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Keep Senior Drivers on the Road Safe: Drive Reliable Cars

Keep Senior Drivers on the Road Safe: Drive Reliable Cars

Dependable cars can help elderly drivers stay safe while on the road. As people age, physical and mental changes occur. Eye sights fail, reaction time diminishes and physical capability wanes. Statistics show that although elderly people are safer drivers because they observe speed limits, wear seatbelts and are not likely to drink and drive compared to other age groups, the probability that they suffer injuries and even die due to crashes is high because of aging vulnerabilities. These include bone fragility and medical conditions that make it difficult for the elderly drivers to recover from injuries after an accident. The stats are grim with 5,700 lives claimed and 236,000 injuries among senior drivers in 2014, according to the CDC and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (2016).

Preventing Deaths and Injuries Among Elderly Drivers

In 2015, there are over 40 million senior drivers in the US which represents a 50% increase compared to 1999 (US Department of Transportation Highway Statistics, 1999 and 2015). Given the high incidence of deaths and injuries among elderly drivers, there are some steps that can be taken to prevent these from happening. One is to make sure that medical conditions are managed including updating of prescription medications to minimize side effects. Eye sight must be checked at regular intervals and glasses or corrective lenses should be renewed. Other preventive measures that can be taken include planning routes, avoiding distractions and observing good driving practices (no tailgating, talking on the phone or listening to loud radio).

Driving a Safe Car

In addition, keeping vehicles maintained properly and serviced regularly will help in keeping seniors safe while driving. It is also of benefit if elderly people have a car that is technically sound. AAA reports indicate that an ideal car for a senior is something that is easy to get in and out of, while being comfortable. These cars must have safety features that are easy to use and activate. BMW, for instance is a respected brand when it comes to safety. Part of the success of BMW is that it offers several models for the customers to choose from. From active cameras helping drivers park seamlessly and lights that provide enough illumination, there is a make that suits senior drivers. In the future, the BMW brand will put self-driving cars on the road. When that day comes, there is no reason why seniors are not going to stay safe while driving on the road.

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New BMW 5-series Review on Road and Track

By Mitchell Weitzman

“They’re doing a 5-series event at an F1 track?” Was my first thought of BMW’s Back to the Track event, starring the new G30 coded 5-series, at, yep, the Circuit of the Americas, a full-blown Formula 1 race circuit. This isn’t for a new M5. It could be out of it’s element I thought, why not have this in Palm Springs or Miami? Nope, COTA will suffice.

Now for the real fun. BMW invited out some talent out to show us a good time, in the form of Adam Andretti, yes, one of those Andretti’s, overall Le Mans winner Davy Jones, former F1, INDYCAR, and CART driver Roberto Guerrero, do-it-all open-wheel and sportscar man Shane Donley, and legendary track day instructor and racer Mark Wolocatiuk. Their mission? Drive as hard as possible and as close as possible.

So there I was, on a plane to Austin, Texas to drive the new 5 series. I want the new 5 to be good, of course. As comfortable as it was, I was always underwhelmed by the prior 5er, favoring older models in its stead, finding it somewhat boring with little engagement.

So what has changed? It’s a new chassis featuring lighter metals like aluminum and magnesium (no Carbon Core present here), and the new engine family migrated over from the 330i and 340i. There are several autonomous features as well. One such is a lane assistant that will keep the car in your lane providing micro steering adjustments as it scans for visible lane markings and hooks up to following the car in front. When coupled with adaptive cruise control, which will brake and slow down to a complete stop if the car in front does, and then speed back up to your set speed; It’s the closest to autonomy this side of a Tesla. There’s even a ‘display’ key that looks like an old small phone with a tiny touchscreen. With the right package, you can tell the car to pull into or out of a parking spot while standing beside the car, mostly for showing off to your friends. Gesture controls have been passed down from big brother 7 as well. I don’t see the practical use of them as it means taking your hands off the wheel, but I’m sure your date and her friends will be impressed. My favorite tech comes in the form of a 360-degree camera with many many viewing angles. Honestly, there is no excuse anymore for curbing a wheel here. And of course, none of this is standard.It has simply become a tech lover’s delight. Continue reading New BMW 5-series Review on Road and Track →

Tech

BMW Considered Most Trusted When It Comes to Driverless Tech

More people trust BMW to build self-driving cars than any other automaker, says a survey by car-tracking company Satrak. The brand from Bavaria earned the top spot over competition that included tech companies like Tesla and Uber, as well as more traditional auto marques.

More than half of people surveyed, 52%, said they would trust a self-driving vehicle from BMW. That number handily trumps the next-closest result, 39%, which went to Volvo. Also competing for the top spot were BMW’s neighbors Mercedes and Audi.

Age and Wisdom Defeat Youth and Guile

Despite offering one of the most advanced autopilot features on the market, up-and-comer Tesla only earned a 19% trust rating. It’s possible the low score is due to questionable performance from these types of systems.

Uber, who have never actually marketed a vehicle, finished a single point short of Tesla with an 18% trust rating. Google, which has invested heavily in robotics and is already testing self-driving cars in California, got only a 3%.

Location, Location, Location

Consumers seemed more inclined to trust well-established automotive brands than upstarts that might offer some experience in the high-tech end of driving automation. While the three German brands represented all performed well, Great Britain earned the highest trust rating of any country, with a score of 48%. Germany was second at 41%. Apparently, none of those polled had ever driven an MG or Jaguar.

Brands from parts of the globe less well-known for cars did not fare so well. Skoda, a Czech brand, scored a 15% trust rating, beating out French brand Citroën by a single point. When compared from a geographic standpoint, Czech cars earned a low 7% to France’s 13%.

What Will Self-Driving Bimmers Be Like?

To call BMW — or any of the brands included in this poll — low-tech is really unfair. The entire automotive industry has thrown itself at producing self-driving cars. Many brands, BMW included, have promised to deliver these game-changing vehicles by 2021.

The blue and white brand has been committed to self-driving tech for some time now. They sent a 330i around the Top Gear track under its own control as far back as 2007, and more recently taught their cars to drift themselves.

Having a reputation as a luxury brand gives BMW access to a large market of consumers interested in features like autopilot. Their line of i cars, which is expected to receive a refresher soon with the new all-electric i8, will make the perfect marketing vehicle for self-driving tech, no pun intended.

There is still a large body of consumers to win over, and BMW will have to compete with other manufacturers expected to deliver similar offerings around the same time. These include Ford, Toyota/Lexus, Tesla and Audi, to name a few.

For now, however, it seems their public is in agreement. BMW really does build the ultimate driving machine.

The Ultimate BMW Forum