Cars, Driving, Transportation: Older Adult Perspectives

The Impact Theme series: Longevity Explorers Discuss.

Getting around seems straightforward. Until you can't!

Listen to a variety of Longevity Explorer discussions relating to getting around using cars, ride sharing, public transport and the like.

Hear what Older Adults Think: Cars, Driving, Transportation

Rollator Research, U-Step 2 and Parkinson's Disease

By: pete

Last year we bought a cane for my wife to help her with balance problems with her slowly advancing Parkinson’s Disease (PD). The style of the cane was more important to her than its function. I realized then it would be better to do rollator research before the illness might force us into an... Read More. Add your Opinions

How to Know When to Stop Driving: AAA Talk

How to Know When to Stop Driving, John Paul, guest speaker from AAA Northeast by Longevity Explorers: Recent @ Providence

“People outlive their driving ability by eight to ten years,” said John Paul, the guest speaker from AAA Northeast. Without alternatives, giving up driving can...

Listen to: "How to Know When to Stop Driving: AAA Talk"

I Want to Do My Own Driving Evaluation

Explorer Ron frames the question: "How does one decide whether or not to continue driving?" Should it be one's self, or someone else?

Listen to: "I Want to Do My Own Driving Evaluation"

Driving at Night, SRC discussion

Older adults experience various challenges with driving at night. This discussion focuses on vision related issues, and includes glare from oncoming headlights on glasses, and the difficulty of avoiding bright LED headlights which can cause adaption problems.

Listen to: "Driving at Night, SRC discussion"

Flywheel: Hail a Cab Swiftly

Lynn presents another in the series of Longevity Explorers' favorite apps, telling the group about Flywheel, her favorite ride sharing app.

Listen to: "Flywheel: Hail a Cab Swiftly"

On Demand Transportation @ SF Explorers

Explorer Jim asks whether people in the group have had experience with short-term car rental services like ZipCar when needing transportation to nearby places they may wish to visit.

Listen to: "On Demand Transportation @ SF Explorers"

Google Maps: App Demo

Explorer John tells the group about a favorite app - Google Maps, and lists what he considers to be the more useful features:

Turn by Turn directions to a place in an unfamiliar area.
Point to point distances, both in time and in miles (Walking, Driving, Public Transit,

Listen to: "Google Maps: App Demo"

Flexible, Light-weight "Training Wheels" for Adult Bicycles

By: mfcpd

I would love to have relatively inexpensive traing wheels - for want of a better term - that I could retrofit onto my current two wheel bike (a Specialized roll with low entry) and have as a back0-up when I feel unsteady on my bike. In other words, I would like to be able to apply and retract... Read More. Add your Opinions

Accepting Aging; Deciding Not to Drive

Listen to a nice casual conversation among the Cincinnati Longevity Explorers about handling aging in general, and the challenges of telling a loved one that they shouldn’t be driving anymore.

Listen to: "Accepting Aging; Deciding Not to Drive"

How Big a Problem Are Older Drivers?

How Big a Problem Are Older Drivers? by Longevity Explorers: Recent @ Providence

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov), although older adults do not rival the accident and injury rates of young adults, the incidence of accidents and the death rate do begin...

Listen to: "How Big a Problem Are Older Drivers?"

Driving Decisions, Pleasanton

The question was raised, "How to tell when it is time to quit driving?" Pleasanton Longevity Explorers discuss.

Listen to: "Driving Decisions, Pleasanton"

Who Decides Whether I Should Still Be Driving?

The Explorer group responds to a controversial question: When should I stop driving in later years, and how should that be decided?

Listen to: "Who Decides Whether I Should Still Be Driving?"

Driving at Night

Asked about barriers to independence, the topic of driving at night was discussed. Using Uber was a popular solution.

Listen to: "Driving at Night"

Better Seat Belt Design Please

Explorer Wilma finds it too difficult to find and latch seat belts in the back seat of a car.

Listen to: "Better Seat Belt Design Please"

Who Decides It's Time to Stop Driving? And How?

