 percent -- think drivers should be required to re-take their road test when they turned 65 years old.
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"They're horrible. They go slow. They stop," Queens resident Jose Medina told CBS 2's Scott Rapoport.
"I think in New York City they should reduce it to around 55 [years old]. Because there's plenty of people who need to do it again," Bob Rose of Long Island City said.
According to the survey, 84 percent of those under 30 wanted to see seniors re-take the test. Amongst those 60 or older, the number dropped to 48 percent.
The reasons for the sentiment ranged from slow driving to forgetting the rules of the road. Many seniors, however, said they were offended and that they drive just fine.
"There's always a little something. Ya gotta take the test," one woman at a senior center in Astoria quipped.
"Because right away, you're 65. Just bury you, get rid of you and I'm not for that," 80-year-old Arthur Lichtbmlau said.
Others said driving might just get better with age.
"My husband is driving all his life. He's a better driver now than he's ever been at the age of 85 years old," Eva Perullo said.
"I got all the experience in the world. I don't need to take it anymore," Perullo's husband Louis said.
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