Commuting Facts: Statewide

• Driving Alone is Expensive
  In 1996, on average, drive-alone commuters were spending $1,602 a year more on their commutes than they were in 1988.
• High Cost of Driving
  Traffic deaths, automobile-related injuries, and property damage cost us about over $1.1 billion per year. More than we spend on all roads from our gas tax.
• Automobile Trips
  Statewide, 92 percent of all trips are made using the automobile. This trend is expected to continue into 2020.
• Single Occupant Drivers
  Between 1960 and 1990 the number of Washington workers driving to work alone increased by 18.7 percent.
• More Miles Traveled
  Between 1970 and 1995, the growth in vehicle miles traveled in the state rose 141.5 percent.
• Automobile Ownership
  The number of cars operating in the state in 1990 was 4.1 million. This number is expected to grow to over 5 million by the year 2000.
• Pollution Producing
  The average car releases about 700 pounds of pollution into the air each year. For every 36 miles you drive, you produce two pounds of pollution.
• Working from Home
  Current national trends toward working from home will save approximately 1.5 billion gallons of motor fuel per year by 2002.
• The Paving of America
  One-half of the land area of our cities and suburbs is dedicated to roads, parking and driveways. In fact, paved areas and vehicle storage account for more developed space in the United States than does housing.
• Slowing Down
  In 1990, 548 miles of roadway statewide were affected with slowdowns due to congestion. By 1995, this had jumped to 795 miles of roads.
• Purchasing Power
  As families become more prosperous one of the first things they want is a car. Worldwide, each one percent increase in average household income means a 2 percent increase in the number of cars.
• More Cars than Drivers
  In 1997, some 198 million cars, motorcycles and light trucks were registered in the United States; well over one for every licensed driver.
• The Cost of Delays
  In 1994, economists put the annual cost of driving delays in the United States at $48 billion, or about 0.7 percent of GDP.
• Road Rage
  "Road rage" has been increasing 7 percent per year since 1990, with an estimated 1,800 reported incidents of violent road behavior in the United States in 1996.
• Fewer Roads Needed
  If workers in the nation's 339 largest cities worked from home (about two-thirds of the U.S. population), the need for 7,300 to 11,200 miles of highways could be eliminated by 2010.
• Health Problems
  In the United States, damage to human health and the environment from motor vehicle use is estimated at up to $93 billion per year.
• Staying Home Helps the Air
  Companies that allow employees to work from home just two days a week help eliminate 3,475 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, 123 pounds of carbon monoxide and 12 pounds each of volatile organic compounds and nitrogen oxide per worker a year.