Daily driving miles increase in February

Leap year skews statistics

Steve Hawley, Apr 23, 09.

Daily vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 2.7 percent in February 2009 compared to February 2008, according to statistics released by the Federal Highway Administration. However, because February contained one less day than last year, which was a leap year, total VMT decreased for the 16th straight month.

Total VMT was down almost one percent, or 1.9 billion vehicle miles, but daily VMT increased from 7.5 billion miles to 7.7 billion miles. If 2009 had been a leap year, total VMT would have increased by an estimated 5.8 billion miles, or close to three percent.

The story was similar in Texas, where total travel declined 0.7 percent, but daily travel increased by nearly three percent. Texans drove almost 19 billion miles in February 2009.

Cumulative travel is still 1.9 percent lower than 2008 rates, due to a three percent decline in January. However daily travel is almost even with 2008 levels as a result of the increases in February.

After decades of almost constant increases in vehicle miles traveled, driving miles dropped precipitously in 2008, largely due to record gas prices and a steep economic downturn. Partially as a result, traffic fatalities dropped to the lowest levels since 1961.

These numbers got us thinking about combined driving miles for all Americans and just how far we are going every year. In 2008 Americans drove 2.9 trillion miles and in 2007 we drove 3.0 trillion miles, which together equal about one light year. Proxima Centauri is the closest neighboring star to our solar system at 4.2 light years away, so at this pace, Americans are driving to Proxima Centauri about every 8 years or so (one way).