In an in-depth study, researchers at the Centre for Transport and Society at the University of the West of England asked almost 60 men and women aged 65 to 92 what being able to drive meant to them and what they thought would help seniors continue to take to the road.

Principal author Charles Musselwhite said their answers uncovered a range of issues too often overlooked by urban planners, car designers and those who advise and care for aging members of society.

"We know that older people are more fit, healthy and active than ever before," Musselwhite said Thursday from Bristol, England. "They're living longer and working much later in life, they're playing much later in life."

"But we also know they're driving much later in life than ever before."

Yet helping older people maintain their lifestyle and self-esteem through driving can be a tricky goal to achieve, given the physical, cognitive and psychological changes associated with aging, he acknowledged.

"How do we ensure that they're able to continue driving safely later on in life and how do we minimize any negative effects, such as depression and loss of independence, that come when they have to give up driving, particularly if they've always driven throughout their lives?"

Musselwhite said study participants tended to embrace the idea of technology that would enhance feedback from the road but leave them in control of the vehicle - not take over part of the driving operation for them.

Among the ideas the researchers want to pursue is a GPS-linked system that would unobtrusively display road sign information through a display on the windshield. The same information on the signs would appear on the glass at the right moment, allowing the driver to avoid continuous scanning of the roadside for information.

Another wished-for technology would provide the driver with feedback on the vehicle's speed, also harnessing global positioning satellite technology.

"They talked about GPS linked to outside of the road so they could tell when they were getting close to the speed limit, maybe through a series of buzzers ... changing in pitch," said Musselwhite.

A couple of participants had designed a low-tech solution for recognizing how fast the vehicle was moving - by plastering easy-to-see blue tape at the 50-km/h mark on the speedometer.

"That will be our next step, to work with a designer and then work with older people to actually develop this because it's definitely something that almost all our older people in the group said would really help them to continue driving," he said of the high-tech ideas.

In fact, some automotive designers are starting to look into the notion of senior-friendly add-ons to vehicles.

General Motors Corp. researchers are working on a windshield that combines lasers, infrared sensors and a camera to take what's happening on the road and enhance it, so aging eyes would be able to see what's ahead of them more clearly. The technology would enhance just a few objects already in a driver's view, not splash distracting information onto the glass.

For example, a laser projects a blue line onto the windshield that follows the edge of the road for foggy conditions; and infrared sensors would detect a person or animal in the driver's path at night, projecting its image on the windshield to highlight its location.

"Recently car manufacturers have at last come round to the idea that we've got a growing older population, an affluent older population and an older population that can be quite diverse," Musselwhite said. "So there is more moves to being more understanding or more sympathetic towards the needs of older people, definitely."

Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging, said choosing to or being forced to quit driving because of age is a huge concern among seniors.

"What's the number 1 issue that people are afraid of? Losing their independence. And what happens when you lose your driver's licence? You lose your independence. You don't have the same flexibility to get around like you did when you had your licence."

Yet feeling less sharp at the wheel or having a minor fender scrape can make a person question their ability to navigate roads and highways, a skill they may once have taken for granted.

"All it takes is one incident or your kids saying: 'Are you sure you want to keep driving, you're getting old' and all of a sudden you begin to have doubt," Milner said from Vancouver.

But being dependent on others for transport can lead to depression and social isolation, both of which can hasten cognitive and physical decline in people as they age, research has shown.

"So the spiral downwards for the lack of being able to do what you want to when you want it can be quite devastating."

Participants in the U.K. study said giving up the car created a lot of anxiety about "getting from A to B," said Musselwhite. "But it's really at the psychological and esthetic levels that there's problems."

"There's a definite feeling of lack of independence, not being part of society anymore, perhaps not feeling normal anymore."

The study, funded by the U.K.'s Strategic Promotion of Ageing Research Capacity initiative, was presented Thursday at the BA Festival of Science in Liverpool.