Dataset of the Day: Less Drivers on American Roads, Easier Thanksgiving Commute?

The US Department of Transportation through the Federal Highway Administration recently put out a report on “Traffic Volume Trends Across the USA.” The report looks at the amount of vehicle miles recorded by state. It compares the figure recorded in the months of August 2007 and September 2007 with figures from those months in 2008. A % change between the years is also given. This data is now available on Finder! and can be viewed in Maker! Below are the datasets that can be found on Finder! and the map below shows the % change figure from September 2007 to September 2008 in the dataset “America cuts down on driving, USA, Sept 07 and 08” in Maker! The lighter colors of orange and yellow on the map shows states that have seen the greatest drops in vehicle-miles.

1. Urban America cuts down on driving, USA, Sept 07 and 08
2. Urban America cuts down on driving, USA, Aug 07 and 08
3. Rural America cuts down on driving, USA, Sept 07 and 08
4. Rural America cuts down on driving, USA, Aug 07 and 08
5. America cuts down on driving, USA, Sept 07 and 08
6. America cuts down on driving, USA, Aug 07 and 08

It is obvious to say that the amount of vehicle miles has dropped as a whole across the nation. The chart below shows how the change is a big turnaround in what the trends have been. In 2008 the miles have dropped greatly.

The most obvious reason for the drop in mileage has been the increase in gas prices that commuters have been experiencing in the past year or two. With such high prices commuters have had to find ways to limit their driving to save money. So it is easy to say that high gas prices cause commuters to stay off the roads more than they had in the past.

So will the miles continue to drop? Will our Thanksgiving commutes be traffic free? If you notice the prices at the pump today you will probably predict that the miles will not continue to drop and that this Thanksgiving will be full of traffic. “Prices have dropped dramatically and are reaching prices that we have not seen in years.”

It is my prediction that people will be traveling more than usual this holiday season because the price of gas is now low again and it will not tie them down financially as it did earlier this year. This is only a prediction though and will be followed shortly in another blog soon to come.