Older Americans tend to have older vehicles, which they rely on to maintain their mobility – to get to the grocery store, the doctor’s office and the homes of family and friends. Mobility for most Americans, including senior citizens, equates to personal freedom.

“Older Americans are now more dependent on the private car than at any time in history,” according to Mobility of the Elderly. “The car appears to have given older people more choices, a wider range of activities, flexibility and independence. The car is the backbone of the lifestyle enjoyed by a majority of older people today.”

By 2030, there will be an estimated 71.5 million Americans who are 65 or older. Senior citizens are living longer and driving longer. The National Institute on Aging estimates 10 percent of the nation’s drivers are older than 65 and the percentage will grow as Baby Boomers reach retirement age.

This trend contrasts with the dwindling number of U.S. auto dealers. General Motors, Chrysler and Ford have closed hundreds of dealerships across the country. One GM dealer who tried to prevent the loss of his franchise dealership noted that Detroit car companies went from 40,000 dealerships servicing 50 million cars in the 1950s to as few as 12,000 dealerships servicing more than 200 million vehicles now.

“The critical right to repair one’s motor vehicle is quickly eroding,” concludes the Senior Center for Health & Security in a recent report (http://www.seniorsforcures.org/3-18-10_autowarning.asp). “America’s seniors stand to lose heavily as this erosion continues.”

The Center, which is a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. and dedicated to providing educational background on issues of importance to senior citizens, said the right to repair is the “option to have your car repaired at the repair facility of your choosing, the one you think is most convenient, the one that has the record for honesty and integrity, and the one that provides the finest service and parts at the best price.”

The combination of diagnostic information withheld by car companies and a dwindling number of franchise dealers causes the Center to warn of a car company monopoly on service and parts. “With less competition, prices will increase and consumers will lose,” the Center predicts. It cites articles comparing prices for parts at dealers with independent repair shops, such as original equipment fenders at $250 versus $125 for an aftermarket fender.

The report includes a portion of Congressional testimony given by a Federal Trade Commission witness who said, “U.S. consumers spend $80 billion annually to repair and maintain 200 millions cars currently on the road. [Consumers] have a significant interest in automobile repair and maintenance markets that operate properly and efficiently. Consumers and independent car repair facilities must have access to tools needed to diagnose, service and repair vehicles, but access to that information is not as easy or relatively inexpensive as it once was.”

It also quotes AAA, the most respected consumer voice in the automotive sector: “As technology has become more advanced, service data in today’s vehicles are increasingly governed by sophisticated computer systems. Some American and import automobile manufacturers are currently impeding independent repair facilities’ access to and use of data generated by automobiles sold to the public, leaving consumers with no choice but to take their vehicle to a dealer.”

The biggest potential losers, the Center says, are America’s senior citizens.