Survey shows an eight percent increase since 2014
Americans spend an additional 20 minutes driving each week, according to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The study compares Americans’ driving habits from 2016-17 to 2014-15. Video Sound Bite for Media
Study Findings
- On average, U.S. drivers spend nearly an hour a day behind the wheel, traveling 31.5 miles – a five percent increase from 2014
- Each week, drivers travel more than 220 miles
- Americans drive nearly 11,498 miles every year – the equivalent of making two round trip drives from Orlando to San Francisco
- Over the course of the year, Americans collectively spent 70 billion hours behind the wheel – an eight percent increase since 2014
“As your time behind the wheel increases, so does your risk of being involved in a crash,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman, AAA – The Auto Club Group. “The longer you stay behind the wheel, the more likely you are to experience fatigue, distraction, and impatience; which are all major contributors to vehicle crashes. AAA urges drivers to stay alert and focused on driving. This can save the lives of you, your passengers and the other people on the road.”
| Driving Data Point | 2014-2015 | 2016-2017 | Percent change |
| Number of driving trips/day | 2.16 | 2.22 | 2.8% (+) |
| Time spent driving (minutes)/day | 48.0 | 51.0 | 6.3% (+) |
| Number of miles driven/day | 29.9 | 31.5 | 5.4% (+) |
| Driving Population (millions) | 222.2 | 225.8 | 1.6% (+) |
Additional Survey Findings
Demographics
- Men spend 19 percent more time behind the wheel and drive 27 percent more miles than women.
- People who are married or living with a partner spend at least 12 percent more time driving than those who are not.
- Drivers aged 75+ are spending, on average 34.8 minutes a day driving- a 23 percent increase from 2014.
Regional
- Drivers in the West spend the most time driving (58.9 minutes per day), followed by drivers in the Northeast (51.1 minutes), South (49.9 minutes) and Midwest (44.5 minutes) regions.
- The number of individuals who report driving in the Midwest region dropped three percent, while the number of drivers in the Northeast, South and Western regions increased or remained the same.
Study Methodology
The new results are part of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s American Driving Survey, which reveals the driving habits of the American public. The survey data are from a representative sample of 11,804 drivers who provided information about their driving on randomly selected days between January 1, 2014 and December 31, 2017.
About AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety
Established in 1947 by AAA, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety is a nonprofit, publicly funded, 501(c)(3) charitable research and educational organization. The AAA Foundation’s mission is to prevent traffic deaths and injuries by conducting research into their causes and by educating the public about strategies to prevent crashes and reduce injuries when they do occur. This research is used to develop educational materials for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users. Visit www.AAAFoundation.org.
About The Auto Club Group
The Auto Club Group (ACG) is the second largest AAA club in North America. ACG and its affiliates provide membership, insurance, financial services and travel offerings to over 9.8 million members across eleven states and two U.S. territories including Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; most of Illinois and Minnesota; and a portion of Indiana. ACG belongs to the national AAA federation with more than 59 million members in the United States and Canada and whose mission includes protecting and advancing freedom of mobility and improving traffic safety. Motorists can map a route, identify gas prices, find discounts, book a hotel, and access AAA roadside assistance with the AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile. Visit AAA on the Internet at AAA.com.