The number of car trips and distance travelled fall to new 20-year lows

People are using their cars less, but the DfT says more and more people will be on the roads

People are using their cars less, but the DfT says more and more people will be on the roads

The number of car trips made and total distance travelled by car have both fallen to new 20-year lows, according to the National Travel Survey.

The distance travelled as a car or van driver fell from 2012 to 2013 to its lowest level since this data was first collected in 1995, when it was 12% higher. The miles clocked up by car and van drivers was also seven percentage points lower than in 2008, when the financial crisis sharply reduced economic activity.

The total annual distance travelled by all modes per person per year, and total number of trips, were also at their lowest last year than at any time since 1994: 6,584 miles, and 923 respectively. 

The DfT projects that total traffic volumes will increase by nearly 50% over the next 25 years because England's population is forecast to rise by 18% by 2035, helping to fuel a 16% increase in the number of daily journeys made by all modes.