High Level Summary of Statistics Trend Last update: Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Driving Licence Possession and Frequency of Driving
In 2007, two-thirds (68 per cent) of adults (aged 17+) had a full driving licence: 78 per cent of men compared to 60 per cent of women, according to the Scottish Household Survey (SHS). The percentage was highest (81 per cent) for those aged between 35 and 44. Licence possession was higher for men than for women in almost every age-group. Possession of a full driving licence increased with income, from 46 per cent of adults living in low-income households (net annual household income of up to £10,000), to 92 per cent of those in high-income households (net annual household income of over £40,000). In rural areas, over four-fifths of adults had a full driving licence, compared with three-fifths in large urban areas.
The SHS shows that, since 1999, the percentage of adults with a full driving licence has risen from 63 per cent, with little change in the figure for men and an increase from 52 per cent for women. The small Scottish part of the (GB) National Travel Survey (NTS) sample shows longer-term growth (from 49 per cent in 1985/1986 to 68 per cent in 2005/2006), due mainly to a large increase for women (from 34 per cent to 58 per cent), with the figure for men rising less rapidly (from 68 per cent to 79 per cent). It should be noted that SHS and NTS results differ slightly (e.g.) due to sampling variability.
In 2007, 45 per cent of all adults said that they drove every day: 53 per cent of men and 39 per cent of women and was higher for men than for women in every age-group.
The percentage of adults who drove every day increased with annual net household income, from 22 per cent of those living in low-income households, to 72 per cent in high-income households. In rural areas, over half of adults drove every day, compared with just over a third in large urban areas.
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Source: Scottish Transport Statistics
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