Skip to main content

Social media could be behind less young adults using cars, say Dutch researchers

The development of social media could be behind a drop in car usage by young adults, according to new research. Kennisinstituut voor Mobiliteitsbeleid, the Dutch knowledge institute on mobility management, found that people in their twenties in the Netherlands, as well as in Norway, Sweden, the US, England, Germany and Japan, are making less use of cars. They say the burgeoning popularity of social media often makes it less important for people to be physically present, and because young adults tend settle
January 9, 2013 Read time: 1 min
The development of social media could be behind a drop in car usage by young adults, according to new research.

Kennisinstituut voor Mobiliteitsbeleid, the Dutch knowledge institute on mobility management, found that people in their twenties in the Netherlands, as well as in Norway, Sweden, the US, England, Germany and Japan, are making less use of cars. They say the burgeoning popularity of social media often makes it less important for people to be physically present, and because young adults tend settle in urban areas, cars are less practical.

The Institute says it is unsure how this will develop over the years and makes no recommendations on transport development. However, the institute expects an annual increase in overall car usage of 1% to 2%.

Related Content

  • Distracted driving report from European nations
    December 11, 2017
    There are now calls from right across Europe to increase education, enforcement and penalties for distracted driving. Surveys across Europe have revealed worrying attitudes to the use of mobile devices while driving, according to a report by the European Transport and Safety Commission (ETSC). Campaigners are calling for better enforcement, higher penalties, technological solutions and education to raise awareness of the risks. A survey in the Czech Republic found that 36% of drivers admitted using their
  • Dutch road deaths plummet
    August 24, 2012
    Dutch road deaths have nearly halved in the last 15 years, according to new figures by the country’s central statistics bureau CBS. There were 661 road deaths in the Netherlands in 2011, down 47% from 1,251 in 1996. For passenger cars over the same period there was a 73.5% decrease in road fatalities, from 609 to 221.
  • Young Driver Risk
    April 16, 2018
    Police in the US state of Ohio recently found themselves in a high-speed pursuit involving a vehicle taken without its owner’s consent. The chase lasted for around one hour and the vehicle hit speeds of up to 160km/h during the pursuit, which covered a distance of around 72km in all between Cleveland and Milan. Officers managed to box the car in and bring it to a halt, without anyone being injured. The driver was a 10-year-old boy who took his mother’s car, the second time that the lad had done this in just
  • Key transport award
    February 29, 2012
    A key research award is attracting a high-profile list of prospective candidates.