Driverless Cars

The freedom to move around and live independently is a luxury many take for granted but as the population ages, families and companies are looking into a number of opportunities to help loved ones remain in their own homes, cooking their own meals and completing day to day tasks completely unaided.

A major factor impacting an individual’s independence is mobility. At a time where you can get almost anything delivered right to your door, many may forget the importance of going outside. With the added drawback of not being able to drive or walk for long distances, a large proportion of elderly people are trapped in their own homes and have to rely on others to ferry them between appointments, social visits or shopping trips.

However, for a few years now there’s been a growing call within the motoring industry to develop autonomous cars. These are sometimes referred to as feet off, hands off, eyes off, brain off vehicles. Engineers hope to create a car that won’t require a human to operate it thus being fully capable of transporting someone from door to door – regardless of how good their sight, movement or driving confidence is. With a long list of pros that far extend the needs of the elderly population, companies like Google and Tesla are investing vast sums of money in engineering such vehicles.

With a number of legal, insurance and technological developments needed for this to become a reality, many believe driverless cars won’t be in operation for another 10 or so years. For now, there are a number of programmes installed in cars that help bolster our driving such as Autonomous Emergency Braking systems, Lane departure technology and assisted driving to aid in the control a car travelling under 30mph. Nonetheless, a driver is always needed to be able to retain control, something an elderly person may not be able to do.

Progress is being made and developers and commentators predict 2025 as the year we could see the first vehicles with no steering wheels on our roads. There are also movements towards creating pre-defined sections of motorways for autonomous cars to run independently on, enabling the user to sit back and relax throughout the journey.

Driverless cars may also lead to the easing of road congestion across Britain, reduce fuel emissions and improve road safety. In 2014 the Government donated £19 million to allow the testing of such vehicles on UK roads. These tests began in the summer of 2015 with the first autonomous vehicle trialled on the roads of Milton Keynes just last October. The UK is keen to become the frontrunner in developing these vehicles and have said they hope to carry out tests on motorways sometime in 2017.

Maintaining independence as you get older is hugely important in this day and age and can help increase a person’s quality of life. Getting from A to B more easily and safely without having to rely/pay for another person to assist you could greatly benefit society.

For more information on the progress of autonomous cars, click here

At Nannies4Grannies we offer Companion Care and Support for residents in St Albans, Harpenden and the surrounding areas.

Contact Kay on 01727 857988 to discuss the range of specifically tailored services we can provide for you or an elderly loved one. For full details go to our website www.nannies4grannies.co.uk/aboutus/.