Survey: Older Drivers Want Car Tech To Keep Them Behind The Wheel

In the quest to be able to keep driving as they grow older, more Boomers are anxious to try the latest in car safety tech that might help keep them stay behind the wheel, a new study findsm according to USAToday.

Some 76% drivers age 50 say they would look for a car with the latest safety features, finds the online survey by insurer The Hartford.

"Our findings indicate that some drivers, age 50-plus, would be more willing to drive in certain situations if they had particular technologies," said Jodi Olshevsky, a gerontologist who is executive director of The Hartford Center for Mature Marketing Excellence. He says it suggests "they associate advanced technologies with enhanced safety,”

They are looking for advanced safety features like blind-spot warning, crash mitigation, lane departure warnings and advanced headlights.

Some of new technologies pave the way toward self-driving cars, which are still a few years away. The study found only about one in four older drivers are opposed to going driverless. Some 35% are willing to give it a try and 42% just don't know enough yet to say.

In order to be willing to back driiveless cars , some 56% said they need to know it is as safe as driving themselves, 48% would use it if their health prevented them from driving and 27% would use it if it helped them stay connected to friends, 27% if it was cheaper than a regular car and 17% if it were recommended by someone they trust.

The survey was conducted online from 2.015 responses in March with a 2.2% margin of error, The Hartford says.