As we age simple everyday routines may become difficult to perform, including driving. The advanced technologies we see in vehicles are not just for convenience or to make our latest phone compatible with our vehicle's sound system, but to keep drivers alert and safe. The Hartford and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) reported the top ten safety technologies for vehicles that are useful for all drivers behind the wheel, but especially for those aged 50 and older.

The majority of these top technologies are systems that produce a warning or awareness to drivers, the top ten are: 

• Smart headlights
• Emergency response systems
• Reverse-monitoring systems
• Blind-spot warning systems
• Lane departure warning systems
• Vehicle stability control
• Parking assist systems
• Voice-activated systems
• Crash-mitigation systems
• Drowsy driver alerts 

These safety alerts can address several issues drivers face as they age, including impaired vision during nighttime driving. It has been reported that 1 out of 4 mature drivers is concerned about their vision while driving at night. The safety feature that address this issue are the smart headlights, which are equipped with “camera-like technology in the front of a vehicle that automatically adjust the intensity and range of the beam based oncoming traffic,” (The Hartford, MIT List Top 10 Car Safety Technologies, John Pirro, Online Auto Insurance News,http://news.onlineautoinsurance.com/consumer/car-insurance-safety-technologies-98104). These headlights are not only supposed to help illuminate better, but also reduce glare.

For drivers who have a reduced range of motion and/or reaction time, the blind-spot warning system is great for alerting drivers when an object enters their blind spots. When low mobility is a concern, repositioning to face the rear of the vehicle when backing may also prove to be a challenge. That's where reverse monitoring cameras come in handy which allow drivers to see what is behind them on a screen implanted into the dashboard.

Although some of these technologies may take some time to get acquainted with initially, the assistance these systems provide are worth the adjustment. Beyond the safety these features provide they can also alter a driver's attitude so reported MIT's Age Lab with 65% of drivers over the age of 50 reporting that the latest technologies in their vehicles made them feel more confident, (The Hartford, MIT List Top 10 Car Safety Technologies, John Pirro, Online Auto Insurance News).

• Every six seconds someone is killed or seriously injured on the road.
• 1000 people under the age of 25 die every day as a result of a road accident.
• There are 1.3 million deaths a year due to road accidents.
• 50 million people around the world are injured as a result of a road crash.
• Road accidents are the leading cause of death for young people 10-24 globally.

(Make Roads Safe-The Campaign for Global Road Safety, Issues, http://www.makeroadssafe.org/about/Pages/Issues.aspx).

• Managing risk exposure with land-use.
• Planning and designing roads for safety.
• Providing visible, crashworthy, and smart vehicles.
• Setting road and safety rules, securing compliance, and improving transport policy.

• Sign it! Add your name to the call for a Sustainable Development Goal on safe and sustainable mobility.
• Join the online campaigning community, and have a voice. During the UN Global Road Safety Week be sure to report any intersections or roads that are not safe for pedestrians and take pictures.
• Purchase a Zenani band to show your support for the cause and in memory of those lost due to road accidents. All proceeds will go towards helping fund for road safety projects in developing countries to keep children safe when crossing. (Zenani Mandela, Nelson Mandela's great granddaughter was killed in a car accident at the age of 13 on June 19, 2010. Her family has created The Zenani Campaign, an initiative in support of the UN's Decade of Action for Road Safety.)
• Be that change and show your support by being safe on the road. 

1. BMW 1 Series
2. BMW 3 Series
3. Toyota Camry
4. Toyota Corolla
5. Toyota Prius
6. Hyundai Sonata
7. Hyundai Elantra
8. Hyundai Genesis
9. Lexus LS
10. Volkswagen Jetta
11. Mercedes-Benz E Class
12. Mercedes-Benz C Class

School buses

• Flashing Yellow Lights. When you're approaching a school bus that has flashing yellow lights it is to alert drivers on the road that it preparing to stop to either pick-up or drop of children. Drivers are to proceed with caution.

• Flashing Red Lights. A bus using flashing red lights to alert drivers that the bus has stopped and is letting children on or off the bus. Drivers are to STOP. Once the flashing lights are turned off and the bus begins to proceed, it is then ok for drivers to proceed as well. If a driver violates this law there can be serious consequences, such as a traffic fee or even 100 hours of community service to be served at the school. Please see the full version of the law below:

• 257.682 Stopping for school bus displaying flashing red lights; exception; violation as civil infraction; meeting stopped school bus on divided highway; evidence; community service.

