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2003-07-21 - 10:41 p.m. I was going to write about my weekend upstate with Mom but I'll leave that for later since I was given an interesting poll question: Should elderly drivers be retested? Ah, changing the DMV a subject near and dear to my heart! Having been pasenger to my 86 year old Grandad, I'm going to give this proposal a resounding YES! But I'll go out on a limb and say that I think all drivers should be retested. Have you seen what is out on the roads these days? Its downright scary. I found myself wondering how some of these suckers got licenses in the first place; the answer is, you've only got to drive well once. Personally I feel that everyone should be retested every 10 years or so to keep everyone on their toes. Lets face it, when was the last perfect parallel park you made? Or K-turn? When was the last time you made a full and complete stop at stop sign? How about signalling? Apparently some folks think that's optional. For the love of god, would it kill you to look at least before changing lanes. Hmmm...I think not. We're all guilty of occasionally bending the rules to suit ourselves. Maybe mandatory retesting will remind us how above the law we aren't! Furthermore I think everyone should have to learn on a standard shift because believe me - it makes a difference. You will not see as much tailgating or sudden stops by a stick shift jockey! In spite of what I believe to be widespread stultifying driving skills - I would also push for an increase in speed limits on highways. They should all be 65. Of course, I hesitate to give more leeway to some of you special driver's ed students. A few weeks back I witnessed two low-speed accidents on the highway. If you can't drive at 10 mph you best not be driving 55! Perhaps, there should be a separate test for highway driving altogether. In any case, the old "Drive 55 to arrive alive" campaign may have had merit back in the day of simple lap belts and poorly built cars with low auto safety standards. But nowadays with our sophisticated seat belts, side and front airbags, better safety standard superior automobiles that rule just does not apply. Personally I think the law stands because its ready-made income. Notice how often cops won't pull you over if you're only going 5 miles above the speed limit - except at the end of the month when the quotas are due. On top of that, doing 75 in a 55 zone carries a much steeper fine than the same 75 in a 65 zone. I say if its safe to do 65 on an interstate then it should be just as safe on a state or city highway. Drink of the Day: A virgin anything! Especially now, where the penalties for DWI includes the loss of your car and license. � 
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