OTTAWA — After a weak start to 2021, vehicle kilometers driven in Canada increased significantly in the second quarter, according to a new research report.
The Automotive Industries Association (AIA) of Canada partnered with StreetLight Data, a mobility data firm, to produce its new report, "National Vehicle Kilometres Travelled Metrics – 2019 to 2021."
The AIA said that the more often a vehicle is used, the more need for maintenance, but the COVID-19 containment measures disrupted the driving patterns of Canadians in 2020.
Determining how quickly driving trends are returning to their pre-COVID level is critical for aftermarket businesses to plan ahead, the AIA said, as demand for aftermarket products and services is tied closely to vehicle wear and tear, which is a function of distance traveled.
"With this report, AIA Canada aims to provide our members with the knowledge they need to make strategic business decisions," the association said.
The data span 2019 (pre-COVID), 2020 (peak COVID) and 2021 (COVID and beyond), with trend lines based on quarterly figures.
The AIA said the project is experimental and it is seeking member input to improve the methodology and data on an ongoing basis.
Among the findings of the report are:
- Canada's containment measures resulted in a sharp decline in kilometers driven in the second quarter of 2020. It is estimated that kilometers driven dropped by 30% in the first half of 2020 versus 2019, followed by a 34% recovery in the third quarter of 2020.
- Vehicle travel fell again in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021 to approximately 98 billion and 97 billion kilometers, respectively, attributable to the second round of lockdown measures imposed by various provinces.
- In total, Canadians drove about 455 billion kilometers in 2019, which dropped to 405 billion kilometers in 2020 — a drop of 11%.
- The first quarter of 2021 was off to a weak start with 97 billion kilometers traveled, compared with the same time period in 2019 and 2020.
- The second quarter of 2021 increased significantly with 118 billion kilometers traveled, which could be attributed to an increase in road trips as domestic and international air travel remains limited, the report said.
The report is available for free download.