How Much Time Do Americans Spend in Their Cars Every Year?

Driving is one of the most important things you can do in life, and it has so many benefits and advantages. There is a lot to keep in mind when it comes to driving, and this is something that is so important for the average American, as it offers them freedom, independence, and greater control over their lives.

So, it is important to understand why cars are so popular and necessary for the way in which Americans live their lives.

With this in mind, it is perhaps useful to understand and figure out just how much Americans rely on their cars, and how often we really get behind the whee.

There is no question that if you have a family, or you live somewhere remote, the car is one of the most important things in your life right now. So, here are the need-to-knows about just how often we Americans actually get behind the wheel of our cars, and what the factors are that can contribute to this as well. 

Best Car Forums: Speaking with other owners in online communities

Background

In order to gain a better understanding of why Americans, and which Americans, spend the time they do in their cars, it is important to consider the different things that play a role in this.

For instance, there are different trends that can tell us who is driving the most, as well as pointing to reasons why this might be the case. The United States Transport Department examines a lot of different trends when it comes to assessing driving trends across the country, and these are a few of the things they discovered.

■ Men tend to drive more than women across the country, averaging a staggering 6,500 miles more each year than women.

■ Elderly drivers are staying behind the wheel for longer than they ever used to. Over-65s are putting in more miles than ever before, and there has been a rise in the number of over-85 drivers.

■ People are driving more, statewide. It’s difficult to put a finger on exactly why this is, but there are a lot of things that play a role in this moving forward.

Miles Per State

Studies have shown that in recent times, Americans are on the roads in record numbers. People are getting behind the wheel more often, and they’re spending longer behind the wheel in the process as well. A study conducted by OnePoll revealed that the average American spends close to 18 days driving per year!

This is a pretty staggering statistic, and when we look more closely at the differences geographically, it makes for interesting reading. For instance, you might not know that the Americans who spend the longest amount of time driving tend to be those in the West (spending 58.9 minutes per day on average).

Now, we can speculate as to why this might be, with the most obvious reason being that Californians spend a lot of time on the roads.

Interestingly, it also appears that drivers situated in the Midwest actually spent the least amount of time per day driving, with an average of around 44.5 minutes.

Demographics

Of course, there are other factors that can play a part in determining why people might choose to spend time driving, and demographics is an important factor to consider here.

There is a wide range of age groups that can and do, spend time on the roads all across the country. Citizens aged at least 16 can legally drive, and looking at the breakdown of which age groups drive the most is interesting. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly, federal data reveals that the age range that drives the most miles each year is 35-45-year-olds record the highest number of average miles driven in a year, which is probably not that surprising considering most will be working professionals with families and jobs they might need to drive to. What is perhaps surprising is that over 65s actually clocked, on average, more miles than 16-19-year-olds!

Risks of Lots of Time Behind the Wheel

There are, of course, risks to spending a lot of time behind the wheel, and this is something you are going to need to keep in mind.

The more time you spend behind the wheel and on the roads, the more you are at risk of having accidents or collisions. This is, of course, a problem for you as a driver, but it’s also going to be something that will potentially cost you a lot of money.

Accidents mean repairs and maintenance work, and this is going to cost a lot, but, even if you don’t have an accident, you are going to need to fork out for gas, not to mention insurance as well. 

There are plenty of things that contribute to the time the average American spends in their car. Of course, cars have become an essential tool in the modern world.

A machine transporting us from A to B, and helping us in the event of emergencies. There are a lot of factors that you need to make sure you consider when using a vehicle, and there is no question that this is one of the key factors in our lives right now.

Make sure you assess this as much as possible and try to recognize the bond you have with your vehicle, and how this can be used to help improve your life in the process as well. 

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS

Similar Stories