The Explorer Circle takes on the question of driving cessation from first-hand experiences with parents and personal observation.

Listen to: "Who Decides It's Time to Stop Driving? And How?"

Now we can use Uber without a Smartphone

Explorer Helen reports on a service she found that will summon an Uber ride or a Lyft ride when called from a standard telephone instrument.

Listen to: "Now we can use Uber without a Smartphone"

Driving Test for Older Adults: Do We Want It?

This group talks about how to decide that it is time to stop driving. Who should decide? And would an "App for that" be useful?

Listen to: "Driving Test for Older Adults: Do We Want It?"

Rider Security in Hired Cars Compared, Discussed

Explorer Geri reports her findings comparing the background checks of taxi drivers vs. app company drivers.

Listen to: "Rider Security in Hired Cars Compared, Discussed"

Car Accessibility Gadgets Explored @ EVC

Eskaton Village Explorers familiarize themselves with several inventions for making entering and leaving a car easier and more comfortable.

Listen to: "Car Accessibility Gadgets Explored @ EVC"

Which Senior-focused Transportation Options are Best?

These explorers discuss various approaches to transportation for seniors who no longer drive, whether living in a car-based community or not. Security shapes up to be an important topic the explorers want to learn more about for next circle meeting.

Listen to: "Which Senior-focused Transportation Options are Best?"

Car Gadgets @ SRC revisited

The Saratoga Retirement Community discussion circle explores gadgets designed to make it easier to enter and exit an automobile, including suggesting some design improvements for one of them.

Listen to: "Car Gadgets @ SRC revisited"

Car and Driving Gadgets Explored @SSF

Car entry and exit aids are examined and discussed by the group of Longevity Explorers at Sequoias, San Francisco.

Listen to: "Car and Driving Gadgets Explored @SSF"

Car Mobility Aids Compared, Discussed

SF Village Explorers explore a set of devices to help enter or exit an automobile.

Listen to: "Car Mobility Aids Compared, Discussed"

Better Transportation: Some Ideas.

Explorer Tsing proposes that since many residents at SRC have cars, but don't use them on the property, or shouldn't use them, a short-run ride alternative on campus is needed.

Listen to: "Better Transportation: Some Ideas."

Driving Gadgets @ SRC

Saratoga Explorers explore a pair of devices which fasten to a car's door latch, and serve to provide leverage for getting in and out of the car more easily.

Listen to: "Driving Gadgets @ SRC"

Topic Hub

Transportation & Mobility Tech

Being free to get from one place to another when you want is a very important ingredient of an independent life. But it becomes harder as you get older — and either can't (or don't want to) drive anymore, or can't walk as far as you used to. We are exploring solutions to these challenges. This is our Topic Hub for coverage of things related to getting around and mobility tech.

Read: "Transportation & Mobility Tech"

About the Impact Theme Series

Our Longevity Explorers (hundreds of older adults with ages ranging from 60-95 years old) meet regularly to discuss topics at the intersection of aging and technology.

Among the many topics we discuss in these meetings, we have been exploring some specific themes which we think are going to be very important for older adults in the future, and which in our opinion are ripe for innovation. These make up our Impact Themes, and Cars, Driving, Transportation is one of these themes.

In these discussions:

We share how we do things today;
We explore and critique existing products;
We talk about challenges we have that we wish products could solve; and
We dream up product concepts we wish someone like you would develop.

If you are developing products or services for older adults in the category of Cars, Driving, Transportation, listen to the Longevity Explorer discussions on this page to get insights about how to develop better products and services for older adults.

More Explorer Discussions

Researcher Membership

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Topics (broader coverage of this theme):

Safety, Health, Finances, Mobility, Lifestyle

Cars, Driving, Transportation: Older Adult Perspectives

The Impact Theme series: Longevity Explorers Discuss.

Hear what Older Adults Think: Cars, Driving, Transportation

Rollator Research, U-Step 2 and Parkinson's Disease