Driving in this suit that simulates old age wasn’t pleasant, but it could be useful
Getting old is tough. Trust me on this one. I recently had the experience of aging by three decades in just a few minutes.
On June 16, UMass Boston hosted conference on the issues facing older drivers. The event, “Older Driver Safety Summit,’’ gathered experts and officials from the fields of auto technology, education, transportation, and public policy to discuss the issues facing elderly motorists.
Ford Motor Company was among the conference’s panelists and was one of its major sponsors. Ford brought along the company’s Third Age Suit, an “empathy tool’’ that very effectively simulates for a younger person what it feels like to age by about 30 years.
Ford’s engineering team has used the suit gain a better understanding of what older drivers face as they drive with lower mobility and senses.
A growing concern over elderly drivers
According to the latest data available from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, there were approximately 23.6 million licensed drivers over the age of 70 in 2013, about 11 percent of the total driving population. This number is expected to grow as the baby boomer population gets older.
IIHS points out that seniors have a higher crash rate than middle-aged drivers, but not as high as younger drivers. Fatal crash rates for seniors start to increase “noticeably’’ in the 70 to 74 age range.
Ford spokesperson Jim Tobin said the suit helps the company’s engineering team design cars with enhanced safety features and technology that can benefit the aging population.
“It can be hard to give up control,’’ said Tobin, who said he loves the experience of driving and would be sad to lose that ability. “Understanding what it’s like for older drivers can be a valuable lesson.’’
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Ford’s Third Age Suit
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Wearing the suit
After the panel discussion wrapped up, it was my turn to wear the Third Age Suit.
It took about 20 minutes to put the suit on. The suit includes a vest that added weight to my upper torso and made it harder for me to maintain correct posture. Elbow and leg braces reduced my joint mobility and simulated the feeling of arthritis. A pair of cotton gloves lowered the sensitivity in my fingertips to simulate the effects of diabetes. And a neck brace reduced my ability to turn my head.
To top it off, I was also fitted with a pair of noise-canceling earmuffs. Ford also had a set of glasses that simulated various medical conditions that cause impaired vision, including macular degeneration and glaucoma. I was also fitted with a weight on my left foot to simulate lost mobility in one leg.
Once it’s assembled, the suit speaks for itself:
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Test drive
I was already nervous about driving in the Third Age Suit. Craning my neck to parallel park was almost impossible, so I was happy that Ford’s park assist features could literally take the wheel for this part of the journey.
A button in the right side of the shifter allows the driver to turn park assist on. The turn signal handle is used to toggle between parking on the right and left side of the street. After the Edge’s scanners found an open parking spot, the park assist system kicked in, instructing me to shift to reverse. I followed the prompt and the car moved backwards while the wheel spun on its own into the open space.
In addition to parallel park assist, the Edge also featured perpendicular park assist that can come in handy when parking in crammed parking lots. Like the parallel parking experience, I just had to find a spot and then let the Edge take care of the hard part.
Once the test drive was over I was able to take the suit off, very happy to get my last 30 years back. Unfortunately, I now have an unsettling idea of how difficult driving is going to be when I reach my 60s.
While the thought of aging and someday losing so much of the mobility I take for granted is scary, it’s comforting to know Ford and other automakers are trying to make cars safer and easier to use for older drivers. After all, if we supposedly get better with age, our cars should strive to keep up.
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