Summer is peak travel time in the U.S. Families pile into their cars and drive all over the country. Despite people being more conservative with travel because of ever-increasing gas prices, traffic still affects everyone in the U.S.

The Federal Highway Administration and the Texas Transportation Institute report the following facts about driving in the U.S.:

• In 2006, Americans drove more than 3 trillion miles; this is about twice the total mileage traveled in 1980 and more than four times the total mileage traveled in 1957.
• Between 2005 and 2006, U.S. drivers increased the total distance driven by 43.9 billion miles-equivalent to about six trips to Pluto and back.
• Fatal crashes decreased by 1.7 percent from 2005 to 2006, and the fatality rate decreased to 1.41 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel in 2006.
• The injury rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel fell by 5.6 percent from 2005 to 2006.
• Alcohol-related fatalities fell from 60 percent in 1982 to 41 percent in 2006.
• In 2006, midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays was the time period during which the most fatal crashes occurred.
• Nearly 95 percent of the 10.6 million vehicles involved in motor vehicle crashes in 2006 were passenger cars or light trucks.
• In 2005, the annual delay per peak traveler, which is the extra time spent traveling at congested speeds divided by the number of people traveling during the peak period, was 38 hours; it was 14 hours in 1982.
• The total travel delay for the U.S. in 2005 was 4.2 billion hours.
• Delay and fuel cost $78 billion in 2005.

This Web exclusive information is a supplement to Safe Solutions.