Because driving skills typically decrease with age, government statistics reveal that senior citizens have a higher possibility of being in crashes requiring the services of collision repair shops.
And as vehicle manufacturers mindful of the nation’s shifting age demographics continue to develop systems to aid older drivers, body shop owners face the challenge of staying current with the latest innovations.
Not only are “smart” technologies being advanced, such as sensor-based crash avoidance systems and other electronics, but vehicle construction itself is seeing changes that includes sturdier hinge mechanisms (older people tend to support themselves on doors as they enter and exit vehicles) plus larger and better-positioned mirrors, switches, gauges and controls.
According to the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), 79 million baby boomers are now in their late 50s. By 2030 the number of Americans over age 65 will top 71 million. In 2001 the nation’s average life expectancy reached a record-level 77.2 years, and close to half of the country’s adults plan to continue working through age 70 and beyond.
A study by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 1999 found that 80 percent of American women over age 65 continue to drive.
With more and more older motorists on the road, the frequency of crashes is expected to increase as well.
While official statistics mainly track fatalities and injuries, it is not unusual for older drivers fretting over having their keys taken away to be discrete about minor fender-benders and run-ins with garage doors and the like—quietly taking care of the damage without involving the police, insurers or their children.
Research shows that drivers face a higher chance of being in a crash when they reach age 65; after age 75 fatalities raise sharply as older drivers are more vulnerable to accident-related injuries. They are more likely to use poor judgment when making left turns, drifting within their lanes and having difficulty adjusting to sudden traffic changes. They also are more likely to be involved in multiple-vehicle pileups.
A 1995 NHTSA study reveals that senior citizens account for 5 percent of all people injured in car crashes, 13 percent of all fatalities, 13 percent of all vehicle occupant fatalities and 18 percent of all pedestrian fatalities.
“Mile for mile, seniors have the highest crash and fatality rates: An 85-year-old woman is as dangerous behind the wheel as her teenage grandson is,” according to Carol Cruzan Morton, who prepared a report on the issue for the Alliance for Aging Research in Washington, D.C.
Teenagers are prone to crashes related to intoxication and risk-taking, while older drivers tend to suffer mental lapses and physical-control issues, even though many opt to avoid driving on unfamiliar roads, during rush hour or after dark.
The most common driving- and vehicle design-related problems faced by the older population include deteriorating eyesight and hearing, arthritis or diminishing joint mobility, slower reaction time, increasing weight with age and higher use of personal mobility devices, such as canes, wheelchairs and scooters, says Mary-Beth Kellenberger, consulting analyst for Frost & Sullivan.
Carmakers and component manufacturers have responded by offering wider seats with more back support, expanded use of heated seats (heat eases muscle or joint stiffening) and swiveling seats to aid in entering and exiting.
Easy-grasp door handles are another feature, as are advanced snow and ice removal systems and window films to reduce headlamp glare. 
Gauges are becoming brighter and larger for better viewing. Bigger control knobs are replacing toggle, push-button and sliding switches that are harder to see or operate with stiffening fingers. In-cabin indicators, signals and warnings are louder to address hearing impairments, while encroachment-warning sensors assist in monitoring hard-to-see vehicle regions subject to blind spots.
“Within these vehicles designed for older drivers, vehicle manufacturers are challenged to keep controls simple so the driver is not overwhelmed, and to watch how many buzzers, beeps and indicators are in place so as not to raise the drivers’ stress levels,” Kellenberger notes.
On the vehicle electronics front, “GPS devices were first pitched as a means for parents tracking younger driver movements and driving abilities,” she explains, citing an ongoing role reversal. “Many in the ‘sandwich’ generation (between ages 40-60) are looking after elderly parents and are concerned about their driving behaviors.”
Kellenberger tells of a 2004 Mercury Monterey Minivan featuring 90-degree swivel seats. During that same year Ford also launched vans with mobility features, “but they tended to be more oriented at the disabled in general and not just focused on the elderly.”
Yet as the population grows older, the disability and elderly fields are becoming increasingly interwoven as designers work to serve vehicle-buyers.
Ford engineers are donning goggles and specialized clothing items collectively known as the “Third Age Suit” mimicking the physical restrictions faced by older drivers. “With the Third Age Suit, you lose about 25 percent of your strength, you have about 25 percent less flexibility and it’s harder to get in and out of a car,” reports Gretchen Zorbel, a Ford human factors and ergonomics engineer.
“When you’re young and fit enough to leap out of a car without effort, it’s hard to appreciate why an older person may need to lever themselves out of the driver’s seat by pushing on the seatback and the door frame,” says Mike Bradley, a Ford ergonomics specialist. “But try leaping out while you are wearing this suit and you really understand the challenges we face.”
Jeffrey Pike, a Ford design analysis engineer, explains how “as we grow older, our vision changes. We’re more susceptible to glare, and we don’t adapt as quickly to changing conditions. It’s harder for elderly drivers to use their peripheral vision.”
In 2002 Ford’s Mobility Motoring Program unveiled a Focus ZX3 with power-swivel front seats and hand controls with simultaneous one-hand control of both throttle and brake.

---

Accommodating the aged

According to the American Association of Retired Persons, 79 million baby boomers are now in their late 50s. By 2030 the number of Americans over age 65 will top 71 million. This aging trend has carmakers developing vehicles with older drivers in mind. Some changes shops will see:

• Sturdier hinge mechanisms for older people, who tend to support themselves on the door as they enter and exit a vehicle
• Wider seats with more back support, expanded use of heated seats (heat eases muscle or joint stiffening) and swiveling seats to aid in entering and exiting
• Easy-grasp door handles as well as advanced snow- and ice-removal systems and window films to reduce headlamp glare
• Brighter and larger Gauges for better viewing
• Bigger control knobs that are replacing toggle, push-button and sliding switches that are harder to see or operate with stiffening fingers
• In-cabin indicators, signals and warnings are louder to address hearing impairments, plus encroachment-warning sensors assist in monitoring hard-to-see vehicle regions subject to blind spots