Don't Forget the 'Joy of Driving'

There's an omnipresent Audi commercial where the protagonist "David," obviously living in the future, waxes nostalgic with an A.I. named "Clara" about how driving used to be, before self-driving cars. "Driving wasn't just about being taken from place to place, but going somewhere—feeling something along the way."

Perhaps what David is talking about is the "Joy of Driving," which is far more prevalent a driver of, um, driving than might always be represented in the public discussion about transportation. 

Jenna Fortunati, writing for Mobility Lab, has gathered a collection of research on the subject, noting first that researchers acknowledge three motives for driving: instrumental, affective, and symbolic. Fortunati explains the work of a team of researchers at the University of Groningen, who surveyed car commuters in Rotterdam about their motivations for driving—along the lines of the three kinds of motivations mentioned above.

“People more often commute by car when they judge its symbolic and affective functions more favorably,” Steg writes. “Even commuter traffic, which may be considered highly functional, is most strongly-related to non-instrumental motives.”

Other researchers have found similar evidence of driving for the joy in driving. Another study describes the feeling of "carcooning," or turning your car into a relaxation zone.

Fortunati makes no secret that Mobility Lab's interest in understanding these motivations is to provide alternatives to driving, writing: "So how can transit agencies compete? I’m not sure. But understanding this is important, because if we don’t understand why people might like to drive, we can’t reduce the amount of cars on the road – and create a transportation network that is sustainable and works for everyone, not just drivers."

And to make sure the lesson about the joy of driving sticks, here's another paean to cars and driving for the road, from the move Rush (2013).