Older adults’ acceptance of vehicle functions that compensate for aging effects

To investigate older drivers’ perceptions of vehicle functions that compensate for aging effects, including different levels of automation and various types of warning functions, we conducted a survey among older drivers in South Korea. Participants (N = 118 men and 45 women; age range 55–75 years) reported on how important they perceived each function to be. Results showed that, for older drivers, the importance of warnings about the surrounding environment was significantly greater than that of warnings about the driver’s condition and the car’s status. Further, fully automatic functions were significantly less preferred to warning and assistive functions. These results indicate that the characteristics and needs of older adults should be taken into account in relation to the design of vehicle functions.