Fewer Quebec youth opting to buy cars, get driver's licence, SAAQ data shows

Fewer and fewer young people in Quebec are getting behind the wheel, according to data from Quebec's automobile insurance board (SAAQ).

Over the last five years, the number of 16 to 20-year-olds who own a vehicle decreased by 20 per cent for men, and 16 per cent for women.

Overall, the number of Quebecers who are licensed to drive in that age group dropped from 180,219 to 124,258, or more than 30 per cent.

In the Mauricie region, the percentage of young Quebecers licensed to drive went from 70 per cent in 1996 to 50 per cent in 2017.

For the totality of Quebec in that age group, the percentage dropped from 45 per cent in 1996 to 28.7 per cent in 2017, according to data from l'Institut de la statistique du Québec and the SAAQ.

"[Young people] have to be mobile, but they will think of different ways to do so," said SAAQ spokesperson Mario Vaillancourt. "They'll wait [to get their liscence], and take public transportation or carpool."

For 26-year-old Mikaël Morrissette, getting rid of his car was about being environmentally friendly.

"On one hand, I don't need it. And if we can make a difference by these small gestures, it's a good motivation," Morrissette said.

A global trend

According to the sustainable mobility organization Roulons vert, more and more young people in medium-sized Quebec towns are opting for different transportation methods. They're largely motivated by environmental factors.

"For a long time, young people in Europe have been going toward alternatives to the automobile," said André Lavoie, Roulons vert's general manager. "It's good to see that it's happening in [Quebec's] regions, too."

Morrissette said he believes cities with more and different modes of transportation are likely to attract, rather than repel, people from rural areas.

"We can't ask people to change modes of transportation if we don't offer viable alternatives," Morrissette said.

Based on a report by Radio-Canada's Catherine Bouchard