The benefits of self-driving cars extend well beyond letting people safely text, nap, or whatever behind the wheel. The technology could provide mobility to everyone who can't drive a conventional car, including the nation's expanding ranks of elderly drivers.
Some 36 million "older drivers" still hold a valid drivers license, according to AARP, which didn't define "older." Only 20 percent of them live in cities that offer public transit, and nearly all of those people say they plan to stay where they are. Giving up driving presents a potentially serious setback for their ability to live independently. Self-driving cars could ensure a measure of autonomy.
Nine seniors took the future for a test drive through Varden Labs, an autonomous vehicle startup that two University of Waterloo students launched last year.1 They explored the University of California San Diego's campus in an electric shuttle that looks a bit like what might happen if a Nissan Leaf hooked up with a golf cart. It's got a max speed of 15 mph, but Varden says it caters to places like university and hospital campuses where low-speed, high-capacity vehicles can move a lot of people.
Despite AAA's recent study that found three quarters of Americans would be "afraid" to ride in a self-driving car, these seniors---who grew up driving Buick Skylarks and Ford Fairlines---have a ball. And at least one seems onboard for the future of transportation. "My son's gonna make me buy one, I think," he says. "Cause he won't let me drive anymore."
1Story updated at 15:10 EST on May 12, 2016 to include the Varden Labs founders' correct alma mater.
