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The average yearly mileage is the number of miles that motorists typically travel in a year. Knowing the average annual mileage assists you to make more informed purchasing decisions. Furthermore, it instructs you on your personal driving habits and how they relate to those of others.
What Is the Average Mileage Driven by Motorists Each Year?
According to the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation, the average person travels around 13,500 miles each year. This is the greatest average annual mileage in American history. It adds up to well over 1000 kilometers per month.
Is there anything I can learn from my annual mileage?
Knowing how many miles you drive each year can help you learn a lot of things, like:
- As a driver, how you drive compares to the way other people drive.
- If a secondhand car has been used a lot or not at all, and if you might be able to get a low-mileage insurance discount. These special deals are available from most of the big car insurance companies.
- Make a comparison each year between how many miles you drive and what people in your area drive.
What Factors Affect Average Annual Mileage?
When considering average mileage, there are numerous important pieces of information to take into consideration. These include:
- Drivers in roughly 70% of U.S. states are driving more each year. According to this CarInsurance.com report, we are relying more on personal vehicles to get around each year. Oregon has typically had the highest annual rise in average miles per year.
- Annual automobile insurance premiums for men are higher than those for women. This is because men, on average, travel more miles than women. The average American male travels 16,550 miles per year, whereas the average female travels 10,142 miles. Men are at a higher risk of car accidents because they spend 63 percent more time behind the wheel.
- Senior driving is becoming more popular. While younger drivers are hesitant to get behind the wheel, elderly value independence. Drivers over the age of 65 are keeping their licenses for longer than previous generations of seniors. They are also driving more.
- Teens are obtaining driver’s licenses in smaller numbers than prior generations. In the 1980s, 46% of teenagers possessed a valid driver’s license. This percentage was only 24% in 2015. This could be due to the dwindling middle class or the desire of many parents want their children to wait longer before driving. While the general number of young drivers has decreased in recent years, the number of teen drivers has climbed.
What Should I Keep in Mind When Using Mileage Statistics to Purchase a Car?
The majority of Americans now drive more frequently than in the past. This is true for people of all ages, backgrounds, genders, and socioeconomic statuses. This means that the majority of secondhand vehicles now have higher mileage than they did previously. You may have to accept a vehicle that has accumulated more kilometers than you anticipated or upgrade to a more recent model. Calculate your annual mileage versus your budget to determine the best vehicle for you.
Which state’s residents drive the most miles per year on average?
According to the Department of Transportation, Wyoming residents drive the most miles per year on average. The top 10 states with the highest average annual miles are as follows:
- Wyoming: 21,821 miles
- Georgia: 18,920 miles
- Oklahoma: 18,891 miles
- New Mexico: 18,369 miles
- Minnesota: 17,887 miles
- Indiana: 17,821 miles
- Mississippi: 17,699 miles
- Missouri: 17,396 miles
- Kentucky: 17,370 miles
- Texas: 16,347 miles
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Which state’s residents drive the least miles per year on average?
Alaskans and Arkansans, on average, drive the fewest miles each year. The residents of both states drive an average of 9,915 miles per year. Other states with relatively low annual mileage averages include the following:
- California: 14,435 miles
- Florida: 11,836 miles
- New York: 11,871 miles
Which Demographic Drives the Most Miles Per Year on Average?
On average, American men aged 35 to 54 travel the most miles each year. Every year, they travel an average of 18,858 miles.
Which demographic has the lowest average annual mileage?
Women over the age of 65 in the United States drive the fewest miles per year on average. They travel an average of 4785 miles every year.
How Does Annual Mileage Effect Your Car Insurance?
Your annual mileage has a direct impact on how much you pay for auto insurance. Drivers who spend more time on the road are more likely to submit an insurance claim than infrequent drivers who are less likely to be involved in an accident.
Insurance companies anticipate your risk and set your cost based on the number of miles you drive each year, as well as other characteristics such as age and experience. When drivers seek for coverage, insurers often ask about their average yearly mileage. It’s best to calculate an accurate mileage estimate based on how much you drive.
While there may be no legal consequences for underestimating your annual mileage on the application, it may become a problem if you are involved in an accident. If a claim is filed, the insurer will learn the vehicle’s mileage. Some businesses require odometer reading updates. Other carriers may do random mileage checks to avoid “soft fraud” when data falls below the average number of miles.
In Conclusion
Understanding the average number of kilometers driven per year can teach us a lot about our own driving habits as well as the driving patterns of those around us. Remember to verify the most recent statistics because the average number of miles driven per year changes on a yearly basis.
The average person travels around 13,500 miles each year. Knowing the average annual mileage assists you to make more informed purchasing decisions. For instance, if your car is only good for 10,000 miles per year and you are driving 20 percent more than that then it would be beneficial to purchase a new vehicle with better gas mileage. Another example of how knowing this information could help determine what type of insurance coverage you might need in order to protect yourself from risk factors like accidents or theft while on the road.
