U.S. motor vehicle travel rose by 7.1% in October over 2020 levels

Travelers are stuck in a traffic jam as people hit the road before the busy Thanksgiving Day weekend in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., November 21, 2017. REUTERS/Kamil Krzaczynski/File Photo

WASHINGTON, Dec 20 (Reuters) – U.S. motorists drove 7.1% more miles in October over 2020 levels as people return to offices and leisure trips, but the distance is off slightly from pre-pandemic levels.

The Federal Highway Administration said Monday motorists drove 277.5 billion miles in October, up 18.5 billion miles over the same month in 2020, but still down 5.6 billion miles over October 2019. For the first 10 months of 2021, road travel is up 11.2%, or 262.5 billion miles.

Reporting by David Shepardson

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