ADAC Mobility Index: Traffic Is Not Moving Forward

The positive developments in sustainability in traffic were offset by negative developments. This is shown by the new ADAC Mobility Index, which the ADAC developed in collaboration with the scientific partner Prognos and has now presented. According to the index, Germany has made slight progress in environmental protection and traffic safety. However, setbacks in the reliability of transport systems have nullified these advances, the transport club said in a press release. The index value for the holistic assessment of sustainable mobility remains at 100 in 2019, just as it was in 2015, the base year of the index.

With its Mobility Index, the ADAC provides a scientifically based assessment framework. It captures developments in mobility using 16 key indicators and an additional 39 indicators. This makes the data transparent, according to the ADAC. Sustainability is comprehensively understood and takes into account ecological, economic, and social aspects. The Mobility Index aims to reflect these through the dimensions of traffic safety, environment and climate, availability, reliability, and affordability.

Only air pollutants and noise are improving

In the area of climate and environment, there have been improvements since 2015. This assessment dimension takes into account greenhouse gas emissions, air pollutants, and also land use. The sub-index here can improve to 105: mainly air pollutants and noise pollution could be reduced, while greenhouse gas emissions were not diminished. In traffic safety, only a slight improvement is noticeable with a sub-index of 101. There have been fewer personal injuries since 2015, but overall, more accidents have occurred, overshadowing the positive development. The main reason for a lack of progress over time since 2015 is a significant deterioration in the reliability factor. Road congestion as well as delays and cancellations on railways have led to the sub-index dropping to 83.

“Sustainable mobility can improve the quality of life for people and the livelihood of future generations. The new ADAC Mobility Index shows that the transport system is changing far too slowly in the direction of sustainability. To achieve the necessary reductions in CO2 emissions, the change in the transport system must be significantly accelerated," explains ADAC Traffic President Gerhard Hillebrand.

Consumers need to change their mobility behavior, Hillebrand said. However, they must also be able to do so. Without a faster expansion of public transport, charging infrastructure, or bicycle paths, this will not succeed. The ADAC Mobility Index makes these connections transparent, says the ADAC Traffic President.

“We must succeed in continuing to enable mobility while simultaneously achieving major societal goals. The index shows that in recent years it has not been possible to advance sustainable mobility. Therefore, efforts must be increased as well as the pace,” demands Hillebrand.

The ADAC Mobility Index shows the development of sustainable mobility in the five assessment dimensions at the federal level. As the development varies significantly by region, additional indexes have been created for the 16 federal states and presented in profiles. A large part of the data is obtained from publicly accessible statistics. Sources include the Federal Statistical Office, the Federal Motor Transport Authority, and the Federal Institute for Building, Urban, and Spatial Research. 2019 is the data status for the initial publication of the ADAC Mobility Index.