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Generation Y: Drive less, use alternative transportation more.

US-youth-2Generation Y, (age 16-34) is now driving significantly less than young generations have in prior decades. According to the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS), between 2001 and 2009, the average 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 23 percent drop from the previous year. Another interesting trend about generation x is that they are taking a while to get a drivers’ license. According to the Federal Highway Administration, from 2000 to 2010, the percentage of 14 to 34-year-olds without licenses increased from 21 percent to 26 percent. In addition, a recent survey by Zipcar and KRC Research found that many young people substitute social networking for driving and prefer living in a place that is walkable and transit-oriented.

As many more Americans, including young people, seek to move to places that have alternative transportation options we find Seattle at the center of an incredible transformation. As a technology hub with companies like Google, Microsoft, Adobe, Getty Images, Amazon and companies offering transportation alternatives like Tesla, Car to Go, Pronto Bike Share, and Uber we are geared to meet the transportation needs and preferences of the future.

SDOT will play a key role in shaping the future of transportation in Seattle. In the next ten years, we are looking forward to set policies and provide services that not only meet the demands of our future citizens but create equity in access to all that makes life in Seattle great.

For more information about the NHTS report visit: http://www.copirgfoundation.org/reports/cof/transportation-and-new-generation