Vehicle Interiors Built With the Elderly in Mind

As the population ages, automakers will sell cars to the elderly more frequently. This has sparked a lot of brainstorming about how to mask the effects of aging in a vehicle’s interior — with everything from LED lighting in cupholders to gauges with larger numbers and displays.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that as drivers age their sight deteriorates. Designers can help out with this by utilizing the information display to draw the most attention to the most important numbers. They can put lights on door handles to make them easier to find, and suppliers like Continental can study human-machine interface and design customizable displays that will likely appear in several cars in 2010.

For instance, the 2010 Land Rover Range Rover will debut with a thin-film screen from Denso that will provide large graphics and a customizable panel.

Another idea that has been around for years is the heads-up display, which projects information that seems to appear on the vehicle’s windshield. This also keeps the driver’s eyes on the road even as he or she checks speed, rpm and gas level.

New Auto Details a Sight for Older Drivers’ Eyes (Detroit Free Press)