re: Why do old people always say, "Be safe."...

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It means the same thing as "take care".

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Agree.

I'd imagine "be safe" does replace "take care" a bit more as people get older. Not across the board. I'd imagine young people almost never say it. People in their 20's maybe only say it to a friend going to Tijuana (or similar). People in their 30's and 40's get a little more conservative; someone driving home on a rainy night or icy road might get a "Be safe". In your 50's, going out to do yard work under a cloudy sky might be reason enough... and so on. But it's probably a very small number of people who use it as their standard sendoff / farewell (which is another variation).

Anyway, I'm guessing we as we get older we realize our own mortality and have seen a few friends picked off by unlikely circumstances. That, and some people tend to become complacent, risk-averse worriers as they age. And so their farewells lose a little vitality and slide down the scale from: "kick some arse" > "break a leg" > "have fun" > "be well/take care" > down to "be safe".

That's why old people who still have a twinkle in their eye and a reckless streak tend to come off as charming.