A pair of reports out this week show that Americans drove a lot less in 2020. That’s hardly a shock, given the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, but seeing the numbers behind it gives us a bit more insight into the down auto sales numbers for 2020.
Data comes from two sources, but they largely mirror one another. Ford has released a report based on anonymized information collected from more than 1.5 million connected vehicles that report some driving data back to the automaker. Ford reports that drivers of connected cars made 22 percent fewer trips, for about 20 percent fewer overall miles, in 2020 than they had in 2019.
The dropoff was not uniform throughout the year. Owners of connected Ford vehicles were driving about nine percent more in early 2020 than they had in early 2019. Then the lockdown hit. By the week of April 6 (about a month into shutdowns in most states), drivers were taking 45 percent fewer trips each day than on the same day the previous year. Mileage gradually recovered from that point, though it only approached normal on a single day – Christmas, when Americans drove little this year and little in a normal year.
Less traffic congestion
Navigation company TomTom showed the same pattern in its worldwide traffic congestion study. American cities, TomTom says, saw about 21 percent lighter traffic in 2020 than in 2019. During rush hour, traffic was down an average of 28 percent.
Broken down by month, TomTom’s data mirrors Ford’s – traffic congestion fell dramatically in March when lockdowns began. It hit its low point in April and has gradually increased since. But it isn’t returning to pre-pandemic numbers.
At least, not in the United States. Most of the world, TomTom says, has seen traffic return to 2019 levels. America, leading the world in both COVID-19 cases and deaths, has not.
If you’re driving less, you can often save money by letting your insurance company know. Actuaries calculate the cost of your car insurance based on your risk of getting into an accident, and when you drive less, your risk goes down. Insurance companies will often recalculate your price if you lower your estimated mileage per year. See our Ten Ways to Save Money on Auto Insurance for other money-saving tips.
