Travel-related behaviors, opinions, and concerns of U.S. adult drivers by race/ethnicity, 2010

• We explore associations between race/ethnicity and specific travel-related concerns.
• Certain minority groups are more likely to report having adequate transportation alternatives to driving compared to whites.
• Concern for alternatives to driving in the future is greatest amongst minority groups.
• Population density and income level are important factors to consider when considering future travel needs of different racial/ethnic groups.
• Large numbers of drivers do not know how they would get around if driving was no longer feasible.

IntroductionThe U.S. population is shifting to become both older and more racially and ethnically diverse. Our current understanding of U.S. drivers' travel-related needs and concerns by race/ethnicity is limited.MethodsData from the 2010 HealthStyles survey, an annual, cross-sectional, national mail-panel survey of persons ages 18 years or older living in the United States, were used to calculate weighted percentages of travel-related behaviors, opinions, and concerns by race/ethnicity. Logistic regression was used to explore associations between race/ethnicity and specific travel-related concerns, while adjusting for other demographic characteristics.ResultsAdequate transportation alternatives to driving were reported by a greater percentage of persons in certain minority groups compared to whites (Hispanic: 34.7%; white: 23.4%). Concern for the availability of alternatives to driving in the future was greater among minority groups (black: 57.7%; Hispanic: 47.3%; other: 50.9%) compared to whites (37.5%). Additionally, among persons with a household income of $25,000 +, minorities were generally more likely than whites to report concern about having alternative transportation options to driving, whereas concern was consistently high among all racial/ethnic groups for those earning less than $25,000 annually. In each racial/ethnic group, more than 10% of persons reported not knowing how they would get around if they could no longer drive.ConclusionsImportant variations by race/ethnicity in both travel behaviors and concerns for adequate alternatives to driving were found, revealing the need for further research to better understand reasons for these differences and to identify ways to meet the transportation needs of the changing U.S. population demographics.Impact on IndustryFurther research on adequate alternatives to driving and transportation needs is needed.