American motorists set another record in 2018, driving 12.2 billion more miles than they did in the previous year, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) reported last week. Think Uber, Lyft, Amazon deliveries and a whole lot more. U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao is connecting the dots from higher utilization to safer, well-maintained roads.

“Record-setting vehicle miles traveled reflects a robust economy, lower gas prices, and is another reason to ensure that America’s roads and bridges are well-maintained and modernized to improve safety,” the Secretary said in a release.

FHWA data show (link is external) the country’s drivers logging a mind-boggling 3.225 trillion miles, and cargo and delivery service setting records of their own. “In December 2018,” FHWA reports, “the Freight Transportation Services Index (TSI) was up 2.9% from December 2017 and up 9.8% from December 2016,” the agency states, citing the Bureau of Transportation Statistics.
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