Martin Glynn: AA Transport Policy Director on the survey finding Kiwis spend around 300 hours driving each year

Kiwis are spending around 300 hours in their car every year, according to a new survey. 

The study, carried out by Autotrader in the UK, ranked 15 countries based on how much time motorists spent behind the wheel over the span of a year. 

New Zealand ranked seventh, with the average Kiwi spending just under six hours in their car each week. 

AA Transport Policy Director Martin Glynn told Mike Hosking the survey’s results heavily highlights the impact of public transport – particularly for France, Germany, the UK, and the Netherlands, who all have solid networks. 

LISTEN ABOVE 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Fun fact time from a new survey this is Auto
Car UK looked at fifteen countries. Turned out we spend
five hours fifty eight minutes in the car each week.
Five hours, but let's call it six hours six hours
a week, which is twelve days twenty two hours each year.
Martin Glenn is AA's transport policy director and as well
us Martin, very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:18):
Good morning.

Speaker 1 (00:19):
So I suppose the comparison is what we need to
do is how so we're six hours, US is six,
South Africa's ten, Ireland is seven, Australia seven, so we're
sort of in there somewhere. Does it tell us anything?

Speaker 2 (00:31):
Not really that just insuritibly feels right. We'd kind of
expect to the middle of the pack. I would have
thought Ireland and Australia would have, lease, you take least
twelve time than we do, but otherwise not a big surprise, mate.

Speaker 1 (00:48):
No, so it would have I would have thought one,
something to do with the science of the country. Therefore
the commute. Two the role of public transport.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Yeah, the report heavily highlights public tree in sport, particularly
for France. Jurney UK and neither those It's all got
really decent networks. Interesting though, people drive for a whole
bunch of reasons. That was it was really interesting for
me to see that France and June, these numbers were
brought up by their long holiday driving times like ten
ten hours to destinations.

Speaker 1 (01:19):
Yeah that I'm assuming that would not be dissimilar in
a place like America, because of course when you drive,
you have to drive a long way because it's a
very big country. Do you I mean it's six hours,
it's an hour a day, but less than an hour
a day. It depends on whether is that commuting or
is that that's everything? So that's shopping, it's you know,
beatling down to the service station to get your guess
it's everything, isn't it?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
Yeah? Absolutely? And going away for long weekend. So so
all all the driving we do.

Speaker 1 (01:42):
Well, does it? Does it? Does it? What would you
spend six hours? Would you spend an hour a day
ish in you commute?

Speaker 2 (01:50):
I'm I've got to say surprised if I guess you
might think the A I take a bath, so I'd
probably be a bad under. But I do a lot
of driving on the weekends.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
Well fair enough. So there's this sort of rule at
the AA. If you work at the AA, not allowed
to take a partly transport you just out of just.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
At all, not at all. We're very very neutral about
made and we recognize the importance of driving to everyone.

Speaker 1 (02:10):
Just about good on you, nice to talk, you make
appreci out of Martin GLn who's the AA Transport policy director,
says six hours. I'm five minutes in, six minutes in
and six minutes home. So I'm twelve a day times
five is what's that? Sixty sixty a week, sixty minutes
a week, and then the weekend is different because of
the long haul. So yeah, what I've learned this morning

(02:34):
is we keep our cars on the road for a
very long time and ute twenty one years and we
spend about an hour a day behind the wheel.

Speaker 2 (02:41):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
news talks. It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow
the podcast on iHeartRadio.