Proof young people are driving less (Part II)

Let's just discount other causes here:

Recession.  The excuse du jour is the economy. But the decline in driving began well before the recession. It began as early as ten years ago. A slight drop was reported in the 2001 government study. Train ridership began record high numbers beginning in 2005. And a report from the Governor’s Highway Safety Commission indicates that an overall decline in driving and highway fatalities began in 2005, well before the start of the recession. 

   Further evidence: During the recession last year train ridership declined only 3% while both car and plane ridership each dropped more than 10%.

Gas prices. Yesterday's excuse. The price of gas did not affect the numbers. The drop began before the rise in gas prices, and driving continued to go down when gas prices went down. Train ridership actually grew as the price of gas dropped in late 2008. 

 

Population changes. Population changes do not account for the decline.  Between 1995 and 2009 the number of people aged 21-30 actually grew slightly from 13.3% of the population to 13.9%.

Comparing apples to oranges. No, we're comparing apples to apples. The numbers are a percentage of total driving, so it accurately compares the driving of young people to those of other ages in all three time frames.

Temporary setback. Well, that's the hope of people over age 40, the car generation. But there is no evidence for that. This has been going on for over ten years. With trains just starting to be built, and telecommuting increasing every year, and car sharing growing, there is no evidence that young people will magically all start driving more.  Gen Y has started the shift from cars to trains, which is good news for everybody.

Comments

[seo reseller program]

That's good news...