With lots of wide-open spaces and a sprawling (though crumbling) system of roads, America has been an ideal country for cars. But a new study from the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute suggests that our long, national love affair with automobiles may be coming to an end. It...Read More»
It's nearly official: 2015 was likely the busiest year ever for automotive travel in the U.S. According to the Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, data from the end of November put America well within range of record territory. During the first 11 months of 2015, U.S...Read More»
We've got good news and bad news for auto safety advocates. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released official fatality statistics for 2014 (that's the good part), and the agency has also unveiled preliminary data from 2015 (that's the bad). Let's start with the good news. In...Read More»
Two curious studies have come out in recent weeks -- curious not because they're suspicious or because they contradict one another, but because they paint an intriguing picture of a changing America. ALSO SEE: Chrysler Readying Plug-In Hybrid Minivan: Would It Fit Your Needs? MILEAGE INCREASING The...Read More»
Back in May, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) published a study that showed Americans are driving less. The PIRG study made a number of intriguing claims, all of which pointed to the fact that driving in the U.S. peaked in 2004. And due to a range of factors -- notably, the increased...Read More»
During the Great Recession, researchers noticed a curious trend: Americans were driving less. Analysts devised numerous theories linking the economic downturn to our driving habits, but according to a recently published study, the two have very little to do with one another. The study was conducted...Read More»
In Virginia, controversy is a-brewin' over Governor Bob McDonnell's plan to eliminate the state's gasoline tax. The funds generated from that tax have traditionally been earmarked for maintenance and construction of Virginia's roads. To replace gas tax revenue, McDonnell plans to do three things...Read More»
According to the Federal Highway Administration, U.S. drivers are spending less time on the road than they have in eight years. The data comes from August 2011, during which cars and trucks traveled 263 billion miles on U.S. roadways. That's a drop of 1.7% compared to August 2010, and perhaps more...Read More»
Is driving—and America's automobile-centric lifestyle—largely to blame for our obesity problem? It's not surprising that driving and obesity are linked. And now Sheldon Jacobson, a professor, researcher, and data analysis expert at the University of Illinois claims to have found an...Read More»
Our battered economy might have changed how often Americans upgrade the vehicles in their garages, but it hasn't stopped us from getting in our cars and driving. Oddly, with commuter driving likely significantly down because of higher unemployment, Americans drove about three trillion total miles...Read More»
