Today’s automotive technology goes far beyond advanced navigation systems and improved airbags. New features such as smart headlights, blind spot warning and reverse monitoring systems are revolutionizing the way we drive. And the latest high-tech options are not only for the gadget obsessed – they have the potential to positively impact drivers ages 50+.
In fact, a new study from the MIT AgeLab found that while just over one third of mature drivers have at least one top technology, 51% said they would feel safer if their vehicle had all of the most up-to-date technologies. The survey also found that 55% of mature drivers plan to buy or lease another vehicle in the next five years, suggesting that as more and more of these features are incorporated into new vehicles, a growing number of consumers 50+ could be driving cars with these technologies.
On September 17, Joseph Coughlin, Director of the MIT AgeLab and Jodi Olshevski, a leading gerontologist and Executive Director of The Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence, can talk to your listeners about this research and driving safety among older drivers.
They’ll share a new consumer ranking of the top ten technologies that are most likely to benefit mature drivers — a follow up to a study last year — as well as information on drivers’ confidence level in learning how to use these new technologies. They can also discuss the warning signs for older drivers and how to identify and adjust driving behaviors to stay safe on the road.
About Joseph F. Coughlin, Ph.D., Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AgeLab
Joseph F. Coughlin, Ph.D., is Director of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AgeLab. His research seeks to understand how demographic change and social trends and technology converge to drive future innovations in business and government. Based in MIT’s Engineering Systems Division, Dr. Coughlin teaches policy and systems innovation, as well as a course on social media and information seeking behaviors in health and finance. Dr. Coughlin is an editor and key contributor to Aging America and Transportation: Personal Choices and Public Policy, published in 2012 by Springer. Dr. Coughlin is a frequent guest on news programs; his work has been featured in both print and on television – ABC, BBC, CBS, CNN, NBC, News Asia, Economist, Financial Times, The Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other media outlets throughout the world.
About Jodi Olshevski, M.S., Gerontology
Jodi Olshevski is executive director of The Hartford Center for Mature Market Excellence, leading a team of corporate gerontologists who conduct primary research and deliver expert services across The Hartford and to selected businesses. The team has won numerous awards, and is nationally-recognized as the pre-eminent corporate gerontology organization in the United States. An expert on a wide array of aging related topics, such as caregiving, eldercare, housing, and older driver issues, Olshevski has been interviewed widely by national and regional television and radio shows, including the CBS Early Show and NBC Nightly News, and by national publications such as the Chicago Tribune, USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, and the AARP Bulletin, to name a few. Olshevski is a frequent lecturer on business and aging at professional conferences and on industry panels, has held an adjunct faculty position at Pennsylvania State University, and is a Visiting Research Fellow at MIT AgeLab. She is also co-author of the book Stress Reduction for Caregivers, published by Taylor & Francis. Prior to joining The Hartford in 2000, Olshevski held positions at Work/Family Directions, Inc., Ceridian Performance Partners, and Senior Care Network. Olshevski has a master’s degree in gerontology from the University of Southern California.
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