Americans drive 3.1 trillion miles in 2015, a record

WASHINGTON – The government says driving in the U.S. in 2015 hit a record of 3.1 trillion miles.

The previous record was 3 trillion miles set in 2007, before the recession led to a sharp reduction in driving.

For a sense of scale, 3.1 trillion miles is roughly the same distance as 337 round trips from Earth to Pluto.

The National Safety Council recently estimated the number of traffic deaths in the United States rose 8 percent from 2014 to 2015, the largest year-to-year percentage increase in a half-century.

The Department of Transportation predicted in a report last year that the expected population growth of 70 million people by 2045 will lead to increased gridlock in many parts of the country. Commercial truck shipments are projected to increase 43 percent.