On the Road Again: Driving on Nation's Roadways Continues to Rise in Recent Months

On the Road Again: Driving on Nation's Roadways Continues to Rise in Recent Months
June 25, 2010

Vehicle Miles Driven by Region (in millions)
	April 2009	April 2010	Percent Change
Northeast	36,701	37,101	+1.1
South Atlantic	54,135	54,564	+0.8
North Central	55,810	57,044	+2.2
South Gulf	49,854	50,718	+1.7
West	56,357	56,514	+0.3
Total	252,857	255,942	+1.2

Consumer travel on our nation's roadways rose again in April from the previous year, with miles driven up 1.2 percent from April 2009. This is the second consecutive month in which there’s been an increase, as March miles driven also were up 2.3 percent over March 2009, according to the latest reports from the Federal Highway Administration, part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

An estimated 255.9 billion vehicle miles were driven in the United States during the month
of April, compared with 252.9 billion vehicle miles driving in April 2009.

All of the U.S. regions also saw a jump in vehicle miles driven over last year, with the greatest increase being seen in the North-Central region, where vehicle travel on roadways was up by 2.2 percent for the month—at 57,044 million vehicle-driven miles, compared with 55,810 million vehicle-driven miles for the same time last year (see chart at right).

While travel is up for the month over last year, fewer miles have been driven on U.S. roadways since the beginning of 2010, compared with the same period of 2009. By the end of April 2009, 947.4 billion vehicle miles had been driven, compared with 945.8 billion vehicle miles driven this year through the end of April 2010—a 0.2 percent drop.

The FHA tracks both monthly travel on U.S. roadways, along with cumulative travel throughout the year.

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