State of traffic along US roads 2020-2022

In the United States much like other countries around the world, drivers gradually made their way back onto roads in 2021. However, are things back to normal? 

For more on what to expect in terms of fleet and mobility in 2022, including risk mitigation and flexibility, download Global Fleet's latest e-book on the matter.

In this snapshot about the state of road transportation in the US, I will give you an idea of the distance commuters are traveling, the types of energy they are using, and shed light on the traffic situation in the countries most congested cities. 

Before talking about distance traveled, we must note the number of people that like to stay at home.  While approximately 65 million (20% of the population) favored staying at home on average in 2019 just before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number increased to an average of 80 million in 2020.

The year 2021 started quite high with nearly 100 million people (30% of population) staying at home but it tapered off during the year, falling to just over 70 million by year-end, according to the 2021 transportation statistics report of the US Department of Transportation.

This equates to 5 million more people staying home or less than 2% of the country’s population so it might be safe to say that business is back to normal in 2022.

In terms of miles traveled, driver activity plummeted in the second quarter of 2020 and then gradually increased in the second semester. While passenger vehicle activity was 10% below pre-pandemic (2019) levels by the end of 2020, the activity of trucks was nearly 10% up. 

As for 2021, both passenger vehicle and truck activity increased with the former returning back to pre-pandemic levels by year end 2021. And as truck travel remained up by some 9%, we can say that road travel in 2022 is business as usual.

freeway system in Los Angeles, home to some of the worst traffic conditions in the United States (source: Shutterstock)

Gasoline is the dominate choice of vehicle energy by far in the United States. In 2Q21, it represented 43% of the transportation fuel market and nearly 90% of the CO2 emissions produced by the transportation sector (includes air travel). 

Ethanol represented another 10% and electricity accounted for less than 1% of vehicle energy supply. The rest were biodiesel, biomass, natural gas, and jet fuel, according to the report.

Keep in mind that nearly 10% of new vehicles purchased in the US in 2021 were either hybrid or fully electric. As we can see, these vehicles are being bought but there is still a huge gap in miles traveled by electrified vehicles.

Now, with all these cars back on the road, it is back to dealing with the problem of urban congestion, right? Well, yes it has come back to a certain extent, but the situation is slightly better than in the past and it is likely due to those 5 million people staying at home.  

Before January 2020 (pre-pandemic), there were 10 US cities categorized as being congested, meaning that the average speed driven on interstate highways was less than 85% of the municipalities free-flow speed.  

While traffic improved during 2020 and parts of 2021 owing to shutdowns, heavy traffic returned by the second quarter of 2021. Congestion, however, never returned to pre-pandemic levels as you can see below. Note that higher percentage means higher speeds and more free-flowing traffic.

As you can see, the situation in these cities have improved slightly but they are still considered congested except for Atlanta.  As for 2022, we have yet to see how traffic will pan-out but if I were you, I would still allow time for possible grid locks to make it to your appointment on time.  

Photo: US road transport illustration (source: Shutterstock)