General Motors patented technology that would give drivers a “retirement score” calculated using biometrics such as sitting posture or number of lane merges. However, the biometrics in which the patent tracks does not account for use of in-vehicle touchscreens (IVIS).

Taking into consideration the “screenification” of modern automobiles, the patent is likely to mistakenly flag normal interactions with the vehicle’s touchscreen as dangerous driving behaviour.

Our research sought to identify how older drivers assess road safety in context to their IVIS use.