To ensure that aging does not mean losing autonomy, seniors must maintain their mobility freedom. From autonomous cars, AI, community carpooling, and public transportation, here are future solutions for senior driving.
Autonomous Cars: The Future Solution
Statistics show that people over 65 travel an average of three times fewer kilometers than younger people. It makes sense that a retired person would travel less than someone who is actively working. However, seniors, along with those under 25, are the most involved in road accidents.
An autonomous car, completely redesigned to meet seniors’ needs, currently stands out as the most promising solution. The car of the future could primarily target the elderly – at least, that’s how current brands are thinking about it.
In this context, the Mountain View company invented the “Google Car”. This driverless car is equipped with cameras, radars, and a laser sensor. It uses Google’s mapping database to navigate.
Google’s stated goal is to reduce the number of fatal accidents and free up leisure time for the driver. This car could also have an ecological impact as it could be used for large-scale carpooling, a concept Google refers to as “road trains.”
In Japan, where the population is increasingly aging, there are already plans to implement self-service vehicle fleets like the Google Car, where driving is heavily assisted or even autonomous, to help drivers safely navigate traffic.
Integration of GPS Systems Adapted for Seniors
The Intelligent Transport team is considering developing a customized navigation system for seniors, offering routes that limit priority crossings or avoid major roads. Other options are being explored, reminiscent of military aviation technologies, such as night vision solutions and information display on the windshield.
At the intersection of political will for social integration through the digital economy and clear industrial perspectives, Professor Blythe’s team’s project also demonstrates how to develop technological and multimedia tools accessible to seniors. Indeed, seniors are not inherently opposed to technology, but often discouraged by tools clearly designed for younger generations. According to Professor Phil Blythe, the tools developed by his team could be integrated by the industry within 5 to 10 years.
Alternatives to Driving: Public Transport, Carpooling…
Public Transport
With age or disability, people increasingly struggle to use public transportation due to accessibility issues. However, progress is being made, as an order published in the “Journal Officiel” approved the plan developed by SNCF and the State to ensure the accessibility of national train stations. RATP must also make its stations accessible to everyone, because despite the obligations imposed by the 2005 law, little has actually been done in this regard. Since discounted rates are not enough, municipalities must commit to making transportation truly accessible.
But this doesn’t apply to residents of more remote communities or those living outside of Île-de-France. This is why innovations like Wonder Buddy have been developed, allowing groups to travel together on public transport at any time of the day—a sort of “secure public transport carpooling.” The idea is that traveling in groups enhances safety. The group behind the application has championed an innovation meeting a real need for seniors as well as other population groups facing security problems on public transport.
Autonomous Electric Shuttles
The use of electric shuttles like Navia, developed by a French company, could also be one of the future solutions to increase senior mobility and secure their trips. These self-driving shuttles allow travel in environments such as city centers, airports, or hospital campuses.
If this type of vehicle becomes widespread, it will facilitate the movement of elderly people whose mobility is reduced. The shuttle allows travel along routes not covered by public transportation or in pedestrianized areas.
Moreover, this shuttle is environmentally friendly as it is an electric vehicle. New technologies for charging the shuttle are being tested, such as wireless charging.
Carpooling
Faced with the growing mobility challenges encountered by seniors, particularly in rural or suburban areas, carpooling appears to be an innovative and accessible alternative. This practice, often associated with younger generations, proves to be a suitable solution to promote the autonomy of older people, break social isolation, and reduce transportation costs. By sharing a ride with other users, seniors can not only travel more easily for medical appointments, shopping, or social activities but also strengthen intergenerational connections.
The Independent Transportation Network offers an attractive alternative for senior carpooling as a future solutions. This network, originating in the United States, connects more than a thousand volunteer drivers, most of whom are seniors, with elderly or disabled people, usually over 80 years old. The goal? To provide a supportive alternative to usual carpooling services like BlaBlaCar by offering mobility solutions to seniors in remote areas. The operation is simple: you buy credits on the dedicated platform to take trips. And yesterday’s driver can become tomorrow’s passenger by exchanging earned credits for a ride.
In France, a similar project called SilverMobi has been implemented. This platform provides a simplified connection between volunteer drivers and seniors with reduced mobility. Volunteers can indicate their availability on the platform and accompany seniors during their trips, whatever the purpose (doctor’s appointments, hairdresser visits, shopping, etc.). Moreover, trips are accessible at low costs, since only the expenses incurred by the trips (fuel, etc.) are covered.
In the era of ecological transition, carpooling represents a sustainable response to the mobility needs of seniors while promoting solidarity and sharing.
Future solutions : Linking Demographic and Ecological Transitions
One of the major challenges concerning senior mobility is adapting the current driving model. By 2030, seniors will represent one-third of the French population, and it’s important to remember that the vast majority of them contributed to the development of the “car-dependent” era. Regardless of their socio-professional category, the car has always been their preferred mode of transportation, synonymous with professional success.
However, we are now living in a world where climate challenges require us to rethink our mobility patterns, and including seniors will be a key factor in successfully making this transition.
Published by the Editorial Staff on