Camping vans are parked on a road near the Daegwallyeong Service Area in Gangwon Province. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, June 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The daily average driving distance for multi-person transportation vehicles such as vans declined last year due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the Korea Transportation Safety Authority (KOTSA), the daily average driving distance per car stood at 37.9 kilometer last year, down 1.6 percent from a year ago.
By type of vehicle, vans saw their daily average driving distance fall by 10.3 percent as the use of multi-person transportation vehicles declined due to social distancing measures imposed following the onset of the coronavirus.
In contrast, the daily average driving distance for passenger vehicles rose by 1.8 percent year on year, reflecting the increase in the number of passenger car registrations and an increased preference for passenger vehicles due to the pandemic.
In the meantime, the daily average driving distance for eco-friendly vehicles such as hybrids and electric cars shot up by 25 percent and 141.2 percent, respectively, compared to a year ago.
The KOTSA attributed the robust growth to increased awareness about environmental problems and the increased demand for eco-friendly cars backed by the government’s eco-friendly car support policies.
Nonetheless, the share of eco-friendly cars among the overall car driving distance remained low at 2.5 percent.
J. S. Shin (js_shin@koreabizwire.com)
