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Miles driven on U.S. highways increase

Six-year trend shows nation’s roadways are busier than ever

Posted September 5, 2017

Drivers in the United States racked up approximately 1.58 trillion miles in the first six months of 2017, according to the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) “Traffic Volume Trends” report.

The number of vehicle miles travelled (VMT) on the nation's roadways has steadily increased since 2011. According to FHWA estimates, during June 2017:

  • More than 280.9 billion miles were driven during the single month, which is 3.4 billion miles more than the previous June.
  • U.S. drivers increased total mileage among all five regions of the United States:
    • The Western region led the nation with the largest percentage increase in unadjusted VMT at 2.2 percent. This is a 13-state region stretching from California to Montana and includes Hawaii and Alaska.
    • The North Central region had the smallest percentage increase in unadjusted VMT for the month at .5 percent. This is a 12-state area stretching from North Dakota to Ohio.
  • Top unadjusted single-state traffic percent increases (compared to the same month a year earlier) were:
    • Oklahoma at 3.5 percent
    • Nevada at 3.4 percent
    • Kansas at 3.3 percent
  • Michigan had the nation’s largest unadjusted traffic decrease for the month at 2.3 percent.

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