Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Cars

The Fuzzy Math in the Road Lobby’s Memo to Congress

ARTBA would prefer that you not look too closely at this graph. Thank you for your cooperation. Image: Doug Short/##http://www.investing.com/analysis/vehicle-miles-driven:-another-population-adjusted-low-206969##Investing##
ARTBA would prefer that you not look too closely at this graph. Thank you for your cooperation. Graph: Doug Short/Investing
ARTBA would prefer that you not look too closely at this graph. Thank you for your cooperation. Image: Doug Short/##http://www.investing.com/analysis/vehicle-miles-driven:-another-population-adjusted-low-206969##Investing##

Don’t know what to make of the news that U.S. driving rates have dropped for the ninth year in a row? Looking for guidance about whether your state or city should be wantonly expanding roads or investing in transit, biking, and walking? The road lobby thinks you should turn to them for independent, unbiased analysis of these trends. Never fear, the road lobby says: Americans are driving more than ever. Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain. More lanes for everybody!

That’s the word from the American Road & Transportation Builders Association, which issued a memo Friday [PDF] to Congressional aides clarifying some “false claims” about transportation trends.

In virtually every recent congressional hearing and many media reports about federal transportation policy, the false claim that “Americans are driving less” emerges in some capacity. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) data show U.S. vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased 0.3 percent in 2012 and 0.6 percent in 2013. The upward trend is anticipated to continue well into the future as the nation’s economy and population continues to grow. This factual disconnect confuses discussions about the relative viability of various means to stabilize the Highway Trust Fund and support future federal highway and public transportation investments. The reality is that American driving trends are driven largely by macro-economic forces, not agenda-seizing assertions about shifts in societal behavior.

Take that, agenda seizers! See, VMT is increasing -- albeit slower than the population, and slower than transit ridership. Drivers have already made up a third of the miles "lost" since the recession (and surely they'll make up the rest any day now). The last 70 months of stagnant driving is nothing but a blip. Right?

Actually, if you look at per capita driving, it’s been 102 months of solid decline now.

The road lobby wants to convince Congress that driving will start growing steadily again. State DOTs have been making the same prediction for years, and they've been wrong every time:

VMT predictions from U.S. DOT, compared with actual VMT. Ain't no reality check obvious enough. Image: ##http://www.ssti.us/2014/03/u-s-dot-highway-travel-demand-estimates-continue-to-overshoot-reality/##SSTI##
VMT predictions from U.S. DOT (collected from the states), compared to actual VMT. Image: ##http://www.ssti.us/2014/03/u-s-dot-highway-travel-demand-estimates-continue-to-overshoot-reality/##SSTI##
VMT predictions from U.S. DOT, compared with actual VMT. Ain't no reality check obvious enough. Image: ##http://www.ssti.us/2014/03/u-s-dot-highway-travel-demand-estimates-continue-to-overshoot-reality/##SSTI##

Though ARTBA charges that “the reported VMT decline between 2007 and 2011 has been seized by those whose aim is to push for federal policy that prioritizes non-automobile forms of transportation,” the organization is unabashedly pushing for antiquated and unsustainable policies that entrench automobile dependence and relentless roadway expansion:

Each year, the U.S. population grows just under three million, and the number of licensed drivers grows two million. With each driver in the U.S. averaging just under 12,000 miles per year, population growth alone will drive VMT up about 25 billion miles per year.

Sure, in the nineties, there were years in which VMT grew by up to 87 billion miles. Even as recently as 2005, driving spiked 72 billion miles over the course of a single year. But no longer. Total driving has dropped an average of 3.6 billion miles a year for the last eight years.

No one knows exactly what will happen in the future. But when the current shift away from driving offers the potential to unlock a healthier and more sustainable future, with expanded transportation options and all the benefits of reducing automobile dependence, why would we follow ARTBA’s prescription and bet the bank on outdated modes?

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Localities Subsidize the State DOT

Adie Tomer of Brookings on how to improve regional coordination around infrastructure.

July 10, 2025

Five of the Ugliest Transportation Policies In the ‘Big, Beautiful’ Bill

Here's a rundown of some of the transportation provisions in the Republicans' reconciliation package, and what they might mean for your community.

July 10, 2025

Viva La Thursday’s Headlines

Why is French transit ridership up 10 percent since before the pandemic, while American transit ridership is down 23 percent?

July 10, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Are Bigger and Beautiful-er

There's a lot of bad news in the Big Beautiful Bill — but it also may have helped kill a major highway expansion in Oregon.

July 9, 2025

Removing ‘Rainbow Crosswalks’ Won’t Make America’s Arterials Safer

Secretary Duffy wants to tackle dangerous arterials. So why is he coming after rainbow crosswalks most often seen on narrow city roads?

July 9, 2025

The ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Is About Our Transportation Future, Too

Transportation didn't get a lot of mention in the public discussion of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. But it's everywhere.

July 8, 2025
See all posts