New Survey Shows How Much US Motorists Drive

Just how much time do you spend on the road in your car these days? If you’re curious, you can compare your stats against the driving habits of average Americans:

  • On average, a US motorist drives 10,658 miles a year. That’s 29.2 miles each day.
  • Generally, drivers in the US drive more miles during the weekdays than they do in the weekends.
  • They also drive the most during the summer months of July to September, with 30.6 miles a day. They tend to stay off the roads more during the winter months of January to March, when they average 25.7 miles a day.
  • Drivers in the Northeast drive the least, with 8,468 miles per year on average. In contrast, motorists in the South average the most with 11,826 miles. That’s probably due to the lack of snow.
  • Middle-aged motorists drive the most, at 13,140 miles per year. At the other end, the teens and the senior drivers past the age of 75 drive the least.
  • Women take more driving trips than men.
  • However, men take longer trips compared to women. They drive 35% more miles and take 25% more time.
  • Those with higher educational attainment tend to drive more and for longer. College grads average 58 minutes behind the wheel driving 37.2 miles per day. This with just some high school education drive just 19.2 miles for 32 minutes a day.

The survey was conducted by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Urban Institute. This data will be combined with the latest crash data so that safety countermeasures can be more accurately evaluated.