Americans Drove Three Trillion Miles in 2010

By now, most people in the world have heard about the 50 mile-long commutes Americans do on their 10-lane highways to get to work. Though intriguing, this information only becomes relevant once you look at the bigger picture. According to the US Department of Transportation, motorists have covered a grand total of three trillion (yes, with a ‘t’) miles last year.

What’s even more amazing is the fact that this is only the third-highest such figure ever recorded and the most that vehicles have traveled since 2007. It's also a 0.7 percent increase - 20.5 billions more miles - as compared to the previous year.

Rural Interstate saw the most significant increase in miles traveled last year versus 2009, about 2 percent more. However, overall urban miles traveled were down 0.2 percent - most likely revealing a decrease in commuter miles.

“More driving means more wear and tear on our nation’s roads and bridges,” said Secretary LaHood. “This new data further demonstrates why we need to repair the roads and bridges that are the lifeblood of our economy.”

The report says that the South Gulf area, a bloc of eight states ranging from Texas to Kentucky, saw the biggest increase in December 2010: 46.6 billion, an increase of 624 million traveled compared to the previous December.

Despite the increased travel distances, traffic fatalities in 2010 were at their lowest since the 1950s.

On average, the Moon is situated at a distance of about 240,000 miles, so US drivers have covered the combined distance to Earth’s satellite and back to Earth again a total of 6.25 million times.