The summer road trip. Along with grumbling about orange barrels and the price of gas, it’s an American tradition. DCH Freehold Toyota offers a look at where we go, when we go, and what it costs to get there.
Where
We drive far and wide to see families and friends, cities and National Parks. According to a report by Hotels.com, the top five destinations for Americans traveling within the US back in 2009 were Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, Chicago, and L.A.
We love getting out in the wilderness too. According to the National Park Service, there were approximately 279 million visits to our National Parks in 2011.
When
Summer driving season starts in earnest at the end of May, and boy, do we ever hit those roads! In 2012 the Chicago Tribune noted that “during the Memorial Day holiday, 30.7 million Americans drove to their destinations … according to a DK Shifflet and Associates survey conducted for AAA.”
Statistics from the Federal Highway Administration show the busiest months on the roads are May, June, July, and August. Probably no surprise there, although why do they also seem the busiest months for road construction? In fact, the FHA determined that in August 2012 we drove a staggering 262 billion miles. Yes, that’s billion. No wonder the roads seemed busy last summer!
The cost
We don’t all go visiting our relatives; many of us stay in hotels on our road trips, and depending on where you go, those can be expensive. The same Hotels.com report mentioned above also noted that in 2009 the most expensive states for hotels were New York, Massachusetts, Hawaii, Wyoming, and Rhode Island.
Many people believe the price of gas rises in lockstep with the temperature, but a glance at the charts on Gasbuddy.com shows this isn’t so. Yes, what we pay per gallon rises and falls throughout the year, but there’s no clear correlation with the time of year.
Road travel does, however, have one particularly grim seasonal correlation. Road fatalities peak in August, according to MSN Money. Now we know there are more cars on the roads, but the NHTSA reports accidents rates in terms of deaths per 100 million miles traveled. According to the report, August 2009 saw a “fatality rate of 1.09, compared with 1.08 for September, the second-deadliest month, and 0.94 for March, the safest month. July, at 1.04, is the third-deadliest.”
Why is summertime particularly bad? Insurance company Esurance put forward a number of reasons: more teens on the road, more congestion, and more construction. And could alcohol also have something to do with it? The NHTSA notes that the 4th of July is the most dangerous day to be on the roads.
Take it easy out there
Summertime should be fun, and the road trip should be too. Buckle up, stay safe, and hit the road!
