The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety’s recently released 2023 American Driving Survey shows that overall driving patterns have rebounded from the lowest points reached during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The percentage of Americans who drove at least occasionally remained steady at 95.3% compared to 2022, according to the survey results. Driving trips averaged slightly less than 2.5 per day with a duration of just over an hour and nearly 30 miles. The figures continue the trends observed in the past two years.

Most driving trips taken last year were to run errands (31.1%) or to commute to and from work (22.5%). Most trips began between 11 a.m. to 2:59 p.m. (26.1%) or 3-6:59 p.m. (27.6%).

People living in metropolitan areas and those with a higher level of education tend to drive newer vehicles whereas teenagers and those with a lower level of education are more likely to drive older vehicles, AAA Foundation said.

“Several emerging driving patterns that appeared after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 continued in 2023,” a news release from the foundation states. “Drivers with a high school education or GED drove more miles than those with a bachelor’s degree. Hispanic/Latino drivers had the highest driving durations and miles compared to all other ethnic groups in 2023. Like pre-pandemic data, men spent substantially more time driving daily than women did in 2023.

“The increased use of newer vehicles for longer trips is positive as they typically come equipped with advanced safety features. However, the survey raises concerns as nearly 40% of trips involve vehicles older than 10 years. These vehicles often lack modern safety features and may be in poorer mechanical condition, potentially contributing to a higher risk of crashes.”

Drivers living in the Midwest, West, and South U.S. are more likely to drive older vehicles than those in the Northeast, according to the survey results. Divorced or separated respondents and those who were never married are more likely to drive older vehicles than those who are married.

Projecting results nationwide based on its survey, AAA Foundation found drivers made a total of 229 billion trips and spent 95 billion hours driving, which represented small but not statistically significant increases compared to 2022.

Drivers drove 2.74 trillion miles in 2023, representing a small but not statistically significant decrease relative to 2022, according to the foundation.

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Graphic provided by AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety

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