Generation next: The changing travel habits of

young people

Elizabeth Box

Head of Research

RAC Foundation

April 2015

Generation Next

• Driving mileage by 17-29 is on a downward trend (-30%), along with car passenger travel (-25%)

• 11-16 car passenger travel has increased (by 13%)

Changing Lifestyles of Young Drivers

• Significant, ongoing trends:

• Delayed transition to adulthood• Staying in education longer• Entering employment later• Later transition to residential independence,

partnership and parenthood.• Increased levels of education and female

employment• Greater licence holding amongst women.

Study background

• Berrington and Mikolai, University of Southampton• Demographers not transport researchers• Uses Understanding Society (incorporating British

Household Panel Survey)• 40k households in UK, longitudinal survey, enough data for

regression• Includes some transport questions• 17-34 yr olds’ driving and individual, household and local

area characteristics• Licence holding, miles driven, mode to work, difficulties in

commuting

Changing lifestyles of Young Drivers

• 65% of males aged 17–34 and 58% of females aged 17–34 held a full UK driving licence in 2009–10

• Most important predictors of licence-holding among men & women aged (17–34): • age• area type• level of education• individual income• living arrangements

• Other variables to have a significant association, net of other factors:• economic activity status • housing tenure

Changing Lifestyles of Young Drivers – Driving licence-holdingPredictors:

• age• area type• level of education• individual income• living arrangement• economic activity

status• housing tenure

Changing Lifestyles of Young Drivers – annual car mileagePredictors:

• age• whether or not you

drive to work• economic activity status• individual income• area type

Summary

• Social change is strongly linked with transport attitudes and behaviour

• Mobility changes have knock on consequences for the composition of drivers on the road, and hence their road safety profiles

• There is a changing world of young drivers, and their economic circumstances, which has implications for insurance, telematics, uptake of education courses and other road safety interventions

Elizabeth Box MA MSc MCIHT

THANK YOU

Elizabeth Box - Head of ResearchRAC Foundation89-91 Pall Mall,LONDON. SW1Y 5HS

Tel no: 020 7747 3489Email: elizabeth.box@racfoundation.orgWebsite: www.racfoundation.org