Travel patterns of three distinct driver age groups in Greece

Abstract

Within this research the travel patterns of passenger car drivers are investigated in relation to their age, as recorded from a national travel survey conducted in Greece. For the needs of this research drivers are classified into three mutually exclusive age groups: young (18–24), adult (25–64) and elderly (65+). The mobility of these three driver groups—expressed in terms of average annual distance driven—is then investigated with respect to parameters involving driver characteristics (experience, gender), vehicle characteristics (engine size) and the nature of the trip (time of trip and road type). Several patterns are analysed, and the dependence of the various travel patterns on driver age is tested through analysis of variance (ANOVA), mainly by the use of the Welch test. The results show that driver experience is not an influencing factor for driver mobility, whereas driver gender and vehicle characteristics, such as engine size, are. Furthermore, the results illustrate dependences between driver age and driving at night and during the weekends, highlighting the relationship between driver age and trip purpose. The distribution of mobility across the different road types does not reveal any interactions with driver age; however, specific trends are detected when distance driven is also segregated into weekday and weekend categories, indicating a relationship between driver age and mobility in relation to type of day.