WASHINGTON (AP) — Silver could take on a whole newmeaning when it comes to car shopping. With more
older drivers on theroad, the federal government is contemplating a "silver car" ratingsystem that
will help identify which cars better protect elderly driversand passengers in a crash.Federal highway safety
officials willinvestigate the possibility of such a rating system as part of afive-year plan designed to
reduce the number of fatal and injury-causingaccidents among older drivers.The plan, released Thursday,
alsocalled for more research into how technology could prevent crashes orreduce their severity. One
promising technology warns drivers when theircar has moved outside its lane. Another automatically applies
thebrakes when a car is destined to ram the vehicle in front of it.Overthe past decade, the number of
fatality crashes in the U.S. hasdeclined significantly, but the progress had been more modest for
olderdrivers, and came to a halt last year when 5,560 people over the age of65 were killed as a result of
motor vehicle crashes, a 3 percentincrease from 2011.Another 214,000 were injured, a rise of 16
percent.Thegovernment has a 5-star safety rating system for vehicles. It’s nowasking whether it can do
better when it comes to older drivers. They areexpected to drive more miles and drive later into life than
previousgenerations."Let me be clear. What we’re talking about here isinformation. Information is
power. This is not something that is goingto change the price of vehicles," said David Friedman,
deputyadministrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration."The idea is to get
consumers as smart as they can be about their safetychoices when they walk into the showroom."About one
in fivedrivers, or 35 million, currently are 65 or older. The aging of the 77million baby boomer generation
— those born between 1946 and 1964 — willadd to the number of older drivers on the road. NHTSA’s plan
focused onhelping them drive as safely and as long as possible rather than tryingto restrict their driving
access.Outside safety analysts saidthe plan’s emphasis on technology was welcome because it should lead
tomore confident and safe drivers.Lane departure warnings and smartheadlights that adjust based on distance
to traffic are alreadyavailable, but they are often considered a luxury item. Such technologywill become
more and more prevalent in the coming years, said JodiOlshevski, director of the Hartford Center for Mature
Market Excellence."Thetechnology is evolving so quickly that understanding more about how itcan benefit
older drivers is really critical," Olshevski said.Friedmansaid the technology developed in recent years
has done much to makecars safer when they crash. Now, the question is whether crashes can beprevented
entirely. He said the "holy grail" for drivers, especiallyolder drivers, is a vehicle that can
drive itself."This is Ithink where a lot of folks would like to see us go. There’s
incrediblepotential," Friedman said. "It’s something we’re working day and nighton to do the
research to make sure it can be done right, it can be donesafely and it can be done right out of the
gate."Olshevski saidthe plan’s emphasis on keeping drivers on the road is the right onebecause it will
help more of the elderly maintain their independence."Beingable to get In your car and go where you
want to go as long as possibleand as safely as possible is important to quality of life as we
age,"Olshevski said.The plan also seeks to increase seat belt useamong the elderly because the
consequences of being unbelted are worsefor them. For comfort reasons, some of those who use seat belts
don’tuse them appropriately.In the coming months, NHTSA it will testpublic service messages aimed at
increasing seat belt use and provideeducational materials about ways car owners might be able to increasethe
comfort and fit of their seat belts.The agency also releasednew guidelines for the states to improve safety
for older drivers. Oneof the recommendations called for in-person renewal of driver licensesonce a person
hits a certain age if a state determines there is aproblem with older driver crashes.Another guideline
called forall states to establish medical advisory boards that assess the medicalfitness of individuals to
drive. About two-thirds of the states havesuch boards.Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All
rightsreserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten orredistributed.