Self Driving Cars for Retirees

Google’s self driving car shown in this picture is obviously a prototype. Many companies are working hard to perfect the technology and bring it to market along with Google. But who will be the early adopters for this technology? Self driving cars for retirees will tap a huge market. Turns out that the baby boomer generation just could be the primary market for self driving cars. Just as they have done with so many other markets, the baby boomers with their mass market purchasing capabilities, they could be the ones to drive this particular market. Within the next couple of years, there should be cars on the road that have the capability to take you where you want to go without the need to actually drive it. Just program the GPS with the address you want to go and sit back and relax. Really, is it that simple?

Self Driving Cars for Retirees

There are many challenges for the developers of the cars and the software. But one that we think may actually be a blocker to the adoption of the self driving car could actually be more personal. Somehow you have to tell the car where you want to go. You have to have an address and you have to enter this information into the vehicles computer, just like you would do for a GPS.

Many seniors cannot even program their TV’s and computers or the current GPS they have in their vehicles. How are they going to program a car’s computer? Perhaps their children will do it for them, but then what happens when you arrive at your destination. Who decides if you park on the street or the driveway. Can you take over from the car. What happens in a crowded store parking lot?

There are so many issues and questions, it is going to take some time to resolve, however for the market to really mature, the developers have to make the human interface for seniors really simple and straightforward. Otherwise they will be scared away from self driving cars and just not make that purchase.

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