Toronto, Ontario — If Canadian drivers can agree on one thing, apparently it’s that carpooling to the mall with Adele would be pretty cool.
This is just one of many enlightening insights gleaned from Waze’s “Year in Rear View” survey which asked drivers to respond with their reasons for driving this year, how they interact with other drivers on the road and even what music most Canadians are listening to on their commutes, among other things.
Following a year of record-low traffic rates, 70 percent of Canadians responded that shopping was the main motivation for driving in 2021, as the year saw many businesses begin re-opening following the initial COVID-19 lockdown. This was followed by 48 percent of respondents saying they were out visiting family and 37 percent visiting friends.
As though it needed any statistics to confirm it, the survey also found that people in the Prairies are much friendlier on the road than their coastal counterparts, as 48 percent of drivers reported that they wave to their fellow motorists, as compared to 29 percent drivers in central Canada.
Looking forward to this holiday season, 41 percent of drivers said they have no plans to travel this year, while 24 percent said they plan on visiting another city.
In the realms of pop culture, Canadian artists were among the most listened to via Waze’s Spotify integration–not just in Canada, but globally, with “STAY” by The Kid LAROI with Justin Bieber and “Blinding Lights” by The Weeknd taking up the number one and five spots, respectively.
The cat truly came out of the bag when Canadians were asked to respond with what celebrity they would most like to have in their passenger seat, however. While globally, Elon Musk and Jennifer Lopez were the most requested co-pilots, Canadians would much prefer cruising with Adele, according to the survey.
The dream car for 40 percent of Canadians turns out to be James Bond’s Aston Martin as well, followed by 24 percent favouring the Batmobile.
“Waze’s inaugural Year in Rear View gives us the chance to capture a snapshot of Canadian driving behaviours and help us better understand driving trends during 2021, a year when many of us got back to travelling on the road,” said Waze’s Canadian manager Mike Wilson.
“We learned that Canadians showed a preference for beautiful scenery, while most drivers got on the road to visit family and go shopping over the last year. We’re looking forward to seeing how Canadians take to the roads in 2022—a year we predict will see even more drivers on the road.”
