William B. Cassidy | Mar 02, 2011 11:41AM EST
Americans took to the road in increasing numbers last year, taking advantage of relatively low fuel prices as increased confidence in the economic recovery.
The nation's highway traffic hit its highest level since the pre-recession era last year, as Americans drove 3 trillion miles, the Department of Transportation said.
Americans drove 20.5 billion more vehicle miles in 2010 than in 2009, a 0.7 percent year-over-year increase, according to the Federal Highway Administration.
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December was the 10th consecutive month of increased driving, as more Americans joined the economic recovery and enjoyed comparatively low fuel prices.
A bloc of eight Southern states from Texas to Kentucky saw the greatest regional increase in December, logging 46.6 billion vehicle miles traveled, the FHWA said.
-- Contact William B. Cassidy at wcassidy@joc.com.
