‘New technology like this is fantastic and it’s important to embrace it’ says 93-year-old who takes a trip in self-driving Nissan
Nissan has been carrying out its own autonomous vehicle research project, called ‘evolvAD’.
A 93-year-old man has given the green light for self-driving cars after being taken for a ride in an autonomous Nissan Leaf in Bedfordshire.
Brad Ashton, a retired comedy scriptwriter from Enfield, London, was invited by Nissan to take a ride in one of its self-driving vehicles, where he said: “New technology like this is fantastic and it’s important to embrace it. Being independent and still being able to drive is really important to me – my car is vital as my local bus service is quite poor, and my wife can’t get on a bus.
“People like me that depend on a car, or that can’t drive, will benefit from this tech one day to help them stay in touch with friends and family and keep them from being isolated, particularly in rural areas where there are fewer transport options like taxis.”
A new survey found that 64 per cent of over 70-year-olds would like the idea of driverless cars to help them remain independent. Meanwhile, one-in-five said that they would happily take a ride in a self-driving car, if it can help them stay mobile.
That’s according to Nissan, which recently spoke to 1,000 people aged over 70 about how they’d feel about using an autonomous vehicle in their later years in life.
Nissan’s autonomous vehicle research project is a government-funded backing called ‘evolvAD’. It has been gathering data and research through 16,000 miles worth of autonomous driving along the UK’s motorways, urban roads, residential streets and urban environments in Leaf electric hatchbacks equipped with self-driving tech.
David Moss, senior vice president, research and development for Nissan, said: “It has been a privilege working with our dedicated partners to advance AD mobility. As well as making driving safer by reducing human error, and cleaner by improving efficiency, this technology can give many more people access to mobility who may not have it today due to location, age or disability.”
