--- title: "Taking the Car Keys From Aging Parents Is Brutal. GM Wants Self-Driving Cars to Change That" date: "2026-10-22" modified: "2026-10-22" authors: - name: "Joel Feder" job_title: "Director of Content and Product" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/joel-feder.md" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/taking-the-car-keys-from-aging-parents-is-brutal-gm-wants-self-driving-cars-to-change-that" categories: - "Car Tech" - "GM News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Self-Driving Tech" --- # Taking the Car Keys From Aging Parents Is Brutal. GM Wants Self-Driving Cars to Change That ![Super Cruise]() I'm dreading the day when a chat will inevitably come where I have to somehow negotiate that my parents will no longer drive. It's a circle of life moment, many people go through it, but that won't make it any easier. I'm not alone. On the [latest episode of *The Drivecast*](), Senior Vice President of Vehicle Products at General Motors Jaclyn McQuaid told *The Drive*, "I still remember the day I had to take the car keys away from my grandma, and she lost her independence." The comment came as context to the answer "Oh, but I envision a day when when we can" when asked if there's a future where a GM vehicle doesn't need a steering wheel anymore. Listen below to the moment McQuaid addresses a future of autonomous vehicles that gives people their independence and freedom that might be taken away as they age. As passionate as McQuaid is about the idea, it's not happening tomorrow. "That could absolutely be some point in our future, I don’t know when," the executive said. Expanding on why this is important McQuaid said, "I would love a day when we get to that level of autonomy where we don’t have to take that level of independence away from the people that we love, and the vehicle can be trusted to do for them exactly what it needs to do for them. So I definitely think it’s in our future, it’s something we’re working really hard towards." As technology progresses and the reality of aging and mortality takes hold there's a convergence that opens new doors that past generations never experienced. "I also think it’s just the advancement of societal needs and the role that General Motors can play in society, and giving people back what they had as they advanced through the years and what they were at risk of losing," McQuaid said. ![General Motors AV Research Vehicle2]() Making it personal, McQuaid said, "I am personally incredibly proud of the work GM is doing towards personal autonomy, and I think it’s going to have a role to play for, you know, me one day as I get to that point in my life, and and many of us, but we’re giving people back their livelihood with personal autonomy." While robotaxis, such as Waymo, exist today in multiple cities McQuaid noted they are confined to those cities. That's not the future she's talking about. McQuaid explained, "What I’m talking about is somebody getting in their car in New York and saying, 'I want to go visit my daughter who lives in LA. Let’s go.' And they own the vehicle, it is their personal autonomous vehicle, can take them where they need to go, it can take them to pick up their dry cleaning, it can take them to, you know, pick the dog up from daycare, it can take them wherever they want to go, and it can take them across the country to go see their daughter." What McQuaid just described is the autonomous tech that [GM's Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson is calling "Mission Mode."]() It's the next stage after [GM's eyes-off self-driving tech]() moves off highways. One has to imagine the idea of telling their parents they are no longer fit to drive might be easier if they didn't fully lose their independence and ability to get from one place to another without relying on others. Here's hoping it might happen before my parents require "the talk." *Got a story? Send us a line at tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Overseeing what you see, read, touch, hear, and interact with from the vast lakes of Minnesota, Joel Feder shapes how The Drive looks and operates as the head of content and product initiatives. On a daily basis, Joel leads the newsroom and editorial staff playing point on both short-term coverage and long-term strategic plans. His mission is to help ensure The Drive shapes the future of automotive media by helping the team execute original reporting, breaking news, and exclusive opportunities. Regarded as an industry insider and recognized by colleagues, fellow journalists, and manufacturers as a point-person and leader in the industry, Joel owns and runs the largest automotive professionals group on Facebook in an effort to serve and help others. Joel serves as a juror for the World Car Awards. In addition, he sits on the Board of Directors for Move Forward MN, a local non-profit that helps at-risk youth with barrier-free mental health and housing services. While you’re reading this he’s either on his computer or iPhone chasing the latest news or drafting a story. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]() [Bluesky]() [Email]()