One quarter of Kiwis are now driving less than they did a year ago, according to AA Insurance’s latest report.
The 2019 AA Insurance Lifestyle Survey found that 97% of Kiwis hold a driver’s licence. However, almost one in four (23%) said they drive less than they did last year – with 28% of the respondents driving only a few times a week while 64% drive every day compared with 71% last year.
“Kiwis love to drive – in fact around 3.4 million of us hold a New Zealand driver licence – yet employment and lifestyle changes are influencing a move away from daily driving,” said Amelia Macandrew, customer relations manager at AA Insurance.
“While most Kiwis believe they’ll be driving a similar amount next year, those who see themselves driving less (9%) or more (8%) are anticipating changes to their employment or stage of life.”
Factors that may have prompted the changes include retiring, moving closer to work or taking advantage of flexible working, riding public transportation, and environmental reasons.
“Given that 44% of drivers in the survey reported using their cars primarily for work, the shift towards driving less each week could be a significant social indicator to the work/life changes Kiwis are making across the board,” Macandrew said.
The insurer predicted that the employment and lifestyle changes will have a long-term effect on how Kiwis drive in the future.
“More and more companies are embracing better work/life options for their staff, such as AA Insurance that introduced flexible working four years ago. We also encourage more use of technology, to lessen the need for our staff to drive between sites for meetings,” Macandrew explained.
“Changes to the way we work have not only provided a better work/life balance for our people, but it also means less traffic on the road and a reduction in both our individual and collective environmental footprint as a company.”
