While power, safety features, advancements in electrification and sleek design often take centre stage in the marketing of new vehicles, a key focus that takes a back seat is whether vehicles are designed to meet the needs of aging drivers. This focus is where the CarFit program fills a critical gap.

CarFit, an educational program operated by the CAA and the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, offers a quick yet comprehensive review of how well drivers and their vehicles work together. Earlier this month, CarFit marked its first-ever partnership with a Canadian university by hosting an event at the McMaster Automotive Resource Centre (MARC).

A fitting partnership

At the event, drivers aged 65 and older participated in a 20-minute vehicle evaluation conducted by CarFit technicians. These technicians were students from the McMaster EcoCAR Team who completed CarFit training in the months leading up to the event.

Brenda Grant, National lead of the CarFit program with the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists, was in attendance and highlighted the significance of this unique partnership. “This collaboration is especially noteworthy as it involves engineering students working directly with seniors to review and adjust vehicle settings,” she says.

This hands-on experience offers EcoCAR students, many of whom plan to work in the automotive industry, valuable insights into the specific needs of older drivers.

Laura Giron Bedoya, McMaster EcoCAR System Design and Integration High Voltage Lead, and one of the CarFit Technicians, emphasized the value of participating in this event as an Electrical Engineering student. “This experience reinforces the importance of incorporating varied viewpoints into our engineering decisions, ensuring that the solutions we design are beneficial to everyone in our community,” she says.

CarFit participants like Wayne Poole, who says he prioritizes safety and practices defensive driving, found the detailed CarFit review beneficial. “I truly appreciated the opportunity to attend the CarFit event,” he says. “The engineering students were incredibly helpful in ensuring that my vehicle was properly adjusted to suit my needs.”

McMaster’s CarFit event is part of the Mobility Matters initiative spearheaded by McMaster’s EcoCAR faculty lead for the Mobility Challenges EcoCAR team, Brenda Vrkljan, a professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science at McMaster University.  Clinically trained as an Occupational Therapist, Vrkljan leads and co-leads investigations involving older adults focused on leveraging technology to support healthy aging, mobility and out-of-home participation among older Canadians. She collaborates closely with the McMaster EcoCAR Team who are participating in North America’s premier collegiate automotive engineering competition over a four-year period. One of the priorities of the team is on mobility and ensuring automotive solutions adapt with changing demands, including the aging population.

Mobility matters

In spring 2024, McMaster hosted the inaugural Mobility Matters event with more than 70 older adults in attendance to learn more about electrification in the automotive industry and to share key insights on challenges they face on the road.

Building on CarFit event, the McMaster EcoCAR team plans to leverage their training and learnings from this experience to host more events that improve understanding regarding the importance of inclusive mobility in the future.

Gopal Uppalapati, McMaster EcoCAR Mobility Challenge Lead and a student in the Bachelor of Technology – Automotive and Vehicle Engineering Technology, shared a particularly memorable moment from the event. “One participant expressed newfound comfort, stating she could now see over the steering wheel and rest her arms without discomfort – an affirmation of the positive impact we aimed to achieve,” he says.

Having attended last year’s event, Uppalapati found himself reflecting on these unique learning opportunities, saying, “The Mobility Matters events are really about community engagement where older adults and students learn from one another and build intergenerational connections that support lifelong mobility regardless of age and ability.”