Does Fewer Daily Travelers Today Indicate a Shift to Shared Driverless Cars Tomorrow?

Burney Simpson

You may feel like your travel time is more like stuck-in-traffic time, but Americans are actually spending a little less time getting around these days, according to a new report from the University of Michigan’s Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI).

In 2014, Americans spent 1.11 hours making trips for daily activities, down from 1.23 hours in 2004, reports UMTRI’s Michael Sivak who used data from the nationwide American Time Use Survey for the study. Sivak looked at all modes of travel not just automobiles.

This is the latest study on motorization trends from the research professor. Sivak previously found that 2004 was the peak year for distance driven for Americans.

For the new study, Sivak concluded that there was no overall reduction in the duration of the daily activity trips, but that the percentage of persons traveling to conduct the activities had decreased.

The findings together indicate that Americans are reducing their auto travel, suggesting that consumers may be open to the use of shared autonomous vehicles as the technology develops. A number of forecasts have suggested 2020 as the turning point year when driverless vehicles become available at least in select markets.

In the new study, Sivak reports a decline in average travel time since 2004 for such activities as dining out, shopping, caring for and helping non-household members, work, education, and leisure and sports.

Meanwhile, there was no change in the average travel time for such activities as caring for and helping household members, and engaging in organizational, civic and religious activities. Personal care was the only activity that registered an increase.