Motorists Drive Record 273 Billion Miles in October
Motorists logged 273.5 billion miles on U.S. roads in October, a 2.4% increase over last year and the most ever for the month, according to data released on Dec. 16 by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The fresh numbers are the latest piece of evidence showing a sustained U.S. road revival that has been fueled by a rout in global petroleum prices and a growing U.S. economy.
The national average price for gasoline on Dec. 16 was $2.01 per gallon, down from $2.52 a year ago, according to AAA, the motorists' advocacy organization.
This year through October, motorists traveled 3.12 trillion vehicle miles on U.S. roads, a 3.4 percent increase over last year.
Driving activity in the United States is closely watched since the country accounts for about 10% of global gasoline demand.
U.S. refiners continued to benefit from the surge in driving demand that has buoyed crack spreads and profits, as they ran their plants at full tilt to take advantage of the increased demand.
