Younger teens' mode choice for school trips: Do parents' attitudes toward safety and traffic conditions along the school route matter?

Walking, bicycling, and all other alternative-to-driving modes of transportation used by teenagers promote physical activity, which is important for creating a healthy and sustainable community. On the other hand, most younger U.S. teens are being driven by their parents to and from school and other activities, which gives them fewer opportunities for physical activities. This research investigates factors affecting the mode choice of younger teens. The focus of the study is to analyze the effect parents' views of the safety and traffic conditions along school routes have on younger teens' mode choice. The study uses the 2009 U.S. National Household Travel Survey (NHTS; USDOT, 2009). Younger teens in this study are defined as the age group from 12 to 16 years old, which is a nondriving, active age group. The results of the study show that there is a strong correlation between parental attitude and younger teens' mode choice. Factors that affect parents' decisions to drive their teens to and from school include distance between home and school, traffic congestion, and crime along school routes.