Next Avenue -- Sheryl Connelly is a futurist for Ford Motor Co., scanning the world for trends that will change the way we live and drive. She has been described as the Faith Popcorn of the auto industry and credited with keeping her company producing the right types of vehicles at just the right time.

The big trend happening before our eyes, she says, is the rise in the number of older people across the globe, which has major implications for getting around. “That’s ‘Trends 101,’” says Connelly, who studied finance before earning an MBA and a law degree.

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For many who are elderly now, being able to drive is essential to remaining home and maintaining independence. Their kids — the boomers who are causing the global demographic shift — don’t relish having to take away the car keys. Nor do they want the keys taken from them in the future. “They’re not likely to give up their autonomy and independence easily,” Connelly notes.

So Ford, along with other car companies, has put millions of dollars and years of research into figuring out how to keep current and future populations of elderly people driving safely. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the risk of being hurt or killed in a car accident rises with age, and as the over-65 population rises, the problem will get worse. But t high-tech features that auto companies are developing counter physical and mental changes that can happen with aging.

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Designed For Elderly And Working For Everyone

Since many of Ford’s engineers are young, to build their empathy as they build cars, these pros sometimes wear a Third Age Suit, a head-to-toe coverall that simulates what it’s like to be 60, 70 or 80.

The risk of being hurt or killed in a car accident rises with age, and as the over-65 population rises, the problem will get worse.

“It comes with glasses to mimic the effects of glaucoma, gloves that make you lose sensitivity and dexterity and braces around the neck, knees and elbow — you calibrate the tension and feel the restricted movement that comes with aging,” Connelly says. “Medical science tells us that aging brings slower response time, a limited range of motion and impaired vision. The suit tells us what that experience is like.”

Much of what automakers have already developed is being marketed for convenience. As with so many things meant to help the elderly, these solutions use universal design principles that help everyone.

Now, cars may come with voice-activation systems that let drivers keep their hands on the steering wheel; cameras to see behind the bumper; cross-traffic and blind-spot alerts or a steering wheel that vibrates if a driver crosses a lane. There are cars with parallel parking skills, laser headlights for optimal visibility and even sensors to measure if a parking slot is big enough for your vehicle before the car steers itself  in to it.

“These sensors and technology are all steps to get us closer to autonomous vehicles,” Connelly says. “Right now, all of the technology exists to make self-driving cars.”

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