(c)iStock.com/XiFotos

A new study by the University of Michigan's Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) indicates that travelling time in the US has been on a decline since 2004, indicating that motorisation in the US may have peaked in that year.

The study looked at travel times using data from the nationwide American Time Use Survey (ATUS), and found that the sum of average travel times associated with all activities dropped by around 10 per cent in 2004-2014.

Interestingly, the decline in total travel time per person was not due to a drop in duration of the trips, but rather because of a decline in the proportion of people going for trips.

The total average time spent travelling dropped 9.8% for men and women, although men saw a greater decline at 10.9% as compared to women at 9.2%.

The average travel time declined for eating and drinking, purchasing goods and services, helping and caring for non-household members, education, leisure and sports, and work. The average number of people travelling per day declined for all activities except for personal care.

The study also found that the average time spent travelling by people travelling in connection with an activity remained the same (5.93 hours in 2004 and 5.96 hours in 2014). The time spent remained similar for both men and women over the decade.

The research is the eighth in a series of reports on the subject. Previously, author Michael Sivak found that the distance driven per person in the country reached a peak in 2004 but decreased by around 9% by 2013. Sivak argued that the decline was not due to just economic factors, but also a result of non-economic changes such as increased urbanisation, use of public transportation and telecommuting, and changes in the age range of drivers.

Another study from UMTRI in July revealed a reluctance for driverless cars from US motorists. Only 15% of the more than 500 respondents want completely autonomous vehicles, while 43% of those polled indicated a preference for no self-driving.