THE AUTOMOBILE: USES AND USERS . TRAVEL BEHAVIOR RESEARCH. 5TH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TRAVEL BEHAVIOR

This paper reports a study of car uses and car users in France, which was based on a socioeconomic approach, using wide-ranging empirical surveys, and a sociological approach, using in-depth interviews. The scope of this study was limited to the role of the car in everyday family life; it was found that this role is the most dominant aspect of car use today. The main factors affecting car use were: (1) increased real available income for most people; (2) the growing presence of women in the labour market; (3) changing land use, especially the expansion of suburban housing; (4) the informal economy. Five principal types of attitude towards the car were recognised. Although generalised car use has considerably reduced disparities of access of cars between different family members, exclusive use of a car is mostly a male perogative, with working women having much less personal access. The difference in individual access to a family car is related to the generation gender gap. Even for families with two cars, the women drive less than the men. The proportion of family vehicles with single drivers has decreased. (TRRL)