Travel on all roads and streets increased steadily in April 2017, up 1.2 percent, or 3.3 billion vehicle miles, compared to April 2016. These are the latest figures from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
Travel for the month is estimated to be 271.7 billion vehicle miles. Cumulative travel for 2017 increased by 1.5 percent, or 15.2 billion vehicles miles. The cumulative estimate for the year sits at 1,018.8 billion vehicle miles of travel.
Seasonally adjusted figures show a slight uptick in April 2017 to 268.1 billion miles, a 2.1-percent increase compared to April 2016. Month over month, these figures also represent a slight increase in miles driven by 1.1 percent, or 2.8 billion vehicle miles.
On a year-over-year basis, all regions showed growth. The West showed the largest increase, up 2.4 percent, followed by the South Atlantic, up 1.5 percent.
Year-over-year figures in billions:
Region | April 2016 | April 2017 | Percent Change |
Northeast | 37.1 | 36.5 | 0.3 |
South Atlantic | 58.0 | 58.3 | 1.5 |
North Central | 61.3 | 60.3 | 0.9 |
South Gulf | 53.9 | 54.3 | 0.6 |
West | 62.4 | 62.2 | 2.4 |
Total | 268,400
(billion) |
272,000
(billion) |
2.1 |