11月20日，公安部推出的12项深化公安交管“放管服“改革优化营商环境新举措正式实施，其中就包括放宽小型汽车驾驶证申请年龄。

新规取消申请小型汽车、小型自动挡汽车、轻便摩托车驾驶证70周岁的年龄上限。对70周岁以上人员考领驾驶证的，增加记忆力、判断力、反应力等能力测试，保证身体条件符合安全驾驶要求。

这也就意味着，70岁以上的老人可以圆“开车梦”了。

The amended rule on the drivers' license application took effect on Friday, allowing people above 70-year-old to register for the examination and get a license.

The new rule was published by the Ministry of Public Security last month, loosening automobile drivers' age limit. According to the rule, for those aged 70 and above, as long as they pass the tests for memory, judgment, and re-agency and are proving they are physically healthy enough, they can now register for the examinations.

Why is the rule amended?

据民政部预测，“十四五”期间，我国将迈入中度老龄化社会。应对“银发社会”带来的挑战已经成为一项重要战略。

公安部交通管理局副局长刘宇鹏表示，随着我国人民生活条件持续改善，国民身体素质明显增强，人均预期寿命不断延长，2019年我国人均预期寿命达到77岁。

此外，我国正在加快形成以国内大循环为主体、国内国际双循环相互促进的新发展格局，促进国内消费已成为一个重要目标。

公安部统计的数据显示，截至2020年6月，全国机动车驾驶人数量达4.4亿，驾驶人年龄主要集中在26岁至50岁之间。另据2019年统计的一项旅游相关数据，全年国内旅游人数已超55亿人次，其中自驾游达到5.8亿人次。新冠疫情改变了人们出行的方式，自驾需求仍在攀升。

不仅旅游市场前景繁荣，汽车市场也是如此。

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, China is expected to step into the moderate phase of the aged society during the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025), and how to cope with the silver challenge has already become a national strategy.

Meanwhile, in 2019, the country's average life span has reached 77 years old, and the health condition of the citizens has been universally improved, according to the Ministry of Public Security.

Besides, as China embraces dual-circulation focusing on domestic and international markets, boosting domestic consumption has become an important goal.

Data from the Ministry of Public Security shows that China has at least 440 million automobile drivers as of June 2020, mostly aged between 26 and 50. The tourist statistics in 2019 show that China now has 5.5 billion tourist trips made every year, among which 580 million preferred self-driving. The demand is still rising, as the COVID-19 outbreak reshaped people's way of an outing.

The market is quite promising, not only for travel but for the automobile as well.

How far away for 70-year-old and above to get a license?

然而，在驾考新政实施的第一天，许多驾校尚未开通70周岁以上老人报名的渠道。多家驾校表示，需要等针对老人的体检要求具体明确后，再开启报名。

交管部门表示，尽管新规定已经实施，但目前相关细则还没有出台，老人体检要检查哪些项目需要等细则出台以后才能明确。

但这阻挡不住老年人学车的热情。北京市海淀区某驾校报名点工作人员透露，虽然报名还未正式开始，但近期已经有好几位老人前来咨询考试相关事宜，其中年龄最大的84岁。

However, on the first day of the rule's implementation, most driving schools have not opened any channel yet for the old people to get registered. Many said that they have not received any detailed physical examination requirements for the senior people to be qualified.

The municipal traffic administration said that even though the rule was implemented on Friday, the detailed standards for tests and physical health conditions were not released. The senior people and the driving schools are still waiting for more instructions.

But it didn't stop the enthusiastic drivers from looking forward to the day.

"The registration has not started yet, but we've already received several senior people consulting for the examination. The oldest is 84 years old already," said a staff member working in a driving school in Haidian District, Beijing.

What do voices from Internet sound like?

73岁的王先生年轻时没有考取驾照，在他心里一直有个“开车梦”。他说：“如果身体条件能通过测试的话，我还是想试着学一下的，不管以后是否真的驾车上路，对老年人来说至少是一种新体验。”

不过在王先生看来，自己毕竟上了年纪，考驾照并非易事。“我女儿当年都考了两次才通过，岁数大的估计更困难了。”他说。

"If my health condition allows, I would like to give it a try, even I won't actually buy a car and hit the road, it is a completely new experience for me," 73-year-old Mr. Wang said. He didn't get a driver's license when he was young, but it did not stop him from dreaming about becoming a driver.

"It might be difficult," he added. "Even my daughter took twice to pass the exam, not to mention for my age."

这一话题在社交媒体上引发广泛讨论，一些网友心存顾虑：老人在路上开车反应是否够快？开车会不会有风险？

有不少网友表示担忧：

“如果是‘老司机’，我觉得没啥问题，但我无法想象一个70岁以上的新司机。”

“我爸只有60多岁，但我有时还是担心他在路上开车。我不会让他在高速公路上开车的。”

但也有很多网友表示理解和支持：

“这叫人性化。不要觉得老年人都是‘马路杀手’。老人比年轻人更有经验呢。大家都有老的一天，这个政策来得正好。”

“只要体检合格，有何不可？身体健康的老年人开车挺好，能够方便独居老人的生活起居问题。”

还有一些网友建议，老年人可以在车上贴专门的标志，提醒其他司机注意。

在北京和合肥等城市，部分驾校计划针对老人推出专门训练计划，但工作人员表示，老年人的培训课程可能比普通课程花费高一些。

The topic has triggered wide discussions on social media and many netizens worrying about whether the old people could respond quickly enough on the road and whether it is risky for them to drive.

"If they have been driving all the time, I think it would be alright, but I cannot imagine a new driver above 70 years old," a comment reads on Sina Weibo.

"My dad is only above 60, and I sometimes worry about him driving on the road. I won't allow him to drive on the expressway anyway," reads another comment.

But different voices also exist.

"This shows the humanity. Don't worry about the senior people. I think they are more experienced than the young people and remember we'll grow old one day," a user wrote on Weibo.

Some suggest that old people could post a sticker on their cars, reminding the other drivers to pay attention.

For driving schools, they are still sitting on the fence without much expectation. Many believe that the new drivers of old age will need customized plans. In some areas, the driving schools are already on the move.

In cities like Beijing and Hefei, schools have been arranging consultants to help old people making their studying plans. Still, the staff mentioned that senior people's training lessons could be more expensive than ordinary lessons.

What about senior drivers overseas?

许多国家都规定了考驾照年龄下线（14-18岁），但并非所有国家都设定了年龄上线。

在日本，由于高龄司机引发的交通事故增多，政府要求75岁及以上的司机在更新驾照时须接受认知评估测试；

在美国，对高龄司机的要求因州而异。许多州要求年龄在65岁、70岁或75岁以上的司机在更新驾照时须参加视力和道路测试；

在英国，驾照到70岁时自动失效，若想延期需提前申请，每次申请可维持三年。英国高龄驾驶问题也因女王丈夫菲利普亲王97岁高龄驾车出车祸而一度受到关注，菲利普亲王随后自愿放弃驾照。

Many foreign countries have set a minimum age for driving, ranging from 14 to 18, but not all have a maximum limit.

In Japan, as accidents involving elderly drivers increase, the license system required drivers aged 75 and above to take a cognitive assessment test while renewing their licenses. In the U.S., the requirements for elderly drivers vary in different states. Many states demanded drivers aged above 65, 70, or 75 to take vision and road tests while renewing their licenses.

In the UK, drivers' license expires at the age of 70, but drivers aged above 70 could renew their licenses every three years. In the latest high-profile car accident involving senior people, Philip, husband of Queen Elizabeth II, announced to give up his driver's license at the age of 97, after a collision on a rural road in London in 2019.

你支持身边老人考驾照吗？