Gas prices mildly dampening driving desires: DesRosiers

It appears the urge to drive away from the past two years of pandemic captivity is almost equal to the pain at the pump going into summer 2022. “Survey results indicate that nearly two thirds of the population have at least partially modified their driving behaviour in response to ballooning gas prices,” said Andrew King, Managing Partner of DAC.

Gas prices have broken through the $2 per litre barrier all over the country, so DAC’s most recent survey of 1,020 Canadian drivers explored the issue of the recent increase in gas prices, and their effect on current driving habits and plans.

The majority of Canadians (77.6 per cent) surveyed have either changed their habits slightly or not at all in the face of the current historically high fuel prices. When asked what the impact of prices has been to their driving habits in recent weeks, 21.7 per cent of respondents noted that they have been driving a lot less with a further 40.7 per cent stating they have been driving a little less. The second largest portion of the response pool—at 36.9 per cent—”noted no change”.

When it comes to summer road trip plans, 74 per cent are moderating their driving a little or not at all. When asked about their plans if gas prices remain high for the coming summer months, the portion of respondents claiming that they will drive a lot less increased to 25.6 per cent, but 41.3 per cent still responded that they will only “somewhat” cut back on their driving habits. The ‘no change’ cohort shrank to 32.7 per cent when contemplating continued elevated gas prices.

Said King, “The aftermarket has been remarkably resilient over the past two years, and it will be interesting to see how this crucial part of the automotive space holds up if gas prices stay high throughout the summer driving season.”

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