by Calculated Risk on 12/27/2011 02:55:00 PM
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
DOT: Vehicle Miles Driven declined 2.3% in October
The Department of Transportation (DOT) reported:
• Travel on all roads and streets changed by -2.3% (-6.0 billion vehicle miles) for October 2011 as compared with October 2010.The following graph shows the rolling 12 month total vehicle miles driven.
• Travel for the month is estimated to be 254.0 billion vehicle miles.
• Cumulative Travel for 2011 changed by -1.4% (-36.0 billion vehicle miles).
![Vehicle Miles](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oG8be2DpbG0/Tvoh683kAhI/AAAAAAAALt8/Kzl1n5Pu2U4/s320/MilesDriven12Oct2011.jpg)
In the early '80s, miles driven (rolling 12 months) stayed below the previous peak for 39 months.
Currently miles driven has been below the previous peak for 47 months - so this is a new record for longest period below the previous peak - and still counting! And not just moving sideways ... the rolling 12 months is declining.
The second graph shows the year-over-year change from the same month in the previous year.
![Vehicle Miles Driven YoY](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iToLHdh-QUI/Tvoh7YjmNxI/AAAAAAAALuE/CVTWv98h0o0/s320/MilesDrivenYoYOct2011.jpg)
This decline is probably due to high gasoline prices and the sluggish economy. Maybe habits are changing ...