Driverless Technology Will Benefit the Elderly

Older people could stay on the road longer thanks to advances in technology.

Traditionally seen as technophobic, 1.5 million elderly people could soon be embracing driverless technology to get back on the roads more regularly.

The International Longevity Centre UK (ILC-UK) has issued a report detailing the benefits that autonomous vehicles could have for the older population. As well as keeping them active on the road, insurance costs could be reduced dramatically.

Many who do not drive also currently struggle with using public transport, with one in six unable to attend essential meetings like hospital trips. Access to self-driving cars would ease this issue considerably.

Concluding its report, the ILC-UK states that; ‘Whilst a few years ago the idea of driverless cars would be firmly in the realms of science fiction, the rapid advancement of technology means that driverless cars are now a real possibility - and they are likely to be on the roads in years, rather than decades.

‘People with limited mobility or disabilities may not have to stop driving; people in rural areas and people who have difficulty in travelling to bus stops and train stations could have the freedom to travel.

‘In the context of an ageing society, this development, although at relatively early stages, has potential to benefit older people in the UK.’

The UK is already at the forefront of self-driving technology, with the government investing £10 million into real world trials across Milton Keynes, Coventry, Bristol and London.

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