FHWA 17-08
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Contact: Doug Hecox
Tel.: (202) 366-0660
American Driving Reaches Eighth Month of Steady Decline
Trend Signals Urgent Need for New Highway Financing, Officials Say
WASHINGTON – New data released today by the U.S. Department of Transportation
show that, since last November, Americans have driven 53.2 billion miles less
than they did over the same period a year earlier – topping the 1970s’ total
decline of 49.3 billion miles.
“We can’t afford to continue pinning our transportation network’s future to the
gas tax,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. “Advances in higher
fuel-efficiency vehicles and alternative fuels are making the gas tax an even
less sustainable support for funding roads, bridges and transit systems.”
Americans drove 4.7 percent less, or 12.2 billion miles fewer, in June 2008 than
June 2007. The decline is most evident in rural travel, which has fallen by 4
percent – compared to the 1.2 percent decline in urban miles traveled – since
the trend began last November.
Last month, Secretary Peters unveiled the USDOT’s transportation reform plan
which offers lawmakers several options to consider when Congress takes up
highway and transit legislation next year. “It really makes little sense to try
to upgrade our infrastructure using a revenue source as ineffective,
unsustainable and unpopular as the fuel tax,” she added.
“Secretary Peters’ plan to overhaul our nation’s transportation investment
strategy begins the much-needed transition away from status quo solutions that
produce status quo results. Her plan strengthens the abilities of state and
local officials to integrate effective transit and highway solutions to meet
Americans’ ever-changing travel demands,” said Acting Federal Highway
Administrator Jim Ray.
As Americans drive fewer miles, less revenue is generated for the Highway Trust
Fund from gasoline and diesel sales – 18.4 cents per gallon and 24.4 cents per
gallon, respectively. During the first quarter of 2008, motorists consumed
nearly 400 million fewer gallons of gasoline, or about 1.3 percent less than
during the same period in 2007, and 7 percent less – or 318 million gallons – of
diesel.
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) collects vehicle-miles-traveled data
for all motor vehicles through more than 4,000 automatic traffic recorders
operated round-the-clock by state highway agencies. To review the FHWA’s
“Traffic Volume Trends” reports, including that of June 2008, visit
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ohim/tvtw/tvtpage.htm.
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