WASHINGTON, Feb. 19 (BNA) American drivers are back on the road with a vengeance.
The US Department of Transportation said, Friday, that travel on US roads rose 11.2% in December 2021 compared to December 2020, the second consecutive month in which driving exceeded pre-COVID-19 levels.
Experts said the numbers reflect more Americans traveling for leisure, more returning to offices and more deliveries on US roads.
US driving also increased by 11.2% for the whole of 2021, to 3.23 trillion vehicle miles, up from 2.9 trillion miles in 2020. This was the lowest annual total since 2003 as COVID lockdowns significantly reduced road use.
For the whole of 2021, drivers drove 325 billion miles more than they did in 2020. Overall, driving in 2021 was only 1% less than 3.26 trillion miles in 2019.
The Department of Transportation said drivers drove 268.4 billion vehicle miles in December 2021, up 26.9 billion miles from the same month in 2020.
The EIA says average annual consumption of motor gasoline, which decreased by about 1.2 million barrels per day in 2020 from 9.3 million barrels per day in 2019 increased by 0.7 million barrels per day in 2021.
The EIA forecasts “an increase of 0.3 million barrels per day in 2022” and an increase of “less than 0.1 million barrels per day” in 2023. “Leadership trends will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2022 and 2023, but will be offset by continued increases. in vehicle fleet fuel economy,” adding that consumption is expected to remain below 2019 levels.
The Department of Transportation is particularly concerned about the surge in traffic fatalities since 2020.
Traffic deaths rose 12 percent in the first nine months of 2021 to 31,720 — the highest number of deaths on U.S. roads in that period since 2006, according to its preliminary estimates.
Traffic deaths during coronavirus lockdowns rose in 2020 as more drivers engaged in unsafe behavior such as speeding and driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
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