U.S. drivers travel 30 billion miles less than last year

Posted Thu Jun 19 2008 3:12 PM by Nelson Ireson

Finding proof of the effect of rising fuel prices on the average American requires little more than a trip to your local used car lot, freshly filled with SUVs and pickups while subcompacts see significant markups. But more evidence of the impact of the rising price of fuel has come in the form of figures showing Americans drove 30 billion fewer miles between November 2007 and April 2008 than they did for the 2006-2007 period.

The total reduction in miles traveled is only 1%, but considering growth in drivers and vehicles happens at a rate of 1-2% annually, the 1% reduction in total miles is much more significant, reports USA Today. Despite the pain at the pump and the consequent dimming of America's love affair with the open road, it's not all bad news.

The drop in miles driven means a small decrease in overal traffic congestion, at least initially, which could mean an extra 15 minutes or more in the morning or evening for many commuters. Experts think the congestion may return, however, after drivers adjust their schedules to the more free-flowing traffic. "You get enough people doing that and you're back to congestion," says Tim Lomax from the Texas Transportation Institute.

Reader Comments

Thu Jun 19 2008 3:45 PM
Gus says

My love affair with the open road, and the open car, is farrrrr from over... :P
Thu Jun 19 2008 4:42 PM
Knight3058 says

Same here. I still want to drive down Route 66 one summer, just to say I did.
Thu Jun 19 2008 5:20 PM
Gus says

Forget route 66, drive From the Canadian border to Tijauna along the west coast, heading south, so the dropoff to the ocean is always just under your passenger's arm...
Fri Jun 20 2008 1:22 AM
bambam says

How long is Route 66?
Fri Jun 20 2008 6:55 AM
Bender says

If the Earths biggest polluter pollutes less - then it's nothing else than excellent!
Fri Jun 20 2008 9:23 AM
Gus says

Ahh, Bender obviously has no idea what he is talking about, because China is now by far the bidggest polluter...
Sun Jun 22 2008 11:15 PM
Kevin says

This is exactly what we need to do - drive less!
Fri Aug 8 2008 12:28 PM
James says

Open road? Yeah, I'd love it too, but where do you find it, somewhere in North Dakota? If it's not congested urban freeways or suburban streets with stop signs every quarter of a mile, then sure as taxes, I'll get stuck behind some fool in his 40-foot RV.

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