AAA Launches New Web site Dedicated to Older Drivers
March 23, 2008

By Kate McLeod

NEW YORK — During last week's press days at the New York auto show, AAA  held a conference covering the challenges facing senior drivers and their families. It also marked the launch of AAA's Web site devoted to the topic and includes a checklist of vehicle features that are useful for senior drivers, the fastest-growing segment of the driving public.

A Familiar Topic
The topic of senior drivers is one I'm all too familiar with.

Every week I get in the car with an older driver who claims his time behind the wheel.There are many moments when I think, “This is it for both of us.” 

My husband is in his mid-seventies. He can’t really turn his head completely when merging. His hands shake a bit. He’s lost some of his muscle strength. He now wears driving glasses that for years I didn’t know he needed. He fiddles with the radio driving at any speed — a lot. He is indecisive.

I am also an older driver, somewhat arthritic with compromised vision.

AAA says we begin to experience subtle decline in functions we may not even notice at age 40. Of the 37 million people age 65 and older in the U.S. in 2006, 29 million were licensed drivers in 2005, according to the National Highway Traffic and Safety administration (NHTSA). This number will grow as boomers get older.

Some of my husband’s idiosyncrasies don’t have anything to do with age, but many of his driving habits are a result of — well, just getting older. Physiological changes such as muscle strength, reaction times, range of motion and vision are affected. What older person do you know who doesn’t have joint pain, osteoporosis or arthritis, all of which reduce the ability to drive?

My mother drove until she was 94. So in Southeastern Massachusetts there was this fiercely independent woman with poor vision and other age-related handicaps terrorizing other drivers. She got around in an old Ford Tempo with three crushed doors and a dented fender. My cousin Paul, a cop, heard she was paying off people in parking lots so they wouldn’t submit insurance claims. Clearly she didn’t suffer from a reduction in her mental capacity.

My mother is typical of older drivers who balk at relinquishing their driving privileges. I don’t know an older person who voluntarily gave up driving.

"Personal mobility is essential for aging,” Dennis McCarthy, Ph.D., co-director of the National Older Driver Research and Training Center (NODRTC) at the University of Florida, told attendees of the conference, co-sponsored by NODRTC and AAA. “Without it they have limited access to their particular medical and practical needs as well as becoming isolated socially. Seniors are not accepting of other forms of transportation.”

Senior-Friendly Features
AAA's new Web site lists key features helpful to older drivers, recommended by model. “Driving can become both less comfortable and more difficult, said Kathleen Marvaso, AAA vice president of public affairs. “So we wanted to make recommendations on features that would make it both easier and more comfortable. We partnered with NODRTC; they have the science to support our recommendations.”

Some of the top features that help with the problems older drivers experience:
• Six-way adjustable power seats and seat heights that come between the driver’s mid-thigh and lower buttocks. A flatter seat also makes it easier for older drivers to slide into the vehicle.  Simplicity — not overkill on the options — is far better for older drivers.
• Four-door models (the doors on two-door vehicles are much heavier), thick steering wheels, keyless entry and ignition, power mirrors and seats and other power options and larger instrument-panel controls with buttons that help drivers with arthritic hands, painful or stiff fingers or diminished fine motor skills.
• Vehicles with extendable sun visors, large audio and climate controls and simplicity in the menu functions.
• Large wide-angle mirrors, heated seats and adjustable seat belts for drivers with limited upper-body range of motion in back, neck, shoulder, arms.

AAA’s Smart Features for Mature Drivers includes vehicle features recommended for all seniors, regardless of their health issues, including:
• Proven crashworthiness, crash-test and rollover ratings from NHTSA and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
• Side and dual-stage/threshold airbags, which adjust the deployment force based on the severity of the crash.
• Adjustable head restraints and extra padding.
* Stability control.

Let’s face it: No one is getting any younger.

AAA predicts by 2020 there will be more licensed drivers 65 and older. The good news is older drivers are safer in that they are less likely to speed, and drink and drive. They just need a little more help.

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