Driving trends in Washington State have changed drastically over the last several decades. Jobs have changed from more industrial and agricultural to technical. More people have entered the workforce, and a majority of our homes and jobs have moved to the suburbs. These changes have increased the amount of time in our vehicles and the number of miles we travel.
According to the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT), 92 percent of all trips in the state were made using an automobile. Since 1960, WSDOT found that for commute trips, bus riding has dropped 4.6 percent, carpooling has slipped 10.4 percent, and alternative commute choices such as walking have dropped 3.5 percent.
- From 1960 to 1995 the number of miles driven on Washington's highways rose from 11.4 billion miles per year to 27.6 billion miles.
- In Washington State, the average number of miles traveled per capita rose from 5,991 in 1970 to 9,027 in 1990. This number is expected to rise to 10,448 miles by 2020.
