Driving on the decline

The US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) and the Frontier Group have released a report showing that by 2011, the average American was driving 6 percent fewer miles per year than in 2004.

Especially interesting are these findings:

The trend away from driving has been led by young people. From 2001 and 2009, the average annual number of vehicle-miles traveled by young people (16 to 34-year-olds) decreased from 10,300 miles to 7,900 miles per capita—a drop of 23 percent. The trend away from steady growth in driving is likely to be long-lasting—even once the economy recovers.