Primary source info on driving habits?

September 29, 2007 12:54 PM

I'm trying to find statistics on driving in the U.S.

I'm really interested in plug-in hybrid cars, and a lot of the informational material I've seen cites statistics about how many miles the average car is driven per day. (I'm pretty sure that these stats cover the US only, but I'm not sure.)

I'd very much like to see the primary source for this information. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to exist in any of the places I'd expect it to. I've scoured the EPA, DOT, FHA, and DOE websites for studies from which it could have come. Googling and even searching the journal databases that my university subscribes to point me in the direction of studies about drunk driving and bad driving habits -- neither of which I care about (for the purposes of my interest in plug-in hybrids, anyway). I'm at a loss.

Can the Hive Mind help me find the information I'm looking for? All I really need is the miles per day info, but any statistics on average driving time per day, difference between certain cities, or differences between urban and rural areas would be welcome bonuses.

Thanks in advance.

posted by dondiego87 to travel & transportation (7 comments total)

Start here: Bureau of Transportation Statistics Data Library (Mode: Highway)
posted by desjardins at 1:12 PM on September 29, 2007

Have you tried contacting the manufacturers of the hybrids you're interested in?
posted by rhizome at 1:15 PM on September 29, 2007

Rather than looking at the departmental sites themselves, I would look at the GPO; its mandate is to provide the public access to governmental reports.
posted by B-squared at 2:47 PM on September 29, 2007

Data is from 2000, but there should be some stuff here in the Statistical Abstract of the U.S.
posted by marxchivist at 8:55 PM on September 29, 2007

Try the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Alternatively, check Triple A, which is where I first saw the NHTSA mentioned as a source. I saw another article in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune citing AAA & this stat: "The average car is driven 11,725 miles each year, compared with 10,277 miles in 1990."

JASON HALL (jason.hall AT herald-trib DOT com)
Gas prices exceed the soar point But one analyst says the $1.60-per-gallon cost might head down for summer travelers.
May 5th, 2001
Sarasota Herald-Tribune

That works out to 32.1 miles a day (for 2001) and 28.1 miles a day for 1990.
posted by sociolibrarian at 9:09 PM on September 29, 2007

As desjardins said, BTS should have what you're looking for. The term most likely used will be "vehicle miles travelled".

Here are the State Transportation Statistics from 2006 which has some of the information. And here are the more statistics from earlier years and broken down by state.

As an almost-transportation librarian, I feel like I'd be remiss if I didn't give a plug for TRIS, which is a transportation only database which is free to use but lacks publicity. It's sponsored by the National Transportaiton Library.
posted by kendrak at 8:49 AM on September 30, 2007

I finally found what I was looking for at http://nhts.ornl.gov/publications.shtml. I do not remember how I ended up stumbling upon it, but it was probably through following one of these tips. Thank you all for your help.
posted by dondiego87 at 2:31 PM on October 2, 2007