An annual AAA survey reveals pandemic-induced driving patterns that appear to have stuck.
The 2023 American Driving Survey found that in a trend that stretches back to 2021, people without college degrees spent more time driving last year than did those with bachelor’s degrees and that Hispanic drivers clocked the most time on the road and miles driven than any other ethnic group.
Though the report doesn’t offer analysis of the findings, it would seem to point to the continued prevalence of remote work among many white-collar professionals since the pandemic. Many companies have struggled to coax those workers back to the office, and some switched to all-remote work permanently.
AAA surveyed about 5,100 drivers, basing estimates on mean numbers of trips, time driven, and miles.
Miles driven overall didn’t change significantly year-over-year, AAA found. It said drivers made about 2.4 trips per day for just over an hour on the road and 29 miles on the odometer.
Speaking of odometers, the survey also reveals that a signficiant percentage of driving is being done in vehicles on the old side: 40% of trips taken last year were in cars 10 years old or older, which jives with the trend of many people keeping their cars longer due to still-inflated new-vehicle prices.
