Americans Log More Miles but Fall Short of Peak

The average American drove 8,855 miles by car or light truck last year, up 4.5% from 2013, according to Sivak Applied Research (SAR).

Despite the increase in per capital travel, the average is down nearly 5% from the all-time peak of more than 9,300 miles in 2004. The rate jumped 41% from 1984 to 2004, then slid 9% between 2004 and 2013.

SAR President Michael Sivak offers no reason for the changes over the years. The calculations combine population data from ProQuest with statistics from the Federal Highway Administration about total miles driven by all light-duty vehicles.

Sivak previously was director of Sustainable Worldwide Transportation at the University of Michigan.