Would an elderly person understand how to drive a Tesla?

[Anonymous]

I don't own a Tesla but my mother needs a new car soon and my parents are curious about the new Model 3 Tesla.

She is not really comfortable with technology and can only use the bare functions of her iphone.

Would she understand the whole self driving thing and Telsa automatic features or should she stick to a normal car like a Toyota Camry or Subaru?

[Anonymous]

I absolutely wouldn’t add self drive to it. We’re on our 3rd Tesla and love them but don’t do self drive. They’re intuitive and have a ton of safety things (corrective steering, etc). My father is in his 80s and loves it bc he can listen to exactly the music he likes, etc.

[Anonymous]

Nobody should be using the self-driving feature, OP!

Other than that, it's pretty easy to drive.

[Anonymous]

I think she should stick to a normal car.

By all means, let her test drive a Tesla. But she must understand that the "self-driving" requires continuous forward-looking observation. It cannot fully compensate for age-related reaction-time and vision deficiencies because it requires attention itself. In fact, some of the most horrifying accidents to date have involved men in the prime of life who trusted the technology too much.

The best car is the one your mom understands best and that has the best visibility to the human eye and safety alerting technology.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
The best car is the one your mom understands best and that has the best visibility to the human eye and safety alerting technology.

This.

I'll add for her to consider moving into a small SUV that is higher off the ground. We moved my mom from an Accord to a CRV. It is SO much easier for her to get in and out of. Not a day goes by that she doesn't thank us for that switch.

[Anonymous]

My dad is 76 and could definitely get it with a short tutorial. If your mom can't use her iPhone, she's going to have trouble with it.

[Anonymous]

I would not put an elderly person in a Tesla who was not already used to driving a car with rapid acceleration or uncomfortable relying on a touchscreen for most functions.

[Anonymous]

Just rent a Tesla for a day for your mom and see how she likes it.

[Anonymous]

My elderly parents have one. They were very cautious and took a couple weeks of short slow practice drives to get used to it. The acceleration feels a little different. Now that they're used to it, they like it. I think it was a dumb purchase (they had cars already) but they wanted it so whatever. Mom likes the heated steering wheel.

Nobody should use self driving, that's dangerous.

Also, my parents said the car could only be unlocked with their phones - can that be right? That seems like a major point if failure, especially for elderly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My elderly parents have one. They were very cautious and took a couple weeks of short slow practice drives to get used to it. The acceleration feels a little different. Now that they're used to it, they like it. I think it was a dumb purchase (they had cars already) but they wanted it so whatever. Mom likes the heated steering wheel.

Nobody should use self driving, that's dangerous.

Also, my parents said the car could only be unlocked with their phones - can that be right? That seems like a major point if failure, especially for elderly.

, so if
Tesla has keys, they look like black credit cards and you can keep one in your wallet. You need one to give to Valets for parking and to use if your phone dies.

[Anonymous]

Ew. Get a classy electric car.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I know a few people who qualify for Medicare and drive them. Just make sure she wants one.

[Anonymous]

Im 45 and can’t figure out how to open the door.

[Anonymous]

My mom is 70 and has a Model 3. Her husband is over 80 and drives it as well. They are decent at tech though. It provides a lot of safety features, but there is a learning curve for driving it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My elderly parents have one. They were very cautious and took a couple weeks of short slow practice drives to get used to it. The acceleration feels a little different. Now that they're used to it, they like it. I think it was a dumb purchase (they had cars already) but they wanted it so whatever. Mom likes the heated steering wheel.

Nobody should use self driving, that's dangerous.

Also, my parents said the car could only be unlocked with their phones - can that be right? That seems like a major point if failure, especially for elderly.

, so if
Tesla has keys, they look like black credit cards and you can keep one in your wallet. You need one to give to Valets for parking and to use if your phone dies.

They also have regular key fobs that you can buy.