Solo driving is not decreasing, more than 80% of drivers are still alone in the car in the morning

The years go by, the measures follow one another and the results of “autosolism” in France remain… quite similar. This is demonstrated by a study by Vinci on the subject of vehicle occupancy in the morning around 10 French metropolises.

Thus, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m., 83.3% of the more than 500,000 vehicles observed between May and June 2023 are occupied by a single person. The “self-driving” rate reaches its peak at 87% at 8 a.m. It remained high until 9 a.m., before dropping to 78% at 10 a.m.

In detail, it is in Île-de-France, on the A 10 motorway, that the single-person rate is the lowest, at 74.5%. The A 83 in Nantes follows closely, at 76%. Surprisingly, in this same area, 95% of drivers on the A 11 are alone in their car. Same on the A 7 and the A 50 in Marseille. Note that four sites in the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis (A 55, A 51, A 50 and A 7) were not included in the study. Even though their self-drive rate stands at more than 93%.

We need twice as many carpoolers, according to Vinci

These results were established using cameras and artificial intelligence counting. They make it possible to establish that the average person per vehicle stands at 1.26 (compared to 1.24, with 85% single drivers on average, in autumn 2022).

Which remains far from the government’s objectives regarding carpooling. Reason why the number of carpoolers should be doubled, as Vinci explains in a press release:

“Despite a growing interest among French people in carpooling, journeys to work are still far too often done alone.” “[La baisse reste] insufficient to achieve the objective of 1.75 people on average per vehicle.” “The number of carpoolers should be doubled.”

The fact remains that despite the financial advantages from the government or which arise naturally with carpooling, it is clearly not working. However, some results are positive on self-driving. Workers may prefer the peace, comfort and tranquility of their car in the morning. It’s hard to blame them…

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