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Friday, May 23, 2008

DOT: Vehicle Miles Fell 4.3% in March

by Calculated Risk on 5/23/2008 04:31:00 PM

Graph of 12 month rolling total U.S. vehicle miles added:

U.S. Vehicle Miles Click on graph for larger image.

From the Department of Transportation: Eleven Billion Fewer Vehicle Miles Traveled in March 2008 Over Previous March

Americans drove less in March 2008, continuing a trend that began last November, according to estimates released today from the Federal Highway Administration.
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The FHWA’s “Traffic Volume Trends” report, produced monthly since 1942, shows that estimated vehicle miles traveled (VMT) on all U.S. public roads for March 2008 fell 4.3 percent as compared with March 2007 travel. This is the first time estimated March travel on public roads fell since 1979. At 11 billion miles less in March 2008 than in the previous March, this is the sharpest yearly drop for any month in FHWA history.
It appears that prices are finally impacting demand in the U.S.