• by Vitaly Ponomarev , Op-Ed Contributor, July 20, 2015

Texting while driving is not just the province of millennials. With more boomers on the road than ever and, according to AARP, 41 million boomers owning smartphones (that’s an increase of 53% in the last two years), we’re seeing a real risk of distracted driving for older drivers. 

It’s worth noting that by 2050, fully one-fifth of the U.S.

population will be 65 and older, per Population Bulletin, and most of this increase will take place by 2030 when the last of the baby boomers reach 65.

So, the issues surrounding road safety are that much more critical. 

While we can see that boomers are generally fitter and healthier than any generation before it, and better drivers in general, they have benefited enormously from safety improvements implemented by auto manufacturers, including air bags, adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning systems and blind-spot monitoring.

But, even with all of those innovations, the older these drivers get, the less able they appear to be able to drive safely. One report from Wayne State University, shows 100% of the 45- to 59-year-olds veering into other lanes while texting, while only about 25% of 18- to 24- year-olds did.

What’s worse, according to a recent report quoted in the Washington Post, some experts say we won’t feel the full impact of aging drivers on the road for another seven or eight years, when the oldest boomers reach their late 70s. 

Automakers are banking on safety technologies to enable boomers to stretch out their driving years. 

The fact is, baby boomers don’t want to sit still; they look forward to the freedom a car brings. And, the numbers bear that out: boomers are buying more new cars than ever, according to Edmunds.com.

So it’s really in the interest of car makers — and individual drivers, of course — to ensure that their cars are well equipped with the latest safety devices: brake assist, lane departure alerts, backup cameras with wide-angle lenses, new navigation systems that allow drivers (of all ages) to keep their eyes on the road ahead without looking down at their smartphones or dashboard maps. 

Who knows, before long, the advent of self-driving cars could be a huge boon for millions of boomers.