Get Old, Become a Danger in Driver Seat

Andy Chalk

One Flag, One Fleet, One Cat
Nov 12, 2002
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Get Old, Become a Danger in Driver Seat


Gamers of all ages can now experience first-hand the thrill of becoming old, feeble and unable to drive to the local store without committing vehicular manslaughter in Driver Seat, "the world's first senior driving simulator."

Produced by insurance giant Liberty Mutual [http://www.libertymutual.com/], Driver Seat is an attempt to demonstrate the various obstacles facing elderly citizens when they get behind the wheel of a car. The game lets people choose to drive as a 65, 75 or 85-year-old in one of four environments: Urban, suburban, outskirts or wilderness. Not only will you drive, you'll also take part in a number of mini-games, each designed to illustrate the increasing difficulties faced by drivers as they age.

Liberty Mutual described the game as a "revolutionary digital approach to tackling the highly sensitive subject of senior driving." Calling it a "great conversation starter," Senior Vice President Greg Gordon said, "Most families are simply not addressing the very important issue of senior mobility, perhaps because they feel ill-equipped on how to approach it. The game... can help overcome that reluctance."

Of course, the game is designed for failure; I was able to maneuver through much of the game reasonably well (even as a nearly-blind 85-year-old) but time and again, the simple act of parking eluded me. Parked cars and pedestrians alike suffered as my gnarled fingers spun the wheel of my yacht-like '78 Cadillac hither and yon, and ultimately it took me longer to get the thing into a spot than it would've taken to just pull on some shoes and walk. But it's quite possible that I may just be the wrong demographic for a game like this; as a long-time gamer I've been thoroughly indoctrinated to believe that when it comes to driving, fatalities are less important than getting there fast.

Dealing with an elderly parents whose declining faculties create a safety hazard every time he or she gets behind the wheel of a car isn't funny. Fortunately, Driver Seat is! Give it a shot at libertymutual.com [http://www.libertymutual.com/driverseat].

Source: GameCulture [http://www.gameculture.com/node/1391]


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Ranooth

BEHIND YOU!!
Mar 26, 2008
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NoMoreSanity said:
Reminds me of that one South Park episode with all the Old Folks driving around and killing people. Classic.
That happens in real life too, mainly at supermarket car parks, and with the trolley boys running for their lifes.

Its f*cking scary!
 

johnman

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Oct 14, 2008
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NoMoreSanity said:
Reminds me of that one South Park episode with all the Old Folks driving around and killing people. Classic.
With the jaws theme music and everything :0
 

oliveira8

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Feb 2, 2009
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NoMoreSanity said:
Reminds me of that one South Park episode with all the Old Folks driving around and killing people. Classic.
Don't the old people enslave the young people at a ceartain point in the episode?
 

Mockingjay

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Mar 3, 2009
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Get old, become a danger in a driving seat, retire from driving and get a bus pass (Y) that's the plan
 

ChromeAlchemist

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Aug 21, 2008
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shophius said:
Get old, become a danger in a driving seat, retire from driving and get a bus pass (Y) that's the plan
Don't know why they would be getting a bus pass, they should be too busy living the dream, saving up pension money for corrective surgery and a wealth of games consoles and games, it's like you're 12 again, not a care in the world!

OT: GOTY 2009?
 

sirdanrhodes

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Nov 7, 2007
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This game has so many issues with not registering clicks it hurts!

Edit - Allot of these fucking pedestrians are suicidal and walk in front of you!
 

Jamash

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Jun 25, 2008
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I played as an 85 year old and when I was parking I ran over every person I saw.

Instead of berating me for all the people I killed it told me

You're driving like a 16 year old!
Holy rejuvenating vehicular homicide!

Methinks this is sending out the wrong message.
 

cleverlymadeup

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Mar 7, 2008
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yeah that doesn't surprise me much really

the scary part about driving is i can figure out which are the bad drivers out there before i drive past them, old people and women are the worst. my neighbour had his license pulled cause he was a dangerous driver due to age
 

theklng

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May 1, 2008
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what a petty attempt at creating a real life situation. if this was a parody then i'd understand, but the fact that they actually call this a simulation makes it ludicrous. no rear view mirror? no side mirrors? car without servo? counter intuitive controls?

no thanks, i'd rather try it out in real life as an 85 year old than go through this game.
 

The Rogue Wolf

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Nov 25, 2007
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This is a step in the right direction. Now if they would just develop simulations that show how dangerous it is to drive with a cell phone to your ear, a yapping dog in your lap or a newspaper draped over the steering wheel, maybe we'd finally start to put a dent in the number of morons on the roads.

I kid you not, I have seen ALL of those things while driving.
 

Therumancer

Citation Needed
Nov 28, 2007
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Without Chalton Heston the AARP isn't what it used to be. :)

That said, I have mixed opinions. The problem is when dealing with elderly loved ones is that you have to literally force them to do something they don't want to do (give up driving) and they WILL hate you for it.

It's one of those wierd gray areas on civil liberties that is going to be very hard to deal with. Generally speaking I see it as a state issue though. This means walk on (or near) the Apshalt in Florida at your own risk. :)