• Sec. 682. (1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking or meeting a school bus which has stopped and is displaying 2 alternately flashing red lights located at the same level shall bring the vehicle to a full stop not less than 20 feet from the school bus and shall not proceed until the school bus resumes motion or the visual signals are no longer actuated. At an intersection where traffic is controlled by an officer or a traffic stop-and-go signal a vehicle need not be brought to a full stop before passing a stopped school bus, but may proceed past the school bus at a speed not greater than is reasonable and proper but not greater than 10 miles an hour and with due caution for the safety of passengers being received or discharged from the school bus. The driver of a vehicle who fails to stop for a school bus as required by this subsection, who passes a school bus in violation of this subsection, or who fails to stop for a school bus in violation of an ordinance that complies with this subsection, is responsible for a civil infraction. (2) The driver of a vehicle upon a highway which has been divided into 2 roadways by leaving an intervening space, or by a physical barrier, or clearly indicated dividing sections so constructed as to impede vehicular traffic, need not stop upon meeting a school bus which has stopped across the dividing space, barrier, or section. (3) In a proceeding for a violation of subsection (1), proof that the particular vehicle described in the citation was in violation of subsection (1), together with proof that the defendant named in the citation was, at the time of the violation, the registered owner of the vehicle, shall constitute in evidence a presumption that the registered owner of the vehicle was the driver of the vehicle at the time of the violation. (4) In addition to the civil fine and costs provided for a civil infraction under section 907, the judge, district court referee, or district court magistrate may order a person who violates this section to perform not to exceed 100 hours of community service at a school.

• Make sure to not block crosswalks. They are there to allow pedestrians a safe route when crossing traffic.

• Obey school speed limit zones. Children may not stay in the designated crosswalks, so it's important to be at the appropriate speed to give you enough time to react should a child dart in front of your car.

(National Safety Council, Itasca, IL., Back to School: Safety tips for motorists.

http://www.nsc.org/safety_home/SafetyObservances/Documents/

Back%20to%20School/Back%20to%20School%20Safety%20Tips%20for%20Motorists.pdf).

• Talk to them about traveling to and from school safely. Stress the importance of using the crosswalks and sidewalks.

• When traveling with children in the car make sure they are all belted in appropriately. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends for babies infant-only or rear-facing convertible seats with harness straps at or below the shoulder. Children over one year and between 20-40 lbs should ride in a convertible/forward facing seat with harnesses at or above the shoulders. Children ages eight and older should be in forward-facing booster seats with the seat belt fitting low and tight across the lap or at the upper tight and chest.

(Jiffy Lube, Safety Tips for Back to School, http://www.jiffylubeca.com/safety_tips_back_to_school.php).

• Set restrictions on the number of passengers allowed in the car at one time. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, just one passenger increases a teen's chance of an accident by 48%.

• No cell phones! The National Safety Council reports that 23% of all accidents a year involve distraction from a cell phone.

• Seat belts are not optional. Buckling up can reduce the risk of accident related injuries by 50% according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

(National Safety Council, Itasca, IL.

Teen Driving Safety: Graduate Driver Licensing saves lives.

http://www.nsc.org/safety_home/SafetyObservances/Documents/Back%20to%20School/Teen%20Driving.pdf).

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety is always striving to test and rate car safety to protect drivers on the road and their newly developed test will further that mission. However, it seems that the top luxury brands are not passing the new test with flying colors.

Ideas for the test came from years of analyzing front end vehicle crashes, which 10,000 people die in a year in the U.S. The new test crashes the front end of the vehicle, about 25% of it, into a 5-foot long barrier while going 40 mph. This is meant to simulate the impact a driver would incur if struck by another car or ran into tree. The results illustrate that the side airbags of the car which are triggered by direct T-bone accidents and not off center frontal, potentially may not activate in time or expand enough to protect those in the vehicle, (Luxury cars do poorly in new crash tests, Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press, Detroit Free Press, http://www.freep.com/article/20120814/BUSINESS01/120814016/Luxury-cars-do-poorly-in-new-crash-tests).

Eleven 2012 models thus far have underwent this new testing, with only three coming out with good or acceptable results, which are the Acura TL, Volvo S60 and the Infiniti G. Of the other eight, half received moderate ratings and the other half poor. The vehicles that received moderate included Acura TSX, BMW 3 Series, Lincoln MKZ, and Volkswagen CC, those with poor were the Audi A4, Lexus ES 350, Mercedes C-Class, and the Lexus IS 250. 

To give you an idea of what constitutes as poor test results the BMW, Volkswagen and Mercedes seat belts all spooled too much therefore resulting in the test dummies smashing into hard interiors. On the Volkswagen the door itself completely clipped off, (Luxury cars do poorly in new crash tests, Dee-Ann Durbin, Associated Press, Detroit Free Press).

The auto industry always looks to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety tests and results when developing new models as they set the standard for vehicle safety. The institute will be changing its measurements of safety for its top picks to reflect that of the new test.

• Always lock your car when unattended. Set alarms or any other anti-theft devices.
• Invest in locking lug nuts, easy-to-steal tires and rims are a huge target for thieves.
• Park your car in the garage whenever you can.
• Take with you or hide all personal belongings and valuables.
• No car is worth your life, so in the event of a carjacking give them the keys. Most times a carjacking will involve a weapon, it's not worth the risk.

• $1,000 if the tips leads to the arrest and prosecution of a suspected car thief or person suspected of auto-theft related insurance fraud or identity theft.
• $2,000 for information leading to the issuance of a warrant for a carjacking suspect.
• $10,000 if it results in an arrest and binding over for trial of suspected theft ring or chop shop operators. (H.E.A.T. Keeps Drivers Safe from Car Thieves This Summer, Press Release, The Wall Street Journal)