New vehicle technologies for supporting the mobility of the elderly]

Starting point for this analysis are the mobility needs and requirements of elderly, as well as problems concerning access and use of public transport. Elderly people as car drivers suffer from several performance deficits which are currently compensated by mobility restrictions and changed driving behaviour. Driver assistance systems, just available or soon on the market, are demonstrated and analysed with respect to their impact on elderly drivers. An expert evaluation comes to the conclusion that the most important systems for elderly are: emergency systems, enhanced vision systems and parking aids. Emergency systems can call rescue teams automatically or at driver's request, and direct them to the emergency location. Self imposed restrictions of elderly concerning night driving can partly be compensated by means of curve lightning and automatic dipping. Parking aids, using cameras or infrared technique are especially helpful for persons with moveability problems. The group of helpful, but not highly important driver assistance systems covers several means for longitudinal and lateral control of the car, comprising autonomous cruise control, antilock systems and electronic stability programmes. The value and impact of these systems are analysed in the light of risk homeostasis theory. Reduced work load and ease of mobility will at last result from user centered navigation systems, helping the elder driver also to move to new areas without orientational problems. The article demonstrates the particular importance of specific layouts of the man-machine-interface for elderly, to guarantee high acceptance and minimal distraction from traffic.