Why America stopped driving

[Brandon]

Why America stopped driving

Miles driven per American peaked in 2005, and have since declined 8.8%. This has never happened before. From 1900 to 2007, vehicle miles driven increased every year except 1932, during the Great Depression, according to data from the Department of Transportation. It's now declined in three of the past five years. From 1971 to 2005, miles driven per person increased every year expect 1975. That figure has now declined in each of the last eight years.

But it's not because people are walking, biking, or taking public transit.

The most important group of drivers are those age 35 to 54. They're in their prime working years, driving an average of 15,291 miles per year, according to the Department of Transportation. But driving falls off quickly as people move into retirement. Americans age 55 to 64 drive fewer than 12,000 miles per year, on average. And Americans age 65 and older drive an average of only 7,650 miles per year -- half what they drove in their prime working years.

It's because they're getting old and retiring.

[Zeffy]

I would be driving if I had my own car.

[Henry]

Both of my parents still drive, but now they're doing it in and around Chicago.

[Brandon]

Thing is, this doesn't bode well for transit advocates either.  As the population grows older and retires, they'll both drive less and use transit less as they no longer need either for the commute to/from work.

A good question is, what happens to cemetery space when all these baby boomers die off?

[formulanone]

You also don't have to drive as far to get food, clothing, supplies, and entertainment. Having worked in a luxury car dealership, the yearly mileage decrease-by-age increase doesn't surprise me in the least; the last item mentioned above can be replaced with cable/satellite TV. And older folks typically desire less stuff on a regular basis.

There's always some out-of-way farmland for a new cemetery, never mind that more folks are opting for cremation.

[KEK Inc.]

I live in Seattle for school, and I work 5 miles away from my school/residence.  I don't need a car here...   I get by fine with a bike or bus transit.  I get free bus fare anywhere in King County through UW (except for the ferries), yet my workplace isn't near the desired bus route, so it's faster to bike (~20 minutes from my house; 15 minutes from campus).

I don't see the point of paying for car insurance, gas and parking when I could get a little exercise just going to where I need to go.

Another thing to consider regarding senior citizens are retirement resorts.  Everything they need is in one place, and they have the fossil buses that take them to the grocery stores or malls.

[nexus73]

Go the other way for age.  When I was 17 in the summer of 1973, I paid $100 for my first car which was 9 years old, $90 for six months insurance and $2 to transfer the title.  My first paycheck was $200 and that meant I had enough to fill the gas tank since regular gas was like 29 cents a gallon.  Cheap!

What does a kid face today?  Yikes!  We're losing miles driven on both ends of the age spectrum.  Besides today's kids have all the tech toys to keep them busy!  Who has time to think about 20th century tech like cars?  LOL!

Rick

[lepidopteran]

Don't forget the impact of telecommuting and teleconferencing.  Even apps like Skype might help reduce the need to meet in person.  And  with online retail, there's less need to drive to multiple stores to comparison shop, though one of the biggest forms of retail, online shopping for groceries, has yet to catch on in any big way. And then there's the schools and colleges that offer online courses.

[Pete from Boston]

Go the other way for age.  When I was 17 in the summer of 1973, I paid $100 for my first car which was 9 years old, $90 for six months insurance and $2 to transfer the title.  My first paycheck was $200 and that meant I had enough to fill the gas tank since regular gas was liek 29 cents a gallon.  Cheap!

What does a kid face today?  Yikes!  We're losing miles driven on both ends of the age spectrum.  Besides today's kids have all the tech toys to keep them busy!  Who has time to think about 20th century tech like cars?  LOL!

Rick

Gas was the same price, adjusted for inflation, when I was in my 20s in the 90s.  Driving my 36mpg '87 Accord, going to Chicago cost $60 round-trip in gas, and the extra time over flying was a reasonable tradeoff.   

Between lower gas mileage and the tripled price of gas, that trip now would cost me something like $260 for fuel alone.  Flying now compares favorably for a trip of that length.

[leroys73]

I don't have to make as many trips to the liquor store now as an old fart since I am not suppose to drink as much.

Chasing women has been cut down a lot too.

Also running my three daughters all over the state for school functions and social events has cut into my mileage since they are considered grown. 

[Zeffy]

Go the other way for age.  When I was 17 in the summer of 1973, I paid $100 for my first car which was 9 years old, $90 for six months insurance and $2 to transfer the title.  My first paycheck was $200 and that meant I had enough to fill the gas tank since regular gas was liek 29 cents a gallon.  Cheap!
Rick

The lowest I'm seeing for acquiring a car (with insurance) is at least $2000 - now add the stupidly expensive price of gas ($3.16ish around here in New Jersey) and yeah, it's expensive.

[pctech]

Everything associated with driving has gotten more expensive. (cost of auto, fuel, insurance, etc.) Real earnings for the bottom 90% have been flat/declining for decades. Aging population is also part of decline, as is a trend to move back to cities from the "burbs" and improving public transportation in a lot of places. (alas not in Baton Rouge)

[agentsteel53]

America's stopped driving?  I've seen the traffic on my commute steadily increasing since 2012 when I first moved to where I currently live.  I've had to go from "try not to be on the road between 8.30 and 9.30" to "be on the road by 5.15 or risk major slowdowns".

[PColumbus73]

I personally hate living in a place where I have to drive everywhere. I enjoy driving and I love road trips, but $3-4 per gallon for gas is absurd. I would prefer living in a city with a reliable mass transit system and/or that is very walkable.

[Alps]

America's stopped driving?  I've seen the traffic on my commute steadily increasing since 2012 when I first moved to where I currently live.  I've had to go from "try not to be on the road between 8.30 and 9.30" to "be on the road by 5.15 or risk major slowdowns".

America takes a lot fewer leisure trips by car as a result of the economy and gas prices. More trips total, but a lot more short ones for commutes and errands.

[agentsteel53]

America takes a lot fewer leisure trips by car as a result of the economy and gas prices. More trips total, but a lot more short ones for commutes and errands.

those latter ones are the trips that I'm seeking to eliminate... simply because of all the jackasses on the road!

[froggie]

America's stopped driving?  I've seen the traffic on my commute steadily increasing since 2012 when I first moved to where I currently live.  I've had to go from "try not to be on the road between 8.30 and 9.30" to "be on the road by 5.15 or risk major slowdowns".

Your local mileage may vary (pun intended), but there has definitely been a trend of fewer overall miles driven.  Minnesota hit "peak VMT" (if you will) statewide in 2007.  While a few individual counties continued to see their VMT increase since then, statewide VMT overall hasn't, though 2012 did register an increase over 2011.

[cpzilliacus]

It's because they're getting old and retiring.

Or because they are unemployed or underemployed.