We may soon have 70M boomers too old to drive, too car-dependent to stop

(lloydalter.substack.com)

32 points | by cainxinth 18 hours ago ago

10 comments

  • foxyv 14 hours ago

    My Dad is running into this problem now. He mentioned buying a Tesla to get the self-driving feature. I really hope he doesn't kill anyone.

    • tim333 12 hours ago

      I've been saying to my mum, 89, to delay replacing her Jazz till they have a suitable self driving car but it's taking longer than I thought. She still drives ok thankfully.

      • foxyv 12 hours ago

        I have the 2013 Fit (Jazz) and it refuses to die. Still runs like the day I bought it despite 200k miles. It looks like hot garbage because the paint is burning off in the sun, but it's still perfect somehow.

        My main goal is to teach my parents how to use Uber/Lyft.

    • Recurecur 10 hours ago

      Tesla FSD is currently very good, and I think _on average_ is better than the typical driver (no distractions, no substances, no fatigue, 360 deg vision, faster reaction time). Granted, that isn’t helpful if you hit an edge case.

      Still, I think overall it’s a good thing.

      • true_religion 9 hours ago

        Aren’t common things like children walking into the road still problems that Tesla can’t handle?

  • jokoon 18 hours ago

    More reason to build railways

  • silexia 4 hours ago

    My grandpa refuses all help but has dementia symptoms badly.

  • waffletower 16 hours ago

    Many will be able to drive safely well into their 80s.

    • jryb 10 hours ago

      Regardless, we're talking about a distribution of abilities, and the number of people who can't drive safely is going to increase dramatically in the near future. The point of this article wasn't to judge all boomers.

    • sandy_coyote 13 hours ago

      My dad is 82, and like many in his generation, suffers the curse of the industrious man- he will continue to perform physical feats for which he assumes capability until he injures himself (and possibly others). Driving is just one of these things.

      So far, he has gotten operations on his hips, hands, shoulders, and back after overexerting himself while gardening, moving furniture, and... walking. When I ask him to consider the risks of driving, he brushes me off like I'm being ridiculous. It infuriates me. There's no arguing with him. And I'm absolutely gonna get a phone call one day that I'm not gonna like.