Port Charlotte man praises self-driving car for older drivers' independence

PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (WINK)—Gary Ludwig gets in his car, grabs the handle, pops inside and shuts the door, but once he's at the wheel, he's hands off.

"I just get in the car and tell it to take us, and it takes us," Ludwig said. Ludwig bought his self-driving car three years ago and hasn't looked back since.

He came to WINK Listens with a recommendation for others in Southwest Florida.

"I think it's a thing that's really needed for people around here," Ludwig said. "I would just like people to know that it's there and that it works."

Ludwig believes the technology could especially benefit older drivers like himself. "I put myself in the category too, older, you know, our reflexes get slower and we don't see as well as we used to see," he said. "And the car has the capability to drive itself and drive itself safely."

WINK News reporter Maddie Herron joined Ludwig for a test drive to see how the technology works. After buckling up, Ludwig asked the car to navigate to his work, and the vehicle responded, taking control of the drive.

The car used its cameras to navigate through turns, busy roads and detect other objects. Ludwig explained that a camera monitors the driver to ensure they remain attentive.

"The only thing you have to do, you see there's a camera right up there in the thing and if it detects you're doing something wrong, it will scream at you," he said. "So it's forcing you to pay attention."

Ludwig said the technology has given him new freedoms. "It helps tremendously, because I'm free to go wherever I want to go," he said. "I don't think anything about going any place at night anymore."

He drives to the Atlanta area two or three times a year to visit his son.

"I'm not tired from that, and I get there safely," Ludwig said.

While the technology comes at a cost, Ludwig said regaining his independence has been priceless.