Brad Ashton.
Grandfather Brad Ashton roadtests the latest driverless car developed by Nissan at its Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield.
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HE HAS written material for comedy greats including Tommy Cooper, Les Dawson and Groucho Marx. Now retired, independence and mobility is everything to 93-year-old Brad Ashton. It is, he says, no laughing matter.
Brad has been driving since 1947. His current vehicle is a Nissan Micra, which he uses to help him to look after his wife Valerie as her primary carer and to take regular trips to his local bakery.
“Cars were different back in 1947 – you had to crank them up – so I have always wondered what the cars of the future would be like,” he said.
Now he has had that glimpse into the future, having been invited by Nissan to take a ride along the country roads near the company’s Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield, where work on autonomous driving systems continues apace.
And the grandfather of five has given a resounding thumbs up to the technology as Nissan’s evolvAD research project came to an end. “New technology like this is fantastic and it is important to embrace it. I was very proud to be the first older person to try this car out.”
His trip, on which he was accompanied by Nissan technicians, coincided with the release of the results of a major Nissan-commissioned survey focusing on the ways in which technology can help older people combat the twin problems of loneliness and isolation.
In the survey, carried out by OnePoll and involving 1,000 participants aged over 70, more than half said they would feel disempowered if they had to stop driving and nearly two-thirds (63%) valued not having to rely on others for everyday transport needs such as going shopping or visiting friends.
A similar number also said they would like the ‘inventions of the future’ – such as driverless cars – to help them to remain independent. One in five would happily take a ride in a self-driving car if it helped them stay mobile without assistance.
“It was exciting travelling on these winding country roads with the team,” said Brad. “I thought I would feel frightened or worried but felt safe and relaxed throughout the experience.
“Being independent and still being able to drive is really important to me. My car is vital as my local bus service is quite poor and my wife cannot get on a bus.
“People like me who depend on a car or who cannot drive will benefit from this tech one day to help them stay in touch with friends and family and keep them from feeling isolated, particularly in rural areas where there are fewer transport options like taxis. One thing, though… It would be great if the driverless cars of the future could find you a parking space.”
Nissan was among five automotive industry partners working on the evolvAD project. It built on previous Nissan-backed AD projects undertaken in the UK – HumanDrive and ServCity – with the overall aim to bring autonomous mobility closer to reality around the world. Trials and testing covered more than 16,000 autonomous miles on UK motorways, ring roads, residential streets and country lanes.
David Moss, senior vice president, research & development for Nissan’s AMIEO region, said: “As well as making driving safer by reducing human error and cleaner by improving efficiency, this technology can give many more people access to mobility who may not have it today due to location, age or disability.
‘‘Our talented UK team at Nissan Technical Centre Europe in Cranfield will continue to develop this technology and we are excited by the prospect of bringing AD mobility services to customers in the coming years. We were proud and delighted to welcome Brad to test the technology on typical UK rural roads and show others what the future holds.’’
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