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The stuck commute may be dying, according to a new survey of AA insurance drivers. Just over half of all adults say they get behind the wheel of a car every day, but that’s down from three-quarters in 2016.
The survey of 1,100 New Zealand adults, conducted during June and July, found that 55 percent drive every day and 34 percent drive a few times a week. The number of people who drive every day has also decreased compared to last year, when 64% of us went for a drive at least once a day.
Transportation is one of the largest sources of carbon emissions in the country.
However, former commuters don’t seem to have abandoned their cars entirely. Most have simply switched to driving several times a week. The survey found that 11 percent of adults drive once a week or less, up from 6 percent in 2016 and 8 percent in 2019.
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A third of all respondents said they were driving less at the time of the survey, compared to a year ago. The study was conducted after the first Covid-19 lockdown was lifted, but it could be a reflection of the pandemic’s influence on travel.
However, AA Insurance customer relations manager Amelia Macandrew thought the decline in car use was an ongoing trend, although the Covid-19 outbreak may have accelerated it.
“We’ve seen it since 2016. There also seems to be an intention to drive less,” he said.
Not everyone planned to stick with the new habit. Although 13 percent said they planned to drive even less next year, another 7 percent thought they would use the car more.
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Fewer people faced this scene in 2020. Only half of all adults in a survey told AA Insurance that they were driving a car at least once a day.
Of those who plan to drive less in the future, a change in job requirements was often cited as the main reason, Macandrew said.
“There were already people who started working from home, with flexible work. After closing, we are definitely seeing more of that, ”he added. “Personally, I now work from home one day a week and often don’t drive that day, whereas I would have driven every day and most of it would have been for work.”
People who lived in Wellington and those over 60 were more likely to report driving less frequently.
Men’s driving habits had changed more than women’s, the survey found, although men are more likely to drive regularly to begin with.
The survey also found that two-thirds of drivers would consider purchasing an electric car, but half said affordability would influence this decision.
Also, one in six people plans to buy an electric bike or electric scooter.
“People are making different decisions because they have more options. That’s a really good thing, ”Macandrew said. “If you travel small distances in the city center, there are many more people who would choose to use a scooter than could have otherwise taken an Uber or a bus.”
Although AA Insurance surveys have shown a decrease in our driving habits in recent years, this trend has not yet been reflected in the emissions data. The greenhouse gas we produce on the roads has increased steadily in recent years, according to a 2018 government report.
The survey’s margin of error is plus or minus 3 percent.
