Young Americans seem to be more aware of the benefits of bicycling and taking the bus than their parents and older siblings. A new U.S. Public Interest Research Group report, Transportation and the New Generation, finds that young Americans are increasingly going by bike and by bus than by car.

On driving: “From 2001 to 2009, the annual number of vehicle miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita—a drop of 23 percent.”

On biking: “In 2009, 16- to 34-year-olds as a whole took 24 percent more bike trips than they took in 2001, despite the age group actually shrinking in size by 2 percent.”

On both of the above and taking the bus: “From 2001 to 2009, young people (16- to 34-year-olds) who lived in households with annual incomes of over $70,000 increased their use of public transit by 100 percent, biking by 122 percent, and walking by 37 percent.”

One reason for this — to protect the environment we all rely on for a high quality of life (and life itself): “Sixteen percent of 18- to 34-year-olds polled said they strongly agreed with the statement, ‘I want to protect the environment, so I drive less.’ This is compared to approximately nine percent of older generations.”

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Image credit: U.S. PIRG