Transportation and the New Generation
Why Young People are Driving Less and What it Means for Transportation Policy
Frontier Group, US PIRG Education Fund
The trend away from driving has been led by young people. From 2001 to 2009, the average annual number of vehicle miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita — a drop of 23 percent. The trend away from steady growth in driving is likely to be long-lasting — even once the economy recovers. Young people are driving less for a host of reasons — higher gas prices, new licensing laws, improvements in technology that support alternative transportation, and changes in Generation Y's values and preferences — all factors that are likely to have an impact for years to come.
Filed in: Plans and Policies, Why Walk or Bike
