The word gig economy first described the rise of insecure contract work, rather than permanent full time jobs. Now even relationships, AirBnB, social media and subscription-style entertainment reflect lack of permanence or commitment. So it makes sense that young people do not seem interested in owning – or even driving – cars. Read More
Earlier this year the NSW government ran a 6-month trial of telematics with young volunteer drivers in Western Sydney. Results show telematics installed in vehicles helped improve driving skills and could potentially boost road safety. These findings also reflect the global trend towards offering usage based insurance to all vehicle owners. Read More
Even in this flat market, there is one kind of vehicle that is still selling – the SUV. While all SUVs already have about 45% of the Australian market, it won’t be long before it becomes 50%. The question is why. There are many boxes they obviously do not tick and yet we still buy them in droves. Read More
Speed and speed cameras are controversial topics in Australia. The prevailing belief is that speed kills. Even so, the presence of speed cameras does not seem to be lowering deaths on the road. Some say our driving skills are just not good enough. Is it possible our obsession with speed is stopping us from seeing the real problem? Read More
A new term is doing the rounds in transport circles: “shared mobility”. On the face of it, this sounds new and advanced. But how is it different from travelling by bus or train, which is a traditional form of mobility shared? Given our obsession with travelling in private vehicles, we wonder whether people actually like to share. Read More
There are 19.5 million registered vehicles travelling on Australia’s roads this year, 1.7% more than in 2018. This is slightly below the 2.1% annual average, but still climbing. In the US, car ownership goes up by about 4% per year. So why did academic Tony Seba claim private car ownership would drop 80% by 2030? Will we give up our cars? Read More
Stopping to buy petrol or diesel for your vehicle is an everyday task you may not think much about. Even so, experts are predicting the demise of petroleum, vehicles that run on fossil fuels, and your local service station. One report predicts 80% of fuel retailers could be out of business within 15 years. Read More
If you drive to work in Sydney, you probably know it’s taking longer than it used to. The average return commute is now 71 minutes. Sydneysiders endure much the same commute time as drivers in Ankara in Turkey, San Diego in the USA and St Petersburg in Russia. Meanwhile, the 71 minute average obscures the fact many people spend hours commuting in their car. Read More
Do you know the total costs of owning your car? Royal Automobile Association (RAA) says the average weekly cost of running a car in 2019 is $228, up from $218 in 2018. While most people need their vehicle only 5% of the time, it still costs them around $12,000 a year. Read More
Parents of older teenagers may relate to that feeling of trepidation as they drive alone for the first time on P plates. Unfortunately, young drivers are more likely to be in old cars. Four fifths of young people under 20 who died in a car crash were in vehicles that were more than 10 years old. Should we be putting young people behind the wheel of old cars? Read More