Mature Driver 2006-03

When The Rubber Hits the Road Seniors Choice Newsmagazine, March 2006 Lian Couper During an evening of watching my favourite hockey team play on television I noted that most car ads that I saw while flipping stations during the breaks - and there were many - promoted the ability off-road capabilities, full entertainment packages and the ability to haul seven passengers. There attributes were usually combined with an accent on speed. Then there were ads that just promoted speed: straightaway speed, acceleration speed, lateral speed and speed in the middle of uninhabited deserts. You get the picture. Now if there is a car manufacturer out there that really cares to know what we baby-boomers want, what we really, really want in a new car, I have more than 15 years of notes on that very subject. On page 61 of the Mature Driver workbook developed by the Canadian Safety council there is a title "Vehicle Characteristics." It asks what are the top five features a senior driver wants in their next vehicle. Seats are always mentioned. They, according to my students and prospective buyers, should be stiffly padded for they feel more comfortable than soft seats because they not only give more support, but they encourage alertness. The seats must be fully adjustable for the height of each driver. A petite wife who must share a vehicle with her large husband wants to be accommodated with a front seat lift that is easy to use. If you, as a driver, have looked down the road and noticed there appears to be no one driving the car ahead of you then you will understand this is a real need. It is not only for better vision that all drivers should sit with their head and shoulders about the steering wheel. It is also imperative in case the air bag is deployed. (Note: This force is so substantial that safety experts are recommending the steering wheel be held at the 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock positions with the thumbs placed on the top of the wheel and not hooked around, for maximum safety). Adjustable foot pedal are also a great boon for the shorter person and are now available on some new vehicles. Reality is that we lose height as we get older and having a vehicle that compensates for this normal age-related change is something that the elderly car buyer would appreciate having. Seatbelts are a source of difficulty for some seniors. Again shorter people, both male and female, appreciate the efforts that automobile makers are taking to incorporate adjustable seatbelts in new cars. The upper strap's attachment point can be moved up and down to match the height of the occupant. A driver with a specific physical disability will need more complex changes to the seatbelt that should be done by a professional. There are many more safety features that are included in my list and I will mention them in future columns.

 

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