Beijing elderly get licenses to better car lotto odds

Many elderly people in Beijing are trying to obtain a driver's license to enter the car purchase lottery system for their children wanting to buy a car, according to a program on China National Radio on Tuesday.

Although learning to drive poses considerable challenges for elderly people at their age, they are doing so in the hope of improving the chance to win the car purchase lottery for their children.

A driving instructor, surnamed Huang, says, despite their efforts, these elderly people don't learn as well as young people.

Some driving schools suggest that elderly people take the test with a car that has an automatic transmission if they only want to use the license to increase car lottery chances.

The age limit for those permitted to carry a driver's license is 70.

Beijing started the car purchase lottery system in 2011 in an effort to restrict car purchases to ease traffic congestion and reduce air pollution.