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Traffic Volume Trends - December 2005

Based on preliminary reports from the State Highway Agencies, travel during December 2005 on all roads and streets in the nation changed by -0.3 percent resulting in estimated travel for the month at 243.2** billion vehicle-miles.

This total includes 86.3 billion vehicle-miles on rural roads and 156.9 billion vehicle-miles on urban roads and streets.

Cumulative Travel changed by +0.1 percent.

Note: Annual travel has been adjusted to match the Highway Performance Monitoring System for 2003. While the adjustment to total travel was less than one percent, rural travel declined 5% and urban travel increased 4% because of this adjustment. The larger changes to rural and urban travel are primarily because of the expansion in urban boundaries reflected in the 2000 census. Travel estimates for 2004 and beyond will also reflect this adjustment.

Travel for the current month, the cumulative yearly total, as well as the moving 12-month total on all roads and streets is shown below.

Travel in Millions of Vehicle Miles
All Roads and Streets

Year December Year to Date Moving 12-Month
1980 124,798 1,520,856 1,520,856
1981 124,421 1,550,269 1,550,269
1982 127,139 1,592,481 1,592,481
1983 129,776 1,649,108 1,649,108
1984 136,095 1,716,770 1,716,770
1985 141,584 1,774,763 1,774,763
1986 149,628 1,838,240 1,838,240
1987 155,580 1,924,328 1,924,328
1988 164,798 2,025,586 2,025,586
1989 167,530 2,107,040 2,107,040
1990 168,621 2,147,501 2,147,501
1991 172,782 2,172,214 2,172,214
1992 180,999 2,247,152 2,247,152
1993 186,828 2,296,705 2,296,705
1994 193,087 2,357,587 2,357,587
1995 193,341 2,422,776 2,422,776
1996 201,462 2,482,201 2,482,201
1997 207,322 2,560,373 2,560,373
1998 216,303 2,625,363 2,625,363
1999 221,465 2,679,459 2,679,459
2000 218,436 2,746,925 2,746,925
2001 229,627 2,795,610 2,795,610
2002 234,233 2,855,508 2,855,508
2003 238,617 2,890,450 2,890,450
2004 243,895 2,962,491 2,962,491
2005 243,135 2,966,895 2,966,895

Traffic Volume Trends is a monthly report based on hourly traffic count data. These data, collected at approximately 4,000 continuous traffic counting locations nationwide, are used to determine the percent change in traffic for the current month compared to the same month in the previous year. This percent change is applied to the travel for the same month of the previous year to obtain an estimate of travel for the current month.

** System entries may not add to give "All Systems" total due to rounding for Page 2 to 8.